City of Calgary

Eavestrough and Gutter Service for North Calgary Communities

North Calgary's newer communities share Airdrie's weather almost exactly, and the 2020 hailstorm made that plain: the northeast took the worst of it. We work across the city's north end, from Saddle Ridge, Taradale and Cityscape in the northeast to Evanston, Sage Hill, Kincora and Livingston in the north and northwest, replacing hail-dented eavestroughs, fixing leaking corners, re-routing downspouts in tight side yards and fitting soffit and fascia that stand up to a Calgary winter.

A quiet street of two-storey homes from the 1990s and 2000s with mature yellow-leaved trees, front lawns and attached garages on a crisp autumn day.

At a Glance

Municipality: City of Calgary
From our Airdrie office: South of Airdrie on Highway 2
Postal prefixes: T3P, T3K, T3R, T3N, T3J

1 825-465-6241

The Homes and Buildings in North Calgary

The established north-end communities, including Country Hills, Coventry Hills, Panorama Hills, Martindale, Taradale and the older parts of Saddle Ridge, were built largely from the 1990s through the 2000s. Original eavestroughs on homes of that age are commonly standard builder systems showing their age: corner seals cracking, end caps dripping onto front steps, and troughs pulled out of level by the ice loads of many winters. Vinyl soffit from that era turns brittle with sun and cold, and hail cracks it easily. Two-storey homes with a front-attached garage are the typical shape, so a long upper eave often drains through one downspout onto the garage roof, and that single lower trough takes far more water than it was sized for.

Newer communities such as Evanston, Sage Hill, Kincora, Nolan Hill, Redstone, Cityscape, Carrington and Livingston are 2000s-to-present construction built at higher density. Laned homes with rear detached garages, semi-detached pairs and townhome rows put downspouts within a metre or two of the next house, a shared walkway or a lane. Roof lines are busy, with multiple gables, short eaves and valleys draining into inside corners over entries. Because many of these homes are still on their first eavestroughs, the common problems here are water spilling over a valley corner, a downspout draining onto a neighbour's side yard, and a garage eavestrough in the lane that was never cleaned and now freezes solid.

Several north-end communities are built on real slopes, including the ridges of Panorama Hills and the hillsides around Sage Hill, Kincora and Nolan Hill. Walkout basements put a full extra storey between the eave and the ground on the downhill side, so downspouts are long, exposed and hard to reach, and the water they release runs downhill toward the next lot or a retaining wall. On these homes we pay particular attention to where each downspout ends, use heavier coil and extra hangers on tall rear elevations, and treat a walkout's rear eavestrough as a lift or long-ladder job planned around decks and patios.

Weather and Exposure

The 13 June 2020 hailstorm hit northeast Calgary hardest, alongside Airdrie and Rocky View County. Hail described as big as tennis balls shredded vinyl siding, and the storm as a whole caused more than a billion dollars in insured damage. Many homes were repaired quickly afterwards, and in a hail belt that runs roughly June to August it is not unusual for a house to be hit again. When we inspect a north-end home after a storm we note dents that hold water, crushed downspout elbows and cracked soffit, with photographs and measurements the homeowner can give their insurer. The insurer decides what is covered.

Communities on the city's northern edge back onto open farmland, and wind comes across that ground without much to slow it. Driving rain overshoots the front lip of steep roofs, and blowing snow packs into eavestroughs, then melts and refreezes when a chinook passes through. Each cycle leaves ice in the trough and weight on the hangers. On exposed corner lots and homes facing open land we use hidden hangers at 12 to 18 inches, keep the front lip slightly below the roof plane so sliding snow clears it, and make sure downspouts are open before freeze-up, because a plugged downspout on a two-storey home becomes a column of ice by midwinter.

Neighbourhood Notes

Saddle Ridge and Taradale

These communities are in northeast Calgary, the part of the city the 2020 hail hit hardest. Where eavestroughs and vinyl soffit were replaced in the rush after a storm, we check whether those rebuilds were hung on proper hangers with a real slope, and replace dented runs in heavier .032" coil where they hold water.

Martindale

Martindale is an established northeast community, where original corner seals and end caps can be well past their working life. Leaks at the mitres drip onto entries and driveways and freeze into slick patches in winter. Stripping the old sealant to bare metal and re-sealing properly stops the drip without replacing sound troughs.

Cityscape and Redstone

Cityscape and Redstone are newer northeast communities of closely spaced two-storeys, laned homes and townhomes. With narrow side yards, downspouts often discharge toward the neighbour or a shared path. We move and extend them so water runs to the front or back yard, away from both foundations.

Panorama Hills and Country Hills

Homes on the Panorama Hills ridges and in Country Hills include larger two-storeys and walkouts with long rear drops. Upper-roof downspouts landing on lower roofs are common and wear a stripe into the shingles. Splash shoes, or extensions carried to the lower trough, fix the wear, and 3x4 downspouts help on the biggest roof areas.

