If your gutters drip behind the fascia every time it rains, you’re not alone. Here’s how we stop that mess for Philly homes and suburban twins without selling you a whole new roof.
What is a Gutter Drip Edge?
It’s an L-shaped strip of metal we tuck under your shingles and over the back of your gutter. Cheap, simple, and it makes water jump into the gutter instead of hugging the fascia like a wet dog.
Picture a skinny strip of aluminum bent like a ski jump. We slide the fat leg under your first row of shingles and let the skinny leg hang over the back of your gutter. That’s it. No rocket science, just metal that tells water where to go instead of letting it wander.
You’ll hear roofers call it “drip edge flashing,” “gutter apron,” or just “that metal thing,” but every name means the same job: kick rain into the gutter and keep your fascia board from turning into oatmeal.
Philly drip edge comes in white, brown, or raw galvalume, and we stock all three on Truck #14 because row homes love to surprise us. Standard overhang is 1¼ inches, but we’ll bend custom sizes for old slate roofs that never heard of standard.
Cost runs about a buck a foot for aluminum, two for steel, and yeah, copper if you’re feeling fancy. One strip lasts longer than most marriages, so it’s the cheapest insurance you can buy against rotten wood.
Do Gutters Need a Drip Edge?
If you like dry fascia boards and hate paying for new ones, yes. Without it, rain sneaks behind, rots wood, invites carpenter ants, and voids most roof warranties.
Signs Your Drip Edge Was Installed Wrong
Water streaks under the gutter, paint bubbling on the fascia, and that steady drip you hear during every storm are dead giveaways. If the metal’s nailed to the fascia instead of the roof deck, somebody half-assed it, call us and we’ll fix their mess.
First clue: water streaks on the siding right under the gutter. That means the drip edge is either too short, bent backward, or missing entirely.
Second clue: paint bubbling on the fascia board. Paint doesn’t lie—if it’s peeling like a bad sunburn, water is kissing that board every storm.
Third clue: you can see raw roof deck from the sidewalk. Shingles should overhang the drip edge by ½ inch; if you spot plywood, somebody skipped the metal and hoped you wouldn’t notice.
Another rookie move is nailing the drip edge to the fascia instead of the roof deck. That leaves a gap where water slides between the metal and the board, which is like putting an umbrella handle on the outside of the storm.
And if the installer used short ⅜-inch roofing nails instead of 1¼-inch, the strip will curl like a potato chip after the first hot week. We’ve fixed more hack jobs than we’ve had cheesesteaks, and that’s saying something.
Why Philadelphia Homes Keep Getting Water Behind the Gutters?
Philly’s mix of 1920s stucco, 1950s brick, and 1990s vinyl makes every block a different animal, but they all share one thing: our 47 inches of yearly rain that arrives faster than a SEPTA bus on Broad Street.
According to the EPA’s Region 3 water data, that’s 20% more than the national average, and it hits hardest in July storms that drop two inches in an hour. When your roof edge lacks a proper gutter drip edge, all that water wicks back toward the fascia like a paper towel in a puddle.
Add our freeze-thaw winters and the clay soil that swells against foundations, and you get rotten wood, basement seepage, and angry homeowners who think the gutters are “leaking.” Nope, the water’s just taking the shortcut you forgot to block.
Signs You Need Gutter Drip Edge Work
- Water stains on the siding under the gutter
- Paint bubbling on the fascia board
- Black streaks on your vinyl J-channel after every storm
- Squirrels chewing the soft edge of your roof deck because it’s soaked
- Your neighbor bragging about his dry basement while you’re shop-vac’ing again
Drip Edge Costs in Philadelphia in 2026
| Tier | Material | Linear Ft Price* | What You Get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Aluminum Drip Edge, pre-painted | $4.50 | Stops 90% of drip issues, 20-year paint |
| Better | Steel Drip Edge, galvanized | $6.25 | Tougher for row homes with metal roofs |
| Best | Copper Drip Edge | $12.00 | Matches copper gutters, 50-year life |
*Prices include labor
Gutter Drip Edge Near Me vs. Local: How to Spot the Real Deals?
Type “gutter drip edge near me” and Google spits out national lead farms that sell your info to whoever pays.
Look for a 215 or 610 cell number that actually rings, not a call center in Arizona. Ask if they stock drip edge on the truck; if they have to “order it,” you’re paying for two trips and a markup. N Gutter keeps 1,200 ft of aluminum drip edge on Truck #14 at all times because we hate callbacks more than we hate the Cowboys.
Our Gutter Drip Edge Process from Start to Finish
Last Tuesday, our tech Mike pulled Truck #14 into the 2400 block of Sears Street in Fishtown. The 1925 brick twin had brand new gutters but water still poured behind them because the original roofer skipped the drip edge.
Mike set his ladder on the cold patch roof, popped the bottom two courses of shingles with a flat bar, and slid in a 24-gauge white aluminum drip edge that matched the fascia.
He nailed every 12 inches into the roof deck, not the fascia, then bent the lower lip outward so water shoots into the gutter instead of hugging the board.
Job took 83 minutes, start to finish.
“Mike showed up at 9:00 and left at 10:23. Haven’t seen a drip since.” – Jen R.
Quick Winter Tips to Avoid Another Gutter Drip Edge Disaster
- Check the Philly water department site for freeze warnings; if temps drop below 28°F for three nights, your gutters will ice dam without drip edge.
- Snap a photo of your roof edge from the sidewalk; if you see raw plywood, you’re missing metal.
- Shove a garden hose in the gutter this weekend; if water runs down the fascia, you just found your problem. (Yeah, it’s cold, but it beats replacing the whole board in April.)
FAQs
Does drip edge go over or under the felt paper?
Under the underlayment on the bottom edge, over on the rake. That way water stays on top of everything.
Will drip edge fix my icicles?
It helps, but you still need proper insulation. Call us and we’ll eyeball your attic for free.
How Long Does the Fix Take?
Most Philly jobs run 60 to 120 minutes. We also run same-day because nobody wants a dripping gutter.
Call N Gutter and we’ll tack on a free downspout flush with every drip edge install. Heck, we’ll even bring the coffee.