Fortress Gutter Co.
Gutters · Gutter Protection · Lighting — Fort Lauderdale
Homeowner Guide · Hiring Right
A good contractor welcomes every question on this list — they're the ones that separate a real quote from a sales pitch. Use it on whoever you call, in whatever order. Then use it on me, and hold me to the same standard. My own answers are at the bottom.
Free inspection · Exact written quote · No obligation
Before anyone measures
Licensing for gutter work varies by city and county in Florida, so the practical ask is this: show me the license or registration that covers my job, and a current certificate of insurance for the business. Both should appear without hesitation or a follow-up promise. You can verify insurance with the insurer named on the certificate — legitimate contractors expect that call.
The person quoting is rarely the person installing. Ask whether the crew is the company's own or subcontracted, who supervises, and who you call if something's off on install day. "You'll deal with me" should have a name and a phone number attached.
A guard fitted over rotted fascia is money spent decorating a problem. The inspection should include the wood the gutters hang from — and the honesty to tell you if repair comes first. It's one of the main things my South Florida gutter guide exists to explain.
The product and the paper
Full name, material, and how it filters. "A premium guard" is not a specification. Stainless micro-mesh, perforated aluminum, and a foam insert are wildly different products at wildly different lifespans — my guard comparison guide walks through all of them without a sales agenda.
Ask whether fasteners go into the fascia, the gutter, or through shingles and roof deck — and then check what your roof warranty says about it. A straight answer here is specific and calm. Vagueness here is information, too.
Three separate things can be covered: the product itself, the labor, and performance (what happens if it clogs anyway). Ask what's covered in each category, for how long, in writing — and who stands behind it if the local operation changes hands. A national company behind the installer is a different answer from a truck and a cell phone.
Ranges are for phone calls. Before you sign, the number should be one number, with the full scope listed — footage, downspouts, repair work, cleanup — so there's nothing left to "discover" mid-job.
The job itself
Most straightforward homes are a single-day conversation; larger or repair-heavy rooflines aren't. What you want is a realistic answer, not the fastest one you could be told.
Old gutters, cut-offs, and the debris that comes out of your system should leave with the crew. Confirm it, and confirm it's in the written scope.
A deposit structure tied to progress, with the balance at completion, is the healthy pattern. Everything up front, before a ladder touches your house, is the single clearest red flag on this page.
The correct answer for every system ever made is "some, occasionally." Anyone who answers "none, ever" is telling you what closes the sale. A ground-level check after storm season is the realistic standard for a quality system.
Not "the warranty department" — a who. Local presence plus a company that will still exist are the two halves of a warranty being worth the paper it's printed on.
Walk-away signals
No inspection, no measurement — just a number. That number is a guess, and guesses grow on install day.
A real price is good next week. Pressure pricing exists to stop you from using this checklist on a second contractor.
Verbal assurances about lifetime coverage are worth exactly the paper they're not printed on.
Certificates are one email for a legitimate business. Reluctance to produce one is an answer by itself.
Contractors who trust their price welcome comparison. I encourage it — it's how this checklist does its job.
My turn
Short version, so you don't have to take this page on faith. Your quote starts with a free inspection of the full roofline — gutters, fascia, and soffit — and ends with one exact price in writing. Services are provided through LeafFilter, a national company standing behind the product and the installation, and Don Morrison is your local contact from the first call through the finished job — the person you call in year two is the person who quoted you in week one.
I serve homes and businesses across Broward and Palm Beach — Boca Raton, Coral Springs, Parkland, Weston, Palm Beach Gardens, and everywhere between here and Jupiter. Ask me every question on this list, in person, before you sign anything. That's what the list is for.
Questions
It varies — licensing requirements for gutter work differ by city and county in Florida, and there isn't a single statewide gutter license to ask for by number. What you can always ask for, and should: the business's license or registration for your locality, and a current certificate of insurance naming the business. A legitimate contractor produces both without friction, and you can verify coverage with the insurer.
Yes, and it should include an actual inspection. A real gutter quote requires measuring the roofline and checking the fascia and soffit — a price given over the phone, sight unseen, is a guess dressed as a quote. Expect the inspection and the written quote to cost you nothing and obligate you to nothing.
Yes. Full payment before work begins removes every bit of your leverage and is not how established companies operate. A deposit structure tied to the work — with the balance due at completion — is the normal, healthy pattern. Get the schedule in the written quote, whatever company you choose.
Keep reading
What the rain season does to your gutters, fascia, and soffit — and the ground-level checks that catch damage early.
Read the gutter guide →Micro-mesh, hoods, foam, brushes, and screens — what each keeps out, and what fails under palm fronds and downpours.
Compare guard types →Roofline vs. landscape vs. holiday lighting: typical costs, what drives them, and the HOA notes nobody mentions.
Read the lighting guide →