Coventry Hills

Coventry Hills commonly has maturing trees and original eavestroughs, so seed fluff, leaves and shingle grit settle in the troughs and plug outlets. A plugged outlet in fall becomes a block of ice in winter. A spring and fall clean with downspout flushing, or micro-mesh guards on the worst runs, keeps them flowing.

Evanston and Sage Hill

Evanston and Sage Hill are 2000s-to-present communities, with Sage Hill set on sloping ground. Walkout rears put long downspouts on exposed elevations, where wind and ice test the fastening. We secure these runs with extra hangers and keep discharge well away from lower lots and retaining walls.

Kincora and Nolan Hill

Kincora and Nolan Hill homes on hillside lots often have complex roofs with valleys pouring into inside corners over entries. Those corners overflow in heavy summer rain and drip ice in winter. A 6-inch trough on the valley run, and drip edge where the shingles stop short, sends the water where it belongs.

Livingston and Carrington

Livingston and Carrington are among north Calgary's newest communities, facing open land on the city's northern edge. Young landscaping means little leaf debris but plenty of windblown dirt and roof granules. Perforated aluminum guards and heavier coil suit these exposed lots better than light builder-grade troughs.

Permits and Drainage Rules in North Calgary

Authority having jurisdiction: City of Calgary

The City of Calgary is the authority for homes in north Calgary, and it sets its own rules on building permits and on where roof water can be discharged; we do not quote them second-hand. Replacing eavestroughs, soffit or fascia on an existing house generally does not need a building permit, but a re-roof, structural fascia or rafter-tail work, or work on a commercial building may, so check with the City of Calgary for your situation. Some requirements hold everywhere: roof water never goes into the sanitary sewer, and it should not be sent onto a neighbour's property. Many townhome and duplex complexes also have a condominium board or homeowners' association with its own rules on colours and materials, so check with them first.

What North Calgary Homes and Buildings Need Most

Airdrie Hail & Storm Damage Replacement

Hail-dented eavestroughs documented for your claim and replaced in heavier coil.

Corner Joint Re-Sealing & Leak Repair

Leaking corners, end caps and outlets stripped, re-sealed, riveted and water-tested.

Upper-to-Lower Roof Discharge Elbows

Splash shoes and extension pipes that carry upper-roof water to the lower gutter.

Vented & Solid Aluminum Soffit Installation

Vented and solid aluminum soffit that restores attic intake and keeps pests out.

Perforated Aluminum Screen Guards

Stiff punched-aluminum covers that shed big leaves and stand up to hail.

Flip-Up Downspout Extensions

Hinged extensions that carry roof water about 2 m out and lift for mowing.

Every service we offer

Close to North Calgary

Airdrie

Our home base, from Hillcrest and Woodside to Coopers Crossing, Kings Heights and Midtown.

Balzac

Warehouses, commercial bays and acreage homes just south of Airdrie.

Cochrane

Hillside homes and acreages where foothills wind and heavy snow test every eave.

Eavestroughs in North Calgary: Questions

Does the City of Calgary have rules about where my downspout can drain?

The City of Calgary sets its own rules on lot drainage and downspout discharge, and they can change, so check directly with the City rather than relying on a contractor's summary. What we can tell you is what holds everywhere and what we build to: roof water goes away from your foundation, never onto a neighbour's property, never onto walkways where it freezes, and never into the sanitary sewer. On narrow north-end lots that usually means moving a downspout to the front or back corner of the house and fitting a flip-up extension or splash pad there.

Our northeast Calgary home had new eavestroughs after the 2020 hail. Can later hail damage be assessed again?

Yes. Each storm is its own event, and new dents, crushed elbows and cracked soffit from a later hailstorm are new damage. We inspect the eavestroughs, downspouts, soffit and fascia, and give you photographs and measurements showing what was dented and where. Your insurer and adjuster decide what is covered and how much, so we never promise coverage. If you do replace, we usually recommend heavier .032" coil, which resists hail denting better than standard builder-grade troughs, on a home that has already been hit once.

Our laned home has a detached garage at the back. Is it worth doing the garage eavestrough too?

Usually, yes. Rear garages in north Calgary's laned communities often have a short trough and one downspout that drains straight into the lane or onto the path to the back door, where it freezes. Because the garage is out of sight, its outlet is often plugged with debris long before anyone notices. Doing both buildings at once means one colour match, one setup and a single plan for where the water from each roof ends up, including a discharge point that stays off the path and away from the neighbour's garage.

Eavestrough Work in North Calgary?

Call or send the details. Airdrie Gutters works from Airdrie, and we will tell you what the roof edge needs before we price it.

1 825-465-6241 Send the Details