Find a Gutter Installer you can trust in Yelverton.

A gutter is part of the system that takes rainwater away from a building. Every home will have some form of guttering system to stop water from dripping off the roof and into the walls. It’s important to keep your gutters clear because if water starts to seep into your home’s walls, you’re likely to get damp.

A guttering system consists of half pipes, troughs, bends and downpipes. They’re usually cylindrical in shape but they may be square on some homes and in countries outside of the UK. Technically, the gutter is the part that you’ll see across your roof that collects rainwater. The water will then feed into a downpipe from your roof’s edge to the base of your home, where you can collect it in something like a water butt, or it will be discharged to a surface water drain or soakaway.

In early times, gutters used to be made from lined wood or stone. Lead was often used as the liner to stop rainwater from seeping through the material, but you won’t see it used much anymore. These days, most homes have uPVC guttering as it’s a hardwearing plastic that should last a long time. But you’ll also see gutters made from aluminium, cast iron and copper, especially on period homes or those in a conservation area.

Every home needs a guttering system to ensure that rainwater doesn’t affect the foundations of the property. It’s also important to keep the gutters clear of debris like fallen leaves, as this will cause them to overflow, potentially causing water to soak into the walls and causing damp.

The soffit and fascia is the outdoor underside region of your roof which would need to be repaired or replaced when it’s in a critical condition. Your soffit and fascia may actually require more frequent replacement or repair depending on the material that the soffit or fascia uses. If you notice your soffit and fascia needs to be replaced, then you’d probably also like to know how much it going to cost. Well, you’ve come to the right place! The price to replace a soffit and fascia can vary significantly which can be a bit annoying when you’re trying to calculate the overall cost you’ll be expected to pay.

The price of a soffit and fascia is based on the following variables:

✓ The materials you wish to use for the new fascia, soffit and guttering

✓ The type of the property. For instance, semi detached houses may come at a lower price due to the less roof space they require when compared to their counterparts, which can reduce the cost of replacement.

✓ If you’re going to also replace the gutter at the same time will also increase the cost of replacement.

✓ The current overall condition of the roof. For example, if you also have broken or slipping roof