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Original poster

How much does it cost to get gutters cleaned out?

39 replies

TeaCakeandKisses · 01/08/2023 01:12

Hello,

On my own and separated so this hasn’t really been my area but I need to get the gutters on the house cleaned out as I think there must be a blockage somewhere. I’m currently listening to a drip drip drip!!

Any ideas how much this costs?

OP posts:
Gingersay · 01/08/2023 01:20

We pay £80 to have the front and back gutter cleaned and this also includes cleaning all the soffits and downpipes. We do it every couple of years it makes a big difference.

surlycurly · 01/08/2023 01:22

We have a huge house (only half mine) and it's usually about £190 split between two of us.

purpleme12 · 01/08/2023 01:26

Gingersay · 01/08/2023 01:20

We pay £80 to have the front and back gutter cleaned and this also includes cleaning all the soffits and downpipes. We do it every couple of years it makes a big difference.

Excuse my ignorance but what does it make a difference with?

purpleme12 · 01/08/2023 01:27

Is this something that should be done?
And why and how regularly if so?

Thanks. Sorry for hijacking

Diorinthecountryy · 01/08/2023 01:35

purpleme12 · 01/08/2023 01:27

Is this something that should be done?
And why and how regularly if so?

Thanks. Sorry for hijacking

Came on to say this. I've never had my gutters done. Now scared I've broke my house Confused

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 01/08/2023 03:39

Ideally gutters should be cleared of debris, and if needed repaired annually, usually after the leaves have fallen off the trees. Blocked gutters don’t allow rainwater to drain freely from the building, this water can then back up and overflow and basically find its way into your building causing damp, damage and mould.
Costs vary. There are gutter clearance and repair companies out there. You can always ask a window cleaner or handyman to do it. Or… diy! Personally I hate heights so pay someone to do it for me, last year it was £150, but I did need two new buys of guttering as they had become brittle and broken. (Could see that from the ground myself and it was causing rainwater to spill down the brickwork rather than flow down the down pipe. ).
It’s just a maintenance job, like cutting your lawn, repointing brickwork, painting and decorating- the list is almost endless.

Summer2424 · 01/08/2023 04:17

Hi @TeaCakeandKisses cost us about £100, worth doing x

echt · 01/08/2023 04:28

Checking in from Melbourne here, where maintaining clear gutters is part of managing bushfire risk in heavily treed sub/urban areas, as well as keeping draining clear.

I'll get to the point: ensure that whoever you engage to do this takes photos of your gutters before and after. All tradies have phones so so reason they can't do this. This ensures the job gets done properly.

CheersToMe · 01/08/2023 06:41

Never bothered I previous houses but do now due to horrendous amounts of leaf fall. £145 for 4 bed detached. Window cleaner does it with a vacuum device on a very long pole. Doesn't use a ladder.

Original poster
TeaCakeandKisses · 01/08/2023 06:59

I went out and had a look last night. It’s the overflow pipe sticking out from the side of the house that is dripping but I’m guessing this is because of the gutters?? Anyone know?

I had a look online and found a couple of businesses that do it for £100 ish plus take before and after pics.

OP posts:
Roselilly36 · 01/08/2023 07:03

If it sounds like the overflow pipe ( you say small piece of pipe sticking out from wall) do you have a water tank in your loft? Sound like the ball valve (float) needs replacement, we had this happen a couple of times in our previous home, we were there 18 years. Plumber used to replace it for us.

Roselilly36 · 01/08/2023 07:05

Yes keep gutters clear, if they clog up, you will know as rain will come over the top of them in a heavy shower.

Original poster
TeaCakeandKisses · 01/08/2023 07:06

Roselilly36 · 01/08/2023 07:03

If it sounds like the overflow pipe ( you say small piece of pipe sticking out from wall) do you have a water tank in your loft? Sound like the ball valve (float) needs replacement, we had this happen a couple of times in our previous home, we were there 18 years. Plumber used to replace it for us.

Yes, it’s the pipe sticking out of the wall just under the window of the en-suite. So, I need a plumber for this? The gutters do actually need a clean out so it looks like I will have to pay for both.

I have cover with British Gas for plumbing things but I have to pay £60 excess for this so not sure if I can get it cheaper??

OP posts:
Original poster
TeaCakeandKisses · 01/08/2023 07:08

Gutter also dripping in one corner so I definitely need them doing too.

