anthony gilardi, home improvement advice

FREE home repair advice from HGTV's Anthony Gilardi here on CafeMom every other week. Ask Anthony your home improvement or home repair question TODAY in the comments below!

This week, Anthony helps a CafeMom assess some water damage on her interior wall, which seems to be caused by a leaky rain gutter, and then tells her how to fix it.

Q: I have noticed some water stains in our garage on one spot of the wall. The roof looks great, but when I went up to look, I see that the gutter is not flush with the wall/roof at that part, and it appears that water is running off the roof and down through the siding. How do I repair that? Can I just drill a screw through the closest part of the gutter to pull it flush to the wall?

—vetchick

A: Hey, vetchick. Thanks for writing in.

Yes, you are on the right track. It is a good possibility that a space between your gutter and fascia board could cause a leak in the adjacent wall.

Let's assume this is the source of the problem.

What to consider:

First, depending on how many feet of the gutter is "not flush" with the Fascia Board, you might want to consider removing the whole section. The reason for this is to assess the situation.

Along the damaged area of the roofline, you want to inspect:

  1. The condition of the Fascia Board (the wooden face of the soffit to which the gutter attaches). If there has been water leaking in that area for a period of time, there is a good chance the wood has rotted. You must replace any rotted wood before properly reattaching the gutter.
  2. The condition of the Drip Edge (the metal flashing that sits under the first course of roof shingles). Again, if damaged, it must be replaced first.
  3. The original fasteners that once held the gutter to the Fascia Board. Find out why they let go in the first place. Perhaps they were not installed correctly in the first place, or maybe they're fastened to rotting Fascia Board. 

If there's no problem with the Fascia or Drip Edge, or after you've fix the problems, you can then properly refasten the gutters.

Here's a website for you that sells gutter fasteners and products that you may need for the job. If refastening the gutters doesn't fix the leak, let me know and we'll go over some other possibilities. If you would like to send some pics of the area, you can do so through the CafeMom site.

Remember, safety first.

When using a ladder, you may want to consider have a second person hold the base.

Good luck.

—Anthony Gilardi 

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