Do New Chaffee Crossing Homes Come With Gutters?

What's actually on your new house

If you just closed on a new build in Chaffee Crossing, 72916, walk outside and look up. You'll almost certainly see gutters and downspouts — builders generally install them because uncontrolled roof runoff causes erosion and staining that turns into warranty complaints. So the presence of gutters usually isn't the problem.

The details are the problem. Production builders on tight schedules install gutter systems fast, and fast installations often show four common issues on new construction:

1. Level gutters. Gutters need a slight pitch — about a quarter inch of fall every 10 feet — so water flows toward the downspouts. New gutters are often hung visually level because level looks straight from the ground. Water sits in them, and during a heavy Fort Smith rain, standing water becomes overflowing water.

2. Downspouts at the slab. This is the big one. Many new builds discharge downspouts straight to a splash block at the foundation line. On expansive clay soil, that's exactly where you don't want concentrated water. With roughly 47 inches of annual rain in Fort Smith, every storm is feeding the soil pressed against your foundation.

3. Minimal hangers. Builders often use the minimum number of hangers the spec allows. Over a few seasons of oak-leaf loads and standing water, undersupported gutters start to sag — which then holds more standing water, which then sags them further.

4. No guards under tree cover. Chaffee Crossing's mature landscaping plan means many lots sit under oaks and pines within a few years of planting. Unguarded gutters on a two-story new home need cleaning two to three times a year.

Why the home warranty doesn't fully cover you

New-home warranties generally cover defects in materials and installation workmanship — a leaking joint, a gutter pulling away from the fascia. They do not cover the consequences of maintenance issues: clogs from leaf drop, overflowing gutters staining siding, or water management at the foundation. And by the time a warranty claim is filed, argued, and scheduled, a full rainy season has usually passed.

That's why the window between closing and the first heavy rain matters so much. You want the system checked while the builder is still responsive — and before water has a season to work on your foundation.

The 15-minute check

Here's what a proper new-home gutter check covers. You can do a version of this yourself with a ladder and a level; we also offer it free for new Chaffee Crossing homes:

• Pitch: Set a level on the gutter run. It should tilt slightly toward each downspout — not sit dead level.
• Hangers: Push up gently on the gutter bottom every few feet. Movement or flex means undersupported.
• Downspout discharge: Follow every downspout to the ground. Any discharging at the slab or into a spot that drains back toward the house needs an extension.
• Seams and end caps: Look for gaps at joints and corners — new seals sometimes fail in the first year.
• Tree cover: Note which runs sit under canopy. Those are your high-maintenance runs and the candidates for guards.

What fixing it costs

Most new-home corrections are small jobs:

• Downspout extensions and re-routing: from a $129 service call
• Re-pitching or re-hanging a run: quoted in writing after diagnosis
• Micro-mesh guards on problem runs: from $599 — most installations $599–$1,999

Compare that to one season of water dumping at your slab, and the check pays for itself before it costs anything.

Before or after move-in?

If you haven't closed yet: the ideal time to have gutters evaluated is during your final walkthrough or the first weeks after closing, while the builder is still responsive. Document anything that looks off — level runs, short downspouts, overflow staining on fresh mulch — with photos and dates. If you've already been in the house a year, don't worry; the fixes are small at any age. The only mistake is letting three or four rainy seasons pass with downspouts feeding the slab, because by then you're not correcting a new-build quirk — you're undoing cumulative soil movement, and no gutter fix retroactively repairs a foundation.