I come across this fairly frequently, where I see the rain gutter fasteners screwed through the drip edge. To me. This is incorrect, and I flag it because as far as my understanding goes, nothing should be screwed through the drip edge as that defeats the purpose, as water may enter through the penetration and into the roof system.
What are your thoughts on this and do you call this out in your inspections?
You would be calling out pretty much every house around here.
I understand your concern, but personally I don’t see a problem with it and I wouldn’t write it up as an improper installation.
I’ve seen in several homes where the screws will back out, especially when debris collects in the gutters, or big storms that weigh them down, it’ll rip the screws out . which leaves a hole behind it in the drip edge. I’ve also seen on some of the homes that I’ve personally renovated when I was doing general contract work where it will start to cause water damage in the fascia boards.
Those personal experiences are the reason they call it out. However, I see it on almost every house that has rain gutters, so I wanted to see what others say about it.
I’ve seen some installers cut a notch where the fastener will be driven, but it isn’t typical.
FWIW, If someone calls a gutter installer to “fix it”, you know what they’re going to say, right?
Those are all seperate issues, which I would write up as defects.
Place a torpedo level in the bottom of the gutter pans to insure the gutters are properly sloped if you feel uncomfortable about the pitch of the gutters.
Gutter fasteners pernitrate Drip edge flashing allowing the water to flow into the gutter instead of behind it.
I do see some drip edge installations were the gutter installer cuts away a small section of the drip edge so the gutter hanger and fastener do not touch the drip edge.
Someone paid for your opinion and you have experience that supports it. Therefore, how could you not call it out?
I cannot question what you have seen but I can question the cause. Likely deferred maintenance such as fasteners in withdrawal or clogged gutters were the root case, not penetrating the flashing. In the image you posted with proper maintenance, I doubt any serious damage will occur in less than 5 years to the piece of trim (fascia) the gutters hang on.
I tend to agree with your perspective. From what I’ve learned, whether through manufacturer installation guides or InterNACHI and other trainings available, the proper method is for the gutter to be installed behind the drip edge, not through it. The top edge of the gutter should tuck under the drip edge flashing, and the fasteners should be installed below, not penetrating the flashing itself.
That said, there does seem to be a general consensus in practice that this isn’t always treated as a major issue, especially when no leaks are currently observed. Still, I’ve seen enough long-term water damage on homes I’ve renovated (many built between the 1940s and 1970s here in Utah) to feel that improper gutter and flashing installation likely contributed to the deterioration.
My main goal in posting was to gather others’ opinions. I recognize that our personal experiences, especially those shaped by outliers or neglected homes, can sometimes skew our view. Getting broader feedback helps provide a more balanced perspective.
Don’t overthink it. Just be prepared to defend whatever you call out. There will be dozens of defects on this board where you will get a wide range of opinions and seldom a consensus, with the exception of the most obvious. (rusted gas pipe is a very recent example)
I would never call that out. Now if the gutter didn’t drain because of poor or negative slope, That I write up. Doesn’t take much standing water to breed skeeters.
Hell, I’m all aflutter when a house has drip or rake flashing of any sort.
Years ago I did a multi-million dollar house in our local “Street of Drams.” The gutters were these elaborate copper whatever, whatever… everyone just kept oooing and awwwing over them and, to be fair, they did look nice. Problem… no drip edge and about 1" of fascia board totally exposed between the gutter and roof edge. The listing agent was classic… cranky old lady, knew every rich person in town, etc. She was just beside herself when I told her there was something wrong with the glorious gutters. I heard later it cost 12K to fix!! It was a 6K sf house… whatever… probably pocket change to the seller.
To the point of the thread, I’d never call it out unless I saw a performance problem. 90%+ of the gutters on the newer builds I’ve seen had a small drip edge incorporated into the back of the gutter with a spike driven right through the back of the gutter. Seems to work fine and again, unless I see a problem, I don’t call anything.
