Read the wall below the roofline: gutter overflow tells on itself

You can audit a gutter system from the ground. Overflow leaves a signature: dark streaks down the siding below the gutter line, splash erosion in the beds directly under the eaves, and staining at the foundation where water has been dumping in the same place for seasons. Each of those reads forward into envelope and moisture items inside the top-floor units. The ground walk is the cheap version of a roof program — binoculars for seams and shingles, eyes on the walls for the water story, and a work order whenever the signature appears, because a clogged gutter is an afternoon and a rotted fascia is a project. What does the wall below your worst roofline look like right now? — Otto Mergl, Admin