Gutter Guard Installation — Leaf Guards, Covers and Screens
Stop climbing the ladder every October — guards fitted to your gutters after they are cleaned, resecured and pitched right, so leaves and maple seeds stay out and water stays in.
JMB Builders does gutter guard installation on existing gutters across the Twin Cities metro: micro-mesh guards, aluminum screens or solid reverse-curve covers, fitted to your gutter size and roof pitch. We clean the gutters, tighten or replace loose hangers and fix the pitch first, because a guard on a sagging gutter just hides a clog. Priced per project from your photos within one business day.
- Priced per project; gutters cleaned and rehung first
- Micro-mesh, screen or solid cover, your choice
- Quote from photos in 1 business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
A gutter guard is only as good as the gutter under it. Before any guard goes on we clean the gutter to the metal, check every hanger, reset the pitch so water runs to the downspout, and clear the outlets. Then the guard goes on tight to the gutter with no gap at the back where debris slips in and no lift at the front where the water shoots over. Done that way, a guard turns a twice-a-year ladder job into an occasional rinse from the ground.
Which guard depends on what falls on your roof. Under oaks and maples, where maple seeds and oak tassels get through a coarse screen, a fine stainless micro-mesh is the one that works. Under pines, needles lay across almost anything and a micro-mesh with a steeper set sheds them best. In a wide-open yard with mostly big leaves, a simple aluminum screen does the job for less. Solid covers that carry water around a curved lip work in most rains but can overshoot in a downpour and ice over in winter; we put them where they make sense and not everywhere.
Guards can go on with a new gutter job or on gutters that are sound. If the gutters themselves are sagging, split at the seams or pulling off the fascia, we say so and quote the gutter fix rather than covering it up.
What you supply
- Photos of each gutter run from the yard and, if you can, one looking down into the gutter
- The trees near the house: oaks, maples, pines, cottonwood; it decides the guard type
- Whether the gutters overflow anywhere now or ice heavily in winter
What JMB supplies
- Gutter cleaning to bare metal and downspout flushing before the guard goes on
- Loose hangers replaced with hidden screw hangers; pitch corrected to the downspout
- Micro-mesh, aluminum screen or solid cover guards sized to your gutter and cut to fit at corners and ends
- Guards fastened to the gutter lip or fascia, never nailed through the shingles
- End caps and corner pieces closed off so debris cannot enter at the seams
- Loose or missing drip edge addressed so water enters the gutter, not behind it
- Photos of the finished runs in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Total feet of gutter and how many inside and outside corners
- Guard type: aluminum screen, stainless micro-mesh or solid reverse-curve cover
- Condition of the gutters: cleaning only vs. rehanging, resealing seams or replacing sections
- Eave height: second-story runs and steep roofs take more ladder time
- Valleys and roof sections that dump onto one run, which may need a splash guard or a larger downspout
- Guards added to a new gutter install on the same visit, which shares the setup
A photo from the ground of each run and a word about which trees overhang the roof is enough to quote the guard type and footage.
How long it takes
Most single-story homes: half a day to a day including cleaning. Two-story homes: one to two days.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Stainless micro-mesh guards
A fine stainless mesh on an aluminum frame that stops maple seeds, oak tassels and shingle grit as well as leaves. The guard we recommend under most Twin Cities trees. Needs an occasional brush-off from the roof edge or a hose rinse.
Aluminum screen guards
A perforated or expanded aluminum screen that snaps under the shingle edge or screws to the gutter lip. Keeps out big leaves at a lower cost; small seeds and needles can get through, so it fits open yards better than heavy tree cover.
Solid reverse-curve covers
A solid hood that carries water around a rounded front edge into the gutter while leaves fall past. Works well in steady rain; can overshoot in a downpour and ice at the lip in winter. We use them on the runs where they fit the roof and skip them elsewhere.
Guards with new gutters
The cleanest install: guards sized to the new gutter and set at the right pitch on the same day. If your gutters are past saving, we quote both together.
Gutter Guard Installation — Leaf Guards, Covers and Screens: questions, answered
Do gutter guards work in Minnesota winters?
Mesh and screen guards do well; snow sits on top and melts through, and they do not add to ice dam problems, which come from attic heat, not the gutter. Solid covers can build a lip of ice at the front edge in a freeze-thaw week. No guard stops an ice dam, and we say that plainly; attic air sealing and insulation do. Guards keep the gutter clear so meltwater has somewhere to go.
Can you install gutter guards on my existing gutters?
Yes, as long as the gutters are sound. We clean them, tighten or replace the hangers, correct the pitch and then fit the guard to your gutter size. If a run is bent, split at the seams or pulling off the fascia, we tell you and quote fixing the gutter first, because a guard on a bad gutter just hides the problem.
Which gutter guard is best under oak and maple trees?
A stainless micro-mesh guard. Oak tassels and maple seeds are small enough to go through a standard screen and pile up in the gutter under it. Micro-mesh stops them on top where wind and rain move them off. It costs more than a screen and is the right choice where tree cover is heavy.
Will gutter guards void my roof warranty?
Guards that nail through the shingles or lift the first course can. We fasten guards to the gutter lip or the fascia, and if a design slides under the shingle edge it goes in without fasteners through the roof. Read your shingle warranty if you have one on file; we install to keep it intact.
Do I still need to clean my gutters with guards on?
Less, not never. Under heavy pine or cottonwood, debris that lies on top of a mesh guard should be brushed or rinsed off once a year or so. The gutter under the guard stays clear, which is the point. The downspout outlets are the one place to check each spring.
Do gutter guards cause water to overshoot the gutter?
A solid cover can in a hard rain, especially below a valley or a steep roof. Mesh and screen guards let water through where it lands. We fit a splash guard at valleys and choose the guard by roof pitch and rain load, so the runs that get hit hardest get the guard that handles it.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
Related jobs we do
Gutter Installation — Seamless Gutters and Downspouts
Gutters that hang straight, drain to the right corner and stay on the house through a Minnesota winter, hung on fascia that has been checked first.
Read moreFascia Board Repair & Soffit Section Replacement
The gutter is pulling away, the fascia behind it is black and soft, and a soffit panel is hanging down. We replace the bad section, fix what caused it, and put the gutter back where it belongs.
Read moreIce Dam Roof Damage Repair and Prevention
The icicles were the warning; the stain over the window is the bill. We fix the eave, the sheathing and the ceiling, then air-seal and insulate the attic so the roof stays cold and the ice stays off.
Read moreShingle Roof Replacement — Tear Off and Reroof
When the roof is done — curling, bald, losing granules by the gutter-full — it comes off to the deck and goes back on with the flashing, membrane and ventilation a Minnesota winter demands.
Read moreChimney Flashing Repair — Step and Counter Flashing Rebuilt
A stain on the ceiling next to the fireplace, wet brick in the attic, a ring of roof cement around the chimney — the flashing rebuilt in metal, cut into the brick, so it stays fixed.
Read moreFlat Roof Repair — Leaking Garage, Porch and Addition Roofs
Water on the garage floor after every rain, a stain on the porch ceiling, a puddle that sits on the roof for days — flat roof leaks found and fixed, patch or new membrane.
Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All roofing pages
Where we work
Roofing near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: