Gutters are another story. I am like many (not all) women. A gutter is a bit of metal which catches the rain water and stops it from leaking into the house. When it rusts and the water comes through it's time to call in the tradies.
To be honest some of my gutters rusted long ago and like both men and women I have been putting it off. Today I have a fistful of cold cash, some phone numbers and a little time.
I have rang four gutter companies. Two of them said my times didn't suit them and that was that. From the other two I had one written quote. The other came and measured. It was almost dark but he used his flashlight on his iPhone to see my rusty gutters and fascia. They look so much worse by flashlight!
He was here for fifteen minutes. Ten of those minutes he shared his life story. I later found out his name but I already knew he lives with a woman who has a six year old boy. They moved in together five years ago. He then said with regret he had tried to be a father to the child but it didn't work and now he is just his friend. I didn't know how to respond. What does one say?
My mind was going crazy, all I expected was a gutter quote and I got Days of Our Lives in colour previews. Alarm bells in my head rang loudly. You should always listen to alarms.
Two weeks later I have yet to receive his quote. He texted a message saying the last twenty quotes he had emailed had not been received and he would surely give me a good price. I am still waiting. I know the job will never begin or at best never be finished. There would always be something else.
Time is always good for reflection. Even if he gave me the cheapest quote I have already crossed him off my list. I hope he sorts out his home life!
That leaves me with the company which emailed me a quote. It wasn't a bad quote, but it only included the gutters and a small length of rusty fascia to be replaced. He told me his brother in law is a painter and came to quote on painting the salvageable fascias and eaves. His quote almost doubled the cost. I must have looked like an easy target.
I had checked out the gutter companies online and today I checked out some more in the local paper. I have circled five. I have time to ring and collect further quotes. I am not looking for the cheapest quote. I am looking for someone who knows what they are talking about. How they will tackle the job. I already know about fascia covers, gutters with storm slits to prevent overflow, how many downpipes my house really should have. I am getting quite savvy with gutters! I had hoped for a good quote, a great job and gutter satisfaction.