OP posts:
C4tastrophe · 01/08/2023 07:31

“Yes, it’s the pipe sticking out of the wall just under the window of the en-suite.”
Sounds like the cistern needs adjusting.
Simple job, unless it’s hidden. 100% DIY if you can get your hands on it.
If you can access is, take the lid off, and the water level will be at the height of the overflow pipe if that’s the issue.

CasperGutman · 01/08/2023 07:37

Gutters need to be kept clear, but that doesn't necessarily mean they need to be cleaned out. Our gutters had never been cleaned out in a decade, and when we had scaffolding up for some work on the roof recently I walked all the way round the house to check. There's nothing in them. Presumably any leaves and other debris that gets in either blows out in dry weather or washes out when it rains.

Check your gutters, and clean them if needed.

Oh and a dripping overflow will be nothing to do with the gutters: it will be a leaky valve on a water tank in the loft, or possibly a toilet cistern.

ohfook · 01/08/2023 08:12

purpleme12 · 01/08/2023 01:27

Is this something that should be done?
And why and how regularly if so?

Thanks. Sorry for hijacking

I think it might depend on your house. It's never really been something I've thought about until I moved into my current home and it seems to need doing all the bloody time. Every year they get blocked and stop draining the rain away properly.

Gingersay · 01/08/2023 08:23

My house is white as are the gutters soffits and drains when we get them cleaned it really makes the house look nice and tidy and well maintained. I never realised how much the needed cleaned until the first time we got it done.

CasperGutman · 01/08/2023 11:06

Gingersay · 01/08/2023 08:23

My house is white as are the gutters soffits and drains when we get them cleaned it really makes the house look nice and tidy and well maintained. I never realised how much the needed cleaned until the first time we got it done.

Now that makes sense. Wiping the outside of the gutters, so they look nice, is something which does help, and I try to do it every few years (whether they need it or not!). It's different from cleaning the gutters out, which implies removing material that's built up inside them and only needs to be done if it needs to be done! 🙂

INeedAnotherName · 01/08/2023 11:14

I've only cleaned my gutters twice in 25yrs and both times it was blocked from some sort of flowering moss that the pigeons had kindly planted/pooped out. Last time was a couple of months ago for £45 on the long mossy side but he did do a quick look around on the other sides and said they were clear. Another person had quoted me £140 for same job, both were on the local Trading Standards approval list.

AnotherOneGone · 01/08/2023 12:19

We've got a lot of moss on our roof, which ends up in the gutters after very heavy rain, so gets ours cleared twice a year. My windows cleaner does it for £50 extra.

Im99912 · 02/08/2023 06:27

We had back gutters done last summer
cost £60
hadn’t ever had them done in the 20 years that I have lived in my house 😂

Stratocumulus · 02/08/2023 07:12

I paid £80 recently.
It’s surprising how much muck builds up esp if there are nearby trees. The operative took before & after photos. Lots of debris in the bucket! He also washed the soffits. Made the house look so much better. Not that it was mucky, but just more cared for IYSWIM.

Gutters also get brittle (plastic ones) so joints fail. They leak, they cause splatter at ground level and up the house wall. Best to look after gutters or risk lots of expense in the long run.

ResponsibleWalrus · 02/08/2023 07:36

Our window cleaner does it twice a year and just adds an extra £30 on to the bill (he does the windows every 12 weeks). It's one of those companies that uses telescopic poles for cleaning. If the weather is good they take a before and after video using a drone. If it's windy, they put a camera on one of the poles and take videos using that.

I watched a homes under the hammer episode where there was a bedroom that was ruined with a soaking exterior wall covered in black mould. There was a section of guttering missing so the water from both sides was hitting this wall. The presenter commented that if the previous owners spent less than £100 fixing it, the new owners could have avoided thousands of pounds of work. So now it's one of the few things in the house that I keep an eye on.

Dotgat · 03/08/2023 10:52

We recently spent £100 for gutters to be cleaned out, 4 bed detached with conservatory. Took him about 2.5 hours and we saw a couple of buckets full of mud and leaves come off. Our house was a probate purchase and previous elderly owner hadn't been able to manage much maintenance. The gutters were overflowing when it rained heavily so we felt it was a priority to prevent damp as mentioned by another pp