Rideau Rain Gutter's New Chapter
Rideau Rain Gutter is a Sydenham-based company that has been around for a long time, replacing old or non-existent eaves-troughs on new houses and houses built decades or even a century ago with seamless, aluminum eavestrough, to allow water to flow off the roof and run away from the home’s foundation. Rideau Rain Gutter also offers the installation of eavestrough coverings called leaf-guards to prevent clogging by leaves and pine needles falling nearby.
Previously run by Tim and Anita Alton, and their daughter Stephanie, they had established a reputation for fairness and service throughout South and Central Frontenac, the Kingston region, and Lennox and Addington County.
The new owner, Will Hixson, moved to the Sydenham area four years ago with his spouse, Esther. Will became established as a contractor, and Esther, a remote worker, joined a local walking group and became friends with Anita, who was also a member.
“Through Rideau Rain Gutter, the Altons would get asked about other jobs, fences and other repairs that people needed done, and they began referring people to me, which helped get me established in the community,” said Will Hixson.
Last spring, the Altons made a proposal. They were ready to retire and asked Will if he wanted to buy their business.
“I saw it as a great opportunity, and an obligation to do right by the reputation they had developed over the years,” said Will, in a phone interview this week in the evening, after a long day of work.
Will began shadowing Tim as he went from job to job, and got to know the Rideau Rain Gutter crew, and last summer the sale was finalised.
Because of the nature of the work, eavestrough replacement only takes place in the spring, summer and fall, but starting in February of this year, Will has been busy quoting on jobs, responding to emails from clientele that have used the company before or heard of them by word of mouth.
“It was a hard winter, with a lot of ice damage, so we have been busy getting ready for the season. The leaf guard product that we use is made by a company called Alu Rex. They are a Canadian company that uses all Canadian aluminium to produce their T-Rex and Double Pro guards,” he said.
Rideau Rain Gutter are a five-star rate certified installer for Alu Rex, and Will is devoted to making sure he is quick to answer customer inquiries, and get to the property to provide a quote on small and large jobs quickly.
Then, it is up to the homeowner to decide how to proceed.
“We have heard about some of our competition, not the competition from local installers in the Kingston area like ourselves, but international competition that is in the marketplace, who tell people the price they are offering is only good for 24 hours or some other short timeline, in order to pressure them into a commitment. These prices are sometimes 3 times as much as local installers are charging. We don't do that, our quotes are good for the install season. The price of aluminum has gone up roughly 20% over the last year, and other costs are going up as we know, but we can offer a price that is good for the season. It can be a lot of money for people to spend, and people want to protect and improve their homes to the extent that they can afford to. We live in the community where our customers live, how we treat them matters to us.”
The product that Rideau Rain Gutter recommends often depends on the location and the roof on the buildings they are working on. Metal roofs are very popular, especially in rural areas, because of how long they last, but the water shoots off them in a way that it doesn't off a shingle roof, so Will often recommends a 6-inch gutter instead of a 5” gutter in those cases.
“They are deeper and stronger, and catch the water better, so it can be redirected away from the building and the foundation, which is the main goal.”
While the products they install are designed to help buildings handle icy, wet and cold weather conditions, installation requires good weather, above 5 degrees and mainly dry, for caulking to set right and for safety of the crew, so it has been a frustrating few weeks for Will, as his crews have been able to work only some of the time. But with warmer weather this week, and April coming on, he expects to start catching up on a back log of orders as the summer season approaches, in his first full year at the helm of Rideau Rain Gutter.
They also do limited other work on soffit and fascia, as customers require it, but the main focus of the company, for now, remains eavestrough. Will is hoping to expand the company with a second crew at some point, but for now he is happy to be hands-on in every aspect of the business as he works through his second season.
“I'm very happy with the way everything has gone so far, and I feel I have a handle on the costs and customer service” he said, and Rideau Rain Gutter customers seem to be happy as well.
To contact the company, go to Rideauraingutter.com or call (613) 372-1433.
