Gutter Cleaning
Let 'em flow!
"WHY should I have my gutters cleaned?"
"HOW do you clean gutters?"
I clean gutters the good old-fashioned way: from a ladder, foot by foot, visually inspecting the insides as I go. No leaf blowers making a mess of your gutters and siding; no fancy vacuum systems which don't provide for visual inspections.
"My gutters are HALF full... it it OK to leave them like that?"
As we've seen in recent years, very heavy rainstorms will cause a "tsunami" in your gutter, piling up the contents of even "half-full" gutters over the downspouts. In this way, even a handful of leaves or pine needles is sometimes enough to block the flow of an entire gutter system.
"HOW OFTEN should my gutters be cleaned? "
That depends mostly upon the proximity and species of nearby trees. Sometimes, a gutter system will be fine if cleaned just once per year. More frequently, properties require cleaning twice each year. Because different types of trees drop their leaves or needles at different times of year, we recommend bi-annual cleaning (usually in the springtime and autumn). That's what we do on own own property here in Brewster.
"WHEN should my gutters be cleaned?"
Do NOT wait for plants to be growing in the gutters, animals to be making homes in them, etc.
At a minimum, the gutters on most Cape Cod should be cleaned annually during the second half of November. Most leaves still tend to be on the trees earlier than that, and planning on cleaning them later that that can be risky (we've seen clogged gutters freeze solid on December 1st and stay frozen solid until springtime).
Additionally, many gutters systems need cleaning in the springtime as well, after pine needles and catkins (i.e. "oak tassels") have fallen.
Aside from that, they should be cleaned any time they are seen to be overflowing or when flow from the downspouts appears to be restricted.
We get it! But keep this in mind: risk of serious injury from gutter cleaning depends upon two factors:
- height of fall
- your age
... which is why we suggest that homeowners leave this chore to the
young and insured .
"How much do you charge?"
We charge based upon gutter length and height, with a $195 minimum fee for properties in the in mid-Cape area. We'll come out to take a look so that we can get you a written work proposal.
"The guy on Craigslist charges MUCH less!"
He's not paying for workers' compensation insurance. Unfortunately, that's common here on the Cape. Before you hire anyone to climb a ladder on your property, give some consideration to what happens if he gets hurt. It's a horror story and we hear a new chapter of it every year.
"OK, I'm interested in having my gutters cleaned. What's the process?"
Contact us and we'll provide you with a written quote for cleaning out your gutters. Please be sure to alert us if you do have some sort of gutter guard in place, as that may affect pricing.