Seamless aluminum gutter being installed on a house in Setauket, New York

Alec's Construction installs and repairs seamless gutters in Setauket (11733), working out of the yard in East Patchogue. A gutter job here starts with two questions — what falls on the roof, and where the water goes once it leaves the downspout — because those decide the system, the guards and the drainage.

Gutter Installation in Setauket

Setauket sits on Setauket Harbor and Conscience Bay, and its old houses make the gutter work unusual. Around the village green and along Main Street and Old Town Road the houses date from the 1700s and 1800s, on stone foundations, under trees planted with them, with cornices, wooden gutters and in some cases cedar or slate roofs that rule out hanging anything over the roofing. South toward Route 25A the 1960s and 70s colonials on wooded streets are ordinary long runs under oak and tulip trees, with a heavy fall load. The low streets along Shore Road and around the harbour sit in the mapped flood zone and the wind off the Sound hits the north-facing slopes hardest. Setauket and East Setauket file with Brookhaven; Poquott and Old Field run their own departments.

What We Look at First in Setauket

On an old Setauket house we look at what the house was built with — a wooden gutter, a built-in, a copper run — and propose something that suits it before talking about seamless aluminum. Cedar and slate are left alone; brackets go into the fascia. On the 1960s and 70s colonials toward 25A the first look is the canopy and the north-facing eave, which take the wind and hold ice.

Hills, Harbour Wind and Water Running Downhill

The harbour hamlets on the North Shore are built on slopes, and a gutter on a hillside house has a drainage problem a flat-lot house does not. The uphill side of the house already takes the water that runs down the hill; add a downspout emptying on that side and the foundation wall gets both.

The fix is to carry the uphill downspouts around to the downhill side, or underground to where the grade drops, and to keep the discharge from cutting a channel down the slope. On a steep lot that piping is a real part of the job, and it gets laid out before the gutter is ordered.

The wind off the Sound and the harbour comes from the north and northeast, and it hits the north-facing runs that also hold ice longest in winter. Those runs get tighter hanger spacing. The older houses on these hills tend to have more roof planes, more valleys and more inside corners, and inside corners are where overflow starts.

Gutter, downspout and fascia work on a Long Island house

What a Gutter Install Includes

The old gutters and downspouts come down first, and the fascia behind them gets probed along the full run. Soft board is cut out back to a sound rafter tail and replaced, primed on every face including the cut ends, and the drip edge is corrected so water cannot wick behind the new gutter. Only then does the gutter go up.

The gutter is roll-formed on site in one continuous run per elevation, hung on hidden hangers screwed into solid wood, pitched toward the outlets, with corners and outlets riveted and sealed. Downspouts are fastened to the wall and the discharge is carried clear of the foundation. Every run is water-tested with a hose before we leave.

Permits in Setauket

Setauket and East Setauket file with the Town of Brookhaven at Independence Hill in Farmingville; the Village of Poquott on the harbour and the Village of Old Field to the west run their own building departments. The harbour-front and Conscience Bay streets are in the mapped flood zone. Gutter replacement in kind is normally maintenance rather than permitted work; drainage that changes grade or ties into a drywell can raise questions, and we confirm with the department where it does.

Alex walks the house in Setauket, photographs what he finds and gives you a written scope in the order the work has to happen — whether or not you hire us. Call (631) 312-7441 to set up a time.

Frequently Asked Questions

My Setauket house is an old colonial with wooden gutters. Can they be replaced in kind?

Yes. Wooden gutters can be replaced with new wood of the same profile, or with a metal gutter that copies the line of the original, and on a house of this age that is usually the right call. The key is that the fascia and cornice behind it are sound, so we open the eave first, repair any rot and then fit the gutter. Wood needs keeping up; metal in the same profile needs less.

How far should downspouts discharge from a house in Setauket?

Well clear of the foundation — several feet at the least, and further where the lot allows. A splash block only spreads water at the wall. Where there is nowhere to daylight, a drywell sized to the roof area feeding it is the usual answer, if the ground below it is dry enough to take the water.

Can gutters be installed in winter in Setauket?

Yes. Gutter work is one of the few exterior trades that runs straight through the Long Island winter. The sensible time is before the leaves are down and before the first freeze, so the house is not spending the winter putting water at the foundation.

Who issues the permit for gutter installation work in Setauket?

Setauket and East Setauket file with the Town of Brookhaven at Independence Hill in Farmingville; the Village of Poquott on the harbour and the Village of Old Field to the west run their own building departments. The harbour-front and Conscience Bay streets are in the mapped flood zone. Gutter replacement in kind is normally maintenance rather than permitted work; drainage that changes grade or ties into a drywell can raise questions, and we confirm with the department where it does.

Related Guides

Work With Alec's Construction

This page is written by the crew that does the work. See Alec's Seamless Gutters service — sizing, guards and downspout drainage that keeps water off the foundation. One crew from the first walkthrough to the last inspection.

Also in Setauket through the cold months: Roofing and Attic Insulation.

Also Serving Setauket

Talk to Alec's Construction About Gutter Installation in Setauket

We come out, look at the house, photograph what we find and put a written scope in your hand. No pressure, no obligation. Working across Suffolk County since 2018.

Or call (631) 312-7441

No cost, no obligation. We reply the same day.