About Us
I specialize in rain management products I design and build from scratch, along with rust-free gutters in aluminum or copper with no-clog options. I will not work with steel sheet metal for ethical reasons. To me, 'IRON' is a 4 letter word. Same as the word 'RUST'. I also charge a more reasonable cost for what I put into each project for the best possible value you could find. I work within the Portland, Oregon Metro area, and have clients all over the Country for the custom copper work I do. I install gutter with 8X strength, compared to Building Code requirements: with hidden hangers and stainless steel screws on every job. See my comprehensive web site for more details.
I also run a small sheet metal shop where I custom design and build other rain management products for clients across the Nation. Such as copper chimney caps, or turret and gazebo roof peak cap. Firepit covers have also become quite popular. See http://copper-by-design.com for more details.
The biggest scandal of all in construction work is how you are 100% likely to get ripped off when having your house roofed or re-roofed. I have crawled upon thousands of roofs and have yet to see evidence of a decent Roofer. I have written advice about roofing standards on my web site to help curb this awful trend. Since I do not sell roofing jobs this info is unbiased to what might be most profitable. You would do well to read it over and print out the checklist, or the jokes on you.
How We Got Started
Back in the early 90's I worked for a Contractor, but felt too restricted with having to use the low-quality materials we were to install, and I was not allowed to discuss options with their clients. They I was not ethnic enough to pretend that I spoke no English, so clients would ask me questions, which might conflict with the lies their Salesmen had told them, so I was instructed to never speak to the Homeowners, or risk losing my job. That Contractor had folded and I was left to take up a specialty contractor's license to continue to find work. I chose gutter replacement, and was able to use a higher standard of parts. I continue to learn and improve my standards over the last 3 decades.
The products and services we offer
Recommendations Received (27)
"He runs an honest and efficient business."
"David with DMR Gutters & Copper By Design is a detail-oriented Contractor. David designs and..."
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"David with DMR Gutters & Copper By Design is a detail-oriented Contractor. David designs and builds unique copper rain management products. His expertise is sought after in Oregon."
Products & Services
We design and fabrication many different custom rain management products in aluminum, copper, and stainless-steel for clients across the Nation. Su...
Call us for the best in the Northwest! DMR-Gutters & Copper-By-Design offers free estimates within a reasonable distance from Tualatin Oregon. Prou...
Need someone to call when something breaks? DMR-Gutters & Copper-By-Design offers general handyman services to customers in and around PDX, but I m...
Gallery
Recommendations Given (21)
"I was hugely impressed with the workmanship of Brandenburg Studios Design on the Tara North..."
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"I was hugely impressed with the workmanship of Brandenburg Studios Design on the Tara North project in Ladds Edition on 16th street right in front of the garden space. It was the most amazing renovation I have seen in my 32 years as a gutter contractor."
"In January of 2024 Tim had gone through my exclusive course for exceptionally high standards in..."
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"In January of 2024 Tim had gone through my exclusive course for exceptionally high standards in gutter replacement work here in Oregon. Tim did very well and seems very enthusiastic about doing the work right. Not just rushing to get to the next job. "
Recent Activity
Being a bit of a geek I had a full business website back in the mid-'90s. Long before it was commonplace for small businesses to have a web presence. I have steadily added to it over the last few decades and have the most comprehensive website on rain management in the world. I have also used...
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Being a bit of a geek I had a full business website back in the mid-'90s. Long before it was commonplace for small businesses to have a web presence. I have steadily added to it over the last few decades and have the most comprehensive website on rain management in the world. I have also used many other social media web communities to host thousands of my photos and have taken the time to write about the content of those images. As a result, I have been booked up for around 30 months steady for the last few years and turn away more potential clients than I can take on.
1 Reply
Yes, we already do. On several social media platforms in fact. Although, I see search engine results bring more clients into my web site, since most of my clients for the custom copper work I do are from out-of-state.
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Yes, we already do. On several social media platforms in fact. Although, I see search engine results bring more clients into my web site, since most of my clients for the custom copper work I do are from out-of-state.
1 Reply
I have had to continue to work, since I have no other options. Fortunately construction has not been one of the businesses required to shut down, and I work alone with my Son helping part time. My clients have not been good at keeping a decent social distance, but so far I have remained healthy...
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I have had to continue to work, since I have no other options. Fortunately construction has not been one of the businesses required to shut down, and I work alone with my Son helping part time. My clients have not been good at keeping a decent social distance, but so far I have remained healthy and able to get the supplies needed. These are strange times. My Wife is a medical professional and has also needed to continue working, so I need to be very careful not to bring this home and get her infected, or she would not be able to help others.
