gutter cleaning
Gutter Cleaning: Do It Yourself or Hire It Out
You can clean your own gutters on a bungalow with a solid ladder and a helper. Here is when it is fine, where it goes wrong, and what hiring gets you.
You can clean your own gutters if you have a one storey home, a solid ladder and someone to hold it. Hire it out if the gutters are above the first floor, the roof is steep or you do not like heights.
When doing it yourself is fine
A bungalow with low eaves is a reasonable job for a homeowner. You need a sturdy ladder on firm, level ground, gloves, a scoop and a hose. Pick a dry day and have a second person nearby. Work from the ladder and move it often so you never have to lean out.
If you are comfortable and the house is low, go ahead. There is no trick to it.
Where it goes wrong
The real risk is the ladder, not the leaves. Falls happen when a ladder sits on soft or sloped ground, when someone reaches too far to the side, or when wet leaves make the rungs slippery. Carrying a bucket up a ladder and working alone make it worse.
Do not climb onto the roof to reach the gutter. A roof with leaves, moss or morning frost is slick, and there is nothing to hold.
The part people skip
Scooping the leaves is only half the job. The downspouts need to be flushed. If the outlet at the bottom is packed, the water stops there and the whole gutter fills again. Run the hose into the downspout and watch it come out the bottom.
Also look at the joints, the screws and the slope while you are there. A gutter that holds water in one spot has dropped.
What hiring it out gets you
A crew has the right ladders for two and three storey homes, works as a team and is insured. We also flush every downspout and fix small things on the spot.
Most Toronto homes are $174 to $299 for gutters, depending on the size of the home. You get a fixed price before we start, and you pay when the job is finished. Gutter guards are quoted separately.
A simple way to decide
Ask three questions. Can I reach the gutter from a ladder that stands flat on firm ground? Is someone available to hold the ladder? Am I comfortable up there?
If the answer to any of them is no, hire it out. A day saved is not worth a fall. If all three are yes, a bungalow is a fair weekend job.
What to wear and bring
If you do it yourself, wear gloves and eye protection, since wet leaves hide sharp screws and grit. Use a plastic scoop, not a metal one, so you do not scratch the gutter. Keep your phone on you, not in a pocket you cannot reach.
What we do
- 1
We remove all the debris.
- 2
We flush the gutters and the downspouts.
- 3
We do minor repairs on the spot for free, like popping loose screws back in.