Omaha neighborhood we serve
Box Gutter and Gutter Repair in Dundee, Omaha, NE 68132
Dundee houses were built well, but many of them hide their gutters inside the cornice, where a failing liner can rot wood for years before anyone sees a stain. That is most of what we fix here.
Dundee at a glance
- Area
- Dundee, Omaha, NE
- ZIP
- 68132
- County
- Douglas County, NE
- Office
- Omaha office, 516 South 13th Street
- Phone
- Answered 24/7
Quick answer
Dundee gutter work is mostly about older homes: relining and repairing built-in box gutters, replacing tired gutters with half-round or copper that suits Colonial, Georgian and Tudor Revival architecture, repairing rotted fascia and soffit, and keeping maple seeds out of the system. We keep the original roofline intact wherever we can. Give us a call to have a Dundee roof looked at.
Dundee began developing in 1880 and boomed after 1905. When Omaha annexed it on June 20, 1915, it covered about 0.7 square miles and held roughly 2,500 residents. Most of the houses on its streets date from that early stretch, and they look like it: brick and stucco Colonials, Georgian facades and steep Tudor Revival roofs.
Those houses were built before modern hang-on gutters were common. Many have built-in box gutters framed into the eave and lined with metal, and others have half-round gutters that have been patched many times. Our job in Dundee is usually to make the water handling work again without making a century-old house look like a new build.
Built-in gutters on early 1900s houses
A box gutter is a wood trough built into the cornice and lined with tin, copper or later membrane. When the liner cracks at a seam or the outlet corrodes, water soaks straight into the framing, and the first sign is often peeling paint on the soffit, a stain on an upstairs ceiling or a crown molding coming loose. We open up the area, cut out rot, rebuild the trough where needed and reline it with membrane or soldered metal.
Some owners prefer to close a box gutter off and hang a new gutter on the fascia. That works, but on a Georgian or Colonial cornice it changes the look. On Tudors with steep roofs and short eaves, we often use half-round gutters with round downspouts and decorative brackets, which follow the curve of older trim far better than a K-style profile.
Maples, steep roofs and May rain
Dundee's developers planted about 2,000 maple trees along its streets, and their descendants still shade most blocks. Silver maples drop heavy loads of winged seeds in late spring, and the Nebraska Forest Service notes those seeds commonly clog gutters. In a box gutter, a mat of seeds over the outlet can back water up behind the liner edge in a single storm.
That storm is likely to come in May, the wettest month of the Omaha year at about 4.7 inches. Steep Tudor roofs move that water fast, so outlets need to be clear and downspouts sized properly. We like to clean Dundee gutters right after the seed drop, before the heaviest rain arrives.
Most called jobs here
Services suited to Dundee homes
Built-In Box Gutter Repair
Box gutters framed into the cornice are common on early Dundee houses. Relining stops leaks before they rot rafter tails, soffit boards and interior plaster.
More on this serviceHalf-Round Gutters
Half-round profiles with round downspouts match the trim and period details of Tudor and Colonial homes far better than modern K-style gutters do.
More on this serviceCopper Gutters
On brick and stone Dundee houses, soldered copper gutters age to a brown patina that suits the masonry. We use copper hangers and fasteners only, never mixed metals.
More on this serviceFascia Board Replacement
A century of small leaks leaves soft wood behind many old gutters. We probe the fascia and replace rotted sections so the new hangers have solid backing.
More on this serviceGutter Cleaning
Maple seeds pack into outlets every spring on Dundee streets. A hand clean after the seed drop keeps box gutters from backing up in the first heavy May storm.
More on this serviceSoffit Repair
Overflowing box gutters soak the soffit first. We repair or rebuild damaged soffit to match the existing wood and profile, so the cornice keeps its original look.
More on this service
Dundee on the map
Most Dundee homes carry the 68132 ZIP code, and the neighborhood carries a Walk Score of 79, so many errands can be done on foot. The early 1900s housing continues into nearby Country Club and Cathedral, and we often work all three in the same week. Our guide to box gutters covers the same houses in more depth.
Gutter work in Dundee, answered any hour
Call for seamless gutters, repairs, guards or a clean-out. We talk through the job on the phone and set a time to measure.
FAQ
Gutter questions from Dundee
How can I tell if my Dundee box gutter is leaking into the house?
Look for peeling or bubbling paint on the soffit and crown molding, dark stains on the fascia below the gutter line, and water marks on the ceiling of upstairs rooms near exterior walls. Ice that forms along the cornice in January is another clue. A box gutter can leak behind the trim for years before it shows, so we inspect from the roof side with the liner exposed.
Is relining a box gutter better than replacing it with a hanging gutter?
Relining keeps the cornice and roofline exactly as built, which matters on a Dundee Colonial or Georgian. Converting to a hanging gutter can cost less up front but changes the look of the house and needs new fascia work. We explain both options with the condition of the wood in front of us. The box gutter repair page covers each method in more detail.
Will copper gutters stain the brick on my Dundee house?
Copper runoff can leave a green tint on light stone or mortar where water drips or splashes, especially in the early years. Proper pitch, well-placed downspouts and splash blocks keep most of that water off the masonry. Dark red brick shows it far less. We talk through downspout placement with you before we bend the first piece.
When is the best time to clean gutters under Dundee maples?
Right after the maple seeds finish falling in late spring, and again once most leaves are down in late fall. The spring visit is the important one in Dundee because it comes just before the wettest weeks of the year. A seed mat over an outlet is enough to overflow a box gutter in one storm.