We may not all agree on how to handle this crisis, or just how serious
it really is. Regardless of how you believe: this virus was naturaly
evolving, man made, or just an exaggerated hoax, one thing is true: We
Are Being Tested! How are we all handeling things under this crisis? Can
we work together cohesively? Maybe it is a divine test, or maybe just
concocted by 'The Powers That Be', who had set up a dry run to see how
we would react if this were a crisis of a much higher magnatude. Like
with the Fire Alarm Drills we had to do in school; to see how we do as a
society in crisis. Real or imagined to
dismiss other peoples fears is very inconsiderate and selfish. When
someone is having a panic attack telling them to just 'chill out' does
not help. I do not mean to judge people
here, but I imagine saying 'Mind your own bees-wax' and hording supplies
is not performing well through this exorcise. I agree it is best to
respect others safety concerns, even if some of us do not think it is
all that serious. I hate having to wear a mask in public, but I will. If
nothing else I do not want any unpleasant looks from those around me
for not being responsible. I feel I got death -stares for wearing my
work resperator in public before it was more commonplace. As if they
were thinking: why are you out in plublic if you are so ill, but that
was not the case at all. My Wife being a medical worker means she needs me to be extra careful and not
bring home something that would make her unable to go to work.
I
am amazed at how resourceful we have shown to be. I did not imagine
those businesses that are affected by this shut-down could handle such a
cash flow crisis and find ways to adapt as well as they have. Those who
do not adapt simply will not survive this. Maybe
you still have plenty of supplies to wait this out, but what bridges
have we burned in the process? Again, I am not here to say what is right
or wrong, but just to pose a few questions for us to ponder.
Either
way, I wish you all well, and able keep their propper distance.
1 Reply
Being a bit of a geek I got an early start for on-line advertising my construction business. I had published an extensive web site back in the mid 90's before it was commonplace for small businesses to have a web presence and embraced e-mail correspondence. This is back when people were still...
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Being a bit of a geek I got an early start for on-line advertising my construction business. I had published an extensive web site back in the mid 90's before it was commonplace for small businesses to have a web presence and embraced e-mail correspondence. This is back when people were still using the phonebook to find local businesses. So online sales had been the core of my construction business for the last 20 years +. I have also had most of my custom copper orders be from out of State clients over the last 15 years, so this has remained my core of project sales, using digital photos to show my clients my progress on their project. I have personally spent thousands of hours on adding to my web sites and working social media, where I have posted thousands of digital photos of my work. As a result I have been booked up over 2 years out with gutter replacement projects, and turn away more potential clients than I have time to take on, so I was set to ride this out, but I am concerned how this may affect the economy with many businesses that will go under when they are not able to adapt to ride this out. As long as I can still get supplies I will continue to be able to work.
Everyone should move over to a local credit union. JP has a long standing history of a shady past. One being our depedance to fossil fuels over the last century. I had hoped we had all learned this important lesson from the Occupy Wall Street movement. We had moved over to a CU well before then,...
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Everyone should move over to a local credit union. JP has a long standing history of a shady past. One being our depedance to fossil fuels over the last century. I had hoped we had all learned this important lesson from the Occupy Wall Street movement. We had moved over to a CU well before then, but that is the one clear message they had managed to get out there.
Setting a good example is the only thing we truly have control over, and the best we can hope to accomplish within our life. Unless we are honorable with those of our association; be it business and or personal, we have no right to even hope for any better from others, let alone expect it. We...
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Setting a good example is the only thing we truly have control over, and the best we can hope to accomplish within our life. Unless we are honorable with those of our association; be it business and or personal, we have no right to even hope for any better from others, let alone expect it. We each need to strive to create the world we would hope to live in, regardless of what we may get in return, as an absolute rule without waiver. I imagine you or anyone you'll ever meet could not honestly say "I don't mind living in a world of lies and deceit", so the least we can do is not add to that muck from what we put out there as to our words and actions. Even when no one's looking. We also need to accept how others have just as much right to live and prosper as we do; unconditionally! Others are not be cheated through our selfishness. Beside unjustified WAR, this is manifested in many more ways than you could possibly imagine; in how we conduct our daily life and purchases. Please take some time to research 'Fair Trade'. I wish Ethical Responsibility were not such a rare quality in our modern business world, but wishing and waiting on the side lines is not going to help. The best any of us can truly hope to accomplish in one's life-time is to set a good example in every aspect of what I do; to show it is possible to still make a modest living while running an ethical business. My ideals are not because I was raised a Mormon in Utah. I have not found the LDS share my passion for ethics, let alone implement it in their actions beyond their pretenses, or else it would have impacted the business world a great deal more than it has through fair competition. Don't be just a clich'e hypocrite. I can only hope to inspire others to seek out opportunities for good karma to enhance their lives and character through helping to enhance other people's lives in their chosen field of work with compassion and care. Every aspect of all we do should be approached as an art-form with conscious intention. We can try to teach others how to live and love, but until they own it and becomes a part of them this sort of philosophy will just be a pretty string of words with little real meaning. As long as we strive to set a good example perhaps those around you will eventually gleam wisdom from your example. You can not force it on others, and we need to be very patient, as they still need to grok it within their own time-line, or perhaps the next. author: David Rich
1 Reply
You make a good point here, but clearly this is not the norm by a long shot. Most people are conditioned to be skeptical of service providers and not expect to get the real truth of it, and even get cheated by most of them for the sake of their profit margine.
