Gutters are essential to keeping a home in tip-top shape, but lack of maintenance can create real issues for homeowners. Gutter guards are designed to keep debris from building up inside gutters and causing clogs and water overflow.
According to our independent research, LeafGuard is one of the best gutter guard providers on the market. While it offers no option for DIY gutter guard installation, LeafGuard’s gutter guards have proven durable and reliable for gutter protection. Our LeafGuard review goes in-depth on product details and performance, professional installation and services, and more.
Get a free estimate with LeafGuard below to help set up your gutter guard system.
Our 2023 LeafGuard Review
After a thorough investigation, our experts determined that LeafGuard has one of the top-performing gutter guards on the market. Since the company takes a full-scale approach to gutter installation, including removal of your old or current gutters, and a lifetime maintenance and warranty guarantee, it’s an excellent choice for many who prefer a hands-off home renovation.
When put to the test, LeafGuard gutter guards did not warp or bend when faced with simulated debris and heavy rainfall. Although these sturdy gutter guards cannot be cut with scissors, the professional installation ensures the leaf guards will fit any gutter. For these reasons, we rated LeafGuard 4.4/5 stars as the most durable gutter guard available.
However, this gutter guard system is not without its drawbacks. Customers report that, despite the clean profile and seamless design, debris has accumulated on the gutters over time. If you live in an area with lots of pollen during the Spring, have a traditional asphalt shingle roof, or have plenty of pine trees abutting your home, then a micro-mesh gutter guard may be more your speed.
LeafGuard Pros & Cons
Pros
- Lifetime transferrable warranty
- Gutters and gutter guards are always custom-fit to your home
- LeafGuard provides maintenance
Cons
- Pressure sales tactics by sales reps can make for negative experiences
- More costly than many other quality gutter guards
LeafGuard Gutter Guard System
LeafGuard gutter guards are among the sturdiest option for gutter protection available. While best suited for larger debris and more moderate conditions, they can make a solid gutter cover for numerous homeowners.
Gutter Guard Design and Product Specs
LeafGuard’s one-piece design features five and six-inch k-style gutters coupled with a reverse-curve gutter guard and includes the following components:
- Sturdy Aluminum One-Piece Design: The all-in-one design is strong and durable design holds up to 32 inches of rain per hour. These aluminum gutters are advertised to be 20% thicker, and the downspouts are about 30% wider than industry standards. This helps ensure that your gutters can handle heavy water flow and work under more difficult conditions.
- Custom-fit for Any Gutters: All LeafGuard rain gutters are constructed and measured on-site to ensure optimal fitting to your home. LeafGuard uses special equipment to fold aluminum to the exact length and width needed for your home to ensure a seamless design. After this, your gutters and gutter guards are secured to your fascia board.
- ScratchGuard Paint Finish: All LeafGuard gutter guards are coated in ScratchGuard Paint, which ensures protection against chipping, rusting, and rot that can accumulate from water damage or associated wear over time.
The Installation Process
LeafGuard’s all-inclusive installation process begins with a no-obligation, free estimate at your home. This includes a full walkaround of your house, with a full inspection of your existing gutters and fascia board. Your LeafGuard agent will then give you an all-inclusive quote, including the following.
Gutter Disposal
First, your LeafGuard team will remove and dispose of your existing gutters. Since they install full-scale gutter systems with gutters and gutter guards being a set piece, you’ll have to go with their proprietary offering if you book with this company.
Custom-Fit Patented Seamless Gutters
Once your existing gutters have been removed, LeafGuard will fit their one-piece gutters and gutter guards onto your home using special equipment. All gutters will be custom-made on-site to fit the exact footprint of your home.
Install Gutters with Hangers, Fasteners, and Screws
Once your gutters have been crafted, your LeafGuard specialists will secure them to your fascia board using non-corrosive hangers. Long screws are driven into your fascia board every two feet, which exceeds industry standards for support. Once your gutters are firmly in place, all wide LeafGuard downspouts are installed onto the seamless gutters.
How Do LeafGuard’s Gutter Guards Work?
LeafGuard’s gutter guards utilize a reverse curve design and the surface tension of the water flowing into your gutters to filter out debris. A curved hood overhangs most of your gutter’s width, which allows even heavy rain to flow into your gutters while debris falls off the side of your house. Through customer reviews and testimonials, this liquid adhesion principle was found to be effective for medium-sized and larger debris, as well as heavy rainfall.
