Leaf Guard gutters are great at keeping out the debris, but... I HAVE A WARNING FOR THOSE IN SNOW STATES: There is no way to prevent ice formation - no matter how well insulated and ventilated your attic is. If the temperature and sunlight conditions are right, the snow is going to melt, and re-freeze on these "ice maker" gutters. We never had ice damming problems UNTIL WE INSTALLED LEAF GUARD GUTTERS. I am sure it is possible that some ice formed inside our gutters, but the extent of ice formation now is SHOCKING. If you think about it, this makes sence, the hood over the gutter is a thin piece of metal, with air flowing over and under - when water trickles down due to snow melt from our black-shingled (heat absorbing) roof, and hits this air-chilled metallic surface, it freezes - as do the water droplets that hang from the metalic edge of the gutter hood. The opening between the hood and the gutter is quickly sealed off because of this icing, and then you have a perfect storm for ice formation. If you've never seen ice damns on your home before YOU WILL ABSOLUTELY see them after you have these gutters installed. IT GETS WORSE: We had these installed on our Wisconsin home in November, and just a few weeks later we had a few large snow falls and then some very sunny weather - with temps below freezing. The ice formation on our brand new gutters was ASTOUNDING. We called, and they told us that this meant the gutters were working - that ICE is not LIQUID WATER and the gutters are meant to keep out everything except LIQUID WATER. Their response to our concerns so obviously well rehearsed that we soon realized that this was a major problem with these gutters. To be sure, the icicles hanging over the gutters were 2 to 3 feet long - I had to drive through ice to get into my garage. More significantly, the ice forming directly on top of the gutter hood was 4 to 5 inches thick. IT GETS EVEN WORSE: Within a few days of expressing our concerns to Leaf Guard, and being told that the gutters were working, weather conditions got much warmer - the snow on our roof began to melt rapidly, and the flow washed the ice formations (4 to 5 inch thick ice spanning our entire roof line) off of the top of the gutter hood. Fortunately nobody was killed - because had someone been standing in the wrong place at the wrong time THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN SEVERELY INJURED OR KILLED. Unfortunately I have a working greenhouse attached to my home. It was demolished. We spent the rest of the winter trying to keep the ice from forming on the gutters using a roof rake. Most of the winter we were okay, but there were mulitple times where the ice formed - and multiple occurances of SLABS OF ICE FALLING FROM OUR ROOF LINE. SUMMARY: Leaf Guard gutters are great at keeping the debris out - we have a wooded lot and just got through spring with the gutters performing marvelously. However, if you live in a state where there is regular snow accumulation (ZONE 4 or lower is my guess), the YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY AVOID BUYING THIS PRODUCT AT ALL COSTS. There are other alternatives that do not prevent water from making it INTO your gutters during winter. AND BY THE WAY - EVEN THOUGH THE WEB SITE AND THE CONTRACT YOU SIGN STATES: "Leaf Guard Gutters neither help nor hinder the formation of ice", YOU CAN BE SURE THAT YOUR ICE PROBLEMS WILL REACH EPIC PROPORTIONS AFTER YOU INSTALL. BUYER BEWARE. NOTICE: If anyone else has has similar problems, please post to this message board.

I do not have gutters either, and it all has to do with the architectual design-I have a WWII veteran's rancher, with low and wide eves that are 17" out from the foundation, with a hipped roof, so water drains down 4 sides evenly, rather than 2. In this case, gutters are not neccessary, but staying on top of grading IS. You also MUST make sure foundation plantings are OUT from the drip line-not IN it or behind next to your foundation. It is important to maintain a slope of 6 inches of slope per ten feet. Letting organic material from plantings build up is a no-no. Always be sure to clean it out every spring, because decaying organic matter traps moisture and encourages night crawlers that will create soil that is too porous and fluffy. You want SUPER packed silty soul, void of debris. Always be sure that no giant rocks or sand are in FRONT of your path-use pea gravel piled up a bit to diffuse the pounding drops. I have eroded soil after floppers tore out mature foundation plantings (giant junipers) that held the slope and diffused the dripping, never bothered to regrade, and planted huge plants mere inches from foundation, disturbing soil further. I will be regrading and compacting this spiring and laying black plastic from foundation to drip line, covered in a thin layer of rock to prevent weeds, control erosion and moisture from splash back, and maintain the slope again. All of my shrubs are 3 feet out and down from the foundation, to prevent erosion, and work their roots through compressed sandy, rocky silt, so that the ground perks again.

@jdesign_gw and anyone else wanting to tackle hinge drilling affordable. While the 3-in-1 Blum drill is great, it's not diy affordable. One extra step, but not bad if you're not doing this everyday. I did this and painted 100+ doors in my house. For the 35mm bore hole. https://www.amazon.com/Kreg-Tool-Company-KHI-HINGE-Concealed/dp/B01JQ74FMQ/ref=asc_df_B01JQ74FMQ/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309763090755&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11433647920691291326&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1026411&hvtargid=pla-423472884902&psc=1 For the 8mm alignment hole. This is used after drilling the 35mm hole. INSERTA Boring Template Blum 65059A https://www.woodworkerexpress.com/hinge-accessories-inserta-boring-template-0-type-inserta-boring-template.html Both can be used with a hand drill if desired. No adjusting out errors. That was taken out of context.

Thank you again Lori! I actually answered this last comment of yours with a longer reply but then edited it to correct a hanging parenthesis. Poof! I did everything all right, but the whole thing disappeared anyway. My laptop is in need of a tune up and it's getting a bit glitchy! I wanted you to know I deeply appreciate your thoughtful replies though, so I'm re-writing it (and the boiled down version, here, is more brief--so that's better). Replying to you helped me to ferret out my own thinking process and formulate a plan. I learned something by asking you about the gloss (that it tends to dissipate over time) but I agree...I don't really like "glossy" on the exterior. (And even if it dissipates, there would be areas which could be seen but would be a little more protected from weather and those would stay glossy.) I've realized, without rationalization nor denial, that the difference is only slight in color. I know myself very well: My brain is wired to first and foremost see discrepancies. It sees discrepancies as severely different at first. Yes, it tends to make me a discriminating (okay, "very picky") person (LOL) but over time my brain adjusts and I see more factually how much of a differential really exists. (Being able to see discrepancies so clearly makes me good at analyzing things, so it has its helpful uses!) Knowing this about myself, I placed the samples at a spot in my home which I walk past multiple times per hour so I'd see the samples suddenly and without thinking about them first. Thinking about other things as I went about my day, my eyes landed on the samples without anticipation of seeing them, and my brain told me they are the same color. This happened 3 times. Only upon closer, conscious glances did my brain say, "Oh, those are slightly different." So, perhaps I could live with the color and, as you say, move on! :) I appreciate the comments and, folks, please keep 'em coming if you have something helpful to add. There may be a new idea out there that can re-shape my thinking and help me to distill my best solution. On Monday, I'm going to call and ask some questions: 1. Can the gutter company provide the COLOR of the High Gloss White in a low gloss finish? 2. If not, can the gutter company factory-paint with my paint selections from Benjamin Moore's Aura line, perhaps with an additive to harden the paint? ...and also... 3. Can we identify places on my home where downspouts cross over the body of the house, if any, and have the gutter company paint those pieces of the gutter system a second color, to match the body of the house? Thank you Lori and everybody. I really appreciate your time!