I would say this has gone well...
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You make a good point here, but clearly this is not the norm by a long shot. Most people are conditioned to be skeptical of service providers and not expect to get the real truth of it, and even get cheated by most of them for the sake of their profit margine.
I would say this has gone well beyong just greed and or having such little care for thy fellow man. Business owners seem to gain a sense of accomplishent to be clever enough to successfuly swindle their clients, and get away with it. Like the thrill of cheating in a poker game and not getting caught.
With my gutter replacement work my minimum standard is unargubly 8X that of Building Code: 1 nail every 4 foot span versus my 2 stainless steel screw set every 2 foot span in a stronger hidden hanger and better caulk. I also do many things that other contractors are unwilling to do, and at a more reasonable price to boot. Yet, I rarely have a client show me some hospitality to even offer me a glass of tap water on a hot Summer day, and I practically never get a tip for going the extra mile. I get by OK, but I cannot even afford health insurance, have no retirement options, and cannot even get on top of my credit card debt. I have no shortage of work. I have been booked over a year out for quite a while and turn away more clients than I have time to take on.
Other scoundrels are getting filthy rich, yet I am horribly under appreciated for being so diligent and forthright. I refuse to become one of those scoundrels, so that is not an option either. I cannot seem to find an assistant to help me who has a passion for being an ethical contractor, so I've had to do this work alone for most of the last 26 years as a licensed contractor. Sorry if this comes off as cynical, but just seeing our reality. As we all know planned opsoecense is standard proceedure within most industry, even though it is littlerally intentional fraud! Besides the rampant poisoning of our rivers and ground soil all around us. Wake the *%$# up and smell the coffee burning!
Ponder what you may be doing to contrubute to this cesspool we've created. That's the question here. None of us want to live in a world of lies and deciet, so why is this such a huge problem still? If we were to pass a law making
planned opsoecense the crime it truly is, we could do more for the landfll issues than all the recycling programs put together, even if we had 100% compliance of every household to recycle. I have maintained a 95% recycle rate within my construction debris.
Over the last 20 years I have invested my time to build a comprehensive web site like no other. I have authored over 300 web pages of diffgerent topics and posted over 20k images. More recently I have used FB for their photo albums to post new sets of project photos, so it is easier for clients...
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Over the last 20 years I have invested my time to build a comprehensive web site like no other. I have authored over 300 web pages of diffgerent topics and posted over 20k images. More recently I have used FB for their photo albums to post new sets of project photos, so it is easier for clients to scroll through those images and share with others. It is important to talk about what they are seeing in those photos, so search engines can better catagorize them. I have not wasted any money on SEO services or running ads, yet I have been booked out over a year with steady work, and turn away more potential clients than I have time to take on.
In Portland Oregon for the last 26 years I have specialized in rain management with no-clog rust free gutters in aluminum or copper. I will not work with steel for ethical reasons. To me 'IRON' is a 4 letter word. Same as the word 'RUST'. I also have clients all over the Country for the custom...
(more)
In Portland Oregon for the last 26 years I have specialized in rain management with no-clog rust free gutters in aluminum or copper. I will not work with steel for ethical reasons. To me 'IRON' is a 4 letter word. Same as the word 'RUST'. I also have clients all over the Country for the custom copper work I do. I run a small sheet metal shop where I custom design and build other rain management products for clients across the Nation. Such as copper chimney caps, or turret and gazebo roof peak cap. Fire pit covers have also become quite popular. See http://copper-by-design.com for more details.
I have had my clients go over a decade without cleaning their gutters. I would know, since I've offered a 15 year no-clog warranty for the last 2.5 decades on most of my gutter replacements. It requires a 3 part system to work that well. Not just a gutter cover: a wide mesh screen, 2X larger...
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I have had my clients go over a decade without cleaning their gutters. I would know, since I've offered a 15 year no-clog warranty for the last 2.5 decades on most of my gutter replacements. It requires a 3 part system to work that well. Not just a gutter cover: a wide mesh screen, 2X larger outlets, and a strainer down low in the downspout to manage debris without a ladder or tools.