LeafGuard Cost
LeafGuard is one of the costlier options for gutter protection currently on the market. Like its micro-mesh competitor, LeafFilter, LeafGuard charges a premium for its gutter guard offerings. Rates typically fall between $11 and $37 per linear foot. You’ll want to negotiate with your sales rep when you get this quote. All costs include the services listed above, from the home inspection to gutter removal, to gutter system installation.
Learn more about in our in-depth comparison of LeafGuard and LeafFilter.
The following averages represent the projected cost across a typical residence with between 100 and 200 linear feet of gutters:
| 100 Linear Feet | 150 Linear Feet | 200 Linear Feet |
| $1,100 – $3,700 | $1,650 – $5,500 | $2,200 – $7,400 |
Discounts and Deals
LeafGuard periodically and currently offers a $100 Visa gift card with an in-home estimate. This comes with some minor exclusions based on location.
LeafGuard also offers financing plans for its gutter guard systems, including a 132-month (11-year) plan, which features $99 down, $99 for installation, and $99 payments each month. They will work with you if you can’t pay the full cost of your gutter system up-front.
LeafGuard Warranty
All LeafGuard gutter guard systems come with a lifetime warranty to cover any defects or wear, which includes both superficial and functional elements. Englert LeafGuard will cover structural damage or wear due to normal use, as well as any chipping or fading of the ScratchGuard paint on the surface of your gutters.
This lifetime warranty is transferable but is pro-rated at 50 years for any subsequent homeowners on which LeafGuard gutters are installed. You can read the full terms and conditions here. In all cases, you’ll have to contact LeafGuard via their phone number (1-800-LEAFGUARD) or their website within 45 days of the damage being noticed.
Service Area & Locations
LeafGuard services locations in 36 states. You can follow this link to find locations near you. If you live in the following states, LeafGuard will NOT be accessible to you for any gutter installation needs:
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Maine
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- North Dakota
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
LeafGuard Reviews
Homeowner testimonials will be your greatest asset before you book with any gutter guard provider. Reviews from Google, Yelp, Trustpilot, and BBB will serve you when deciding on a gutter guard provider. Here are a couple of customer reviews from actual LeafGuard clients.
LeafGuard’s one-piece gutter construction is marketed as a debris-resistant one-time fix for all gutter clogs and maintenance. Lifetime warranties for parts and labor and an efficient design make for plenty of positive experiences with them.
Despite three decades in the gutter guard industry, LeafGuard gutter guards from Englert still get many complaints. Aside from LeafGuard installation being generally costly because it is a one-piece guard and gutter system, customers report pushy sales tactics and spotty service for maintenance and cleaning requests. Also, a concern is that some clients who have their LeafGuard gutters removed for roof maintenance have reported debris buildup within their gutters. Built up debris can mean more work or more cost to have your gutters cleaned.
Timothy’s experience with LeafGuard’s technicians and gutter guard features went about as well as advertised on this provider’s website:
“I own a single-story brick ranch home in Troy, Michigan. My house is surrounded by about a dozen large trees. Being a senior citizen, I became tired of cleaning out my gutter system twice a season. The risk of falling off my ladder became a major concern as well. I had a screen-type system installed by another company and found that after one season, the screens were clogging and not allowing rainwater to flow through my existing gutters. After some research and actual customer referrals, I was convinced, LeafGuard would be my choice. I got an estimate and purchased a LeafGuard gutter system. Having spent my working career in Engineering, I was impressed with all the proprietary LeafGuard gutter features…Leafguard’s warranty is one of the finest I’ve ever encountered over my (72) years. Since my system has been installed, I’ve only had two minor issues. LeafGuard sent out their installers within two days and made a couple minor adjustments to my system. I found the entire team “first class”, from the initial sales person Tom, to Terrance the local manager to Adam the east coast regional manager, plus Mike and Dan the installers. A major “THANK YOU All” for your excellent service.”
Gloria’s LeafGuard gutter guards, on the other hand, did not live up to expectations:
“We live in northeast Wisconsin and installed the Leafguard system one year ago. They certainly weren’t cheap! We have large trees around our home and were sold a bill of goods. We just had our system removed and reinstalled by the local branch-the service was great and the employees were very nice. They have to come off whenever a new roof is installed. However, once the gutters were taken down we looked inside and saw LOTS of leaves!! We had no idea that they were in the gutters. We told the representative about this and he said that they would come out based on the warranty and clean them. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose? We are not happy. Why have an expensive system when they warranty to come out and clean out the gutters with leaves? Do your research before you invest! (If we didn’t have our gutters removed for our new roof, we would have never known!).”
Key Takeaways: Is LeafGuard Worth It?
Our opinion at Today’s Homeowner is that LeafGuard gutter guards are among the best gutter guards for areas with less extreme weather and larger debris accumulation. If your property is in an area with lighter tree coverage, this option is one of the best available. That said, LeafGuard’s liquid adhesion technology pulls smaller debris into gutters, such as pine needles, shingle grit, pollen, and more. This will ultimately lead to cleanup and maintenance work if it goes unchecked for too long. We recommend going with professional installation for any gutter guard you decide to purchase. Doing so, and getting multiple in-home estimates from gutter guard pros, will help ensure that you get the best price and service package for your needs.
To compare the best gutter guards for you, check out our providers below to compare quotes.
Our Testing Method
At Today’s Homeowner, we value transparency and authenticity when it comes to rating any of the products we review. We purchased sample packs for each DIY gutter guard option and installed them at our facility. Eight feet of each gutter guard was installed on our five-inch gutters and was tested for a full week under harsh conditions.
We replicated these by loading the tops of our gutters with the following types of debris while subjecting them to periodic heavy rainfall (greater than 50 mm per hour). The debris below was loaded at a weight not exceeding eight ounces per foot, by the percentages listed.
- Hay (30%): Dried hay was meant to replicate the weight and consistency of dry leaves and smaller sticks that could fall onto gutters in any location. Most of this would roll off the gutters at the start of any simulated rainfall and would not pose an issue for most gutter guards.
- Mulch (45%): Cedar mulch is a bit weightier and of more mixed consistency. This would affect any non-micro-mesh gutter guards, as the varied texture would be troublesome when coupled with wet conditions.
- Screened Top Soil (25%): Screened top soil (no more than two ounces per foot) would simulate shingle grit, pollen, and any other small granulated debris which could accumulate on gutters.
Each gutter guard was tested outdoors for a full week with the above debris piled on. In addition to natural elements, we simulated heavy rainfall (50 mm per hour) on each for at least two periods of two hours to ensure proper water flow for the duration of testing.
How we Ranked and Reviewed Gutter Guards
Here, we’ve broken down our rating methodology for gutter guards. You should know that we’ve taken the utmost care to provide the most up-to-date information and to ensure that you make the best choice for your budgetary and home maintenance needs.
Why Trust Today’s Homeowner? Our Gutter Ranking Methodology
At Today’s Homeowner, transparency and trust are our most important values for the reader. We’ve done the homework for you and have researched over 50 gutter guards so you can have the information you need to make the best choice for your home. That’s why we took the time to create an objective rating system and score each gutter guard and gutter guard provider company according to our gutter ranking methodology.
We also dug into the details of each gutter guard to ensure that you could make the best decisions for your home and keep your gutters debris-free for years to come.
To make the most of our research, we developed a formula to objectively determine the best gutter guards based on the following criteria:
- Material: Material durability was the most important factor in our rating methodology for gutter guards. Whether they were stainless steel micro-mesh or plastic screening, we gave an in-depth rating for this criteria.
- Debris Resistance: Our testing served as the primary evaluator for this factor. We curated a rating based on customer testimonials and our own in-house testing here.
- Ease of Installation: Most of the gutter guard options listed have some DIY components involved. For this reason, guards requiring the fewest specialty tools got the highest rating.
- Cost: How reasonable is the price in comparison to the industry average? We compared the costs of each company to competitors.
- Warranty terms: We looked into the warranty of lifetime warranty terms if it is offered by the provider.
- Trust: What do customers rate the company? We looked into what customers are saying about their experience with the company.
- Buying process: How easy is the buying process if the gutter guard is a DIY installation? We looked for shipping costs, shipping time, and where the product could be bought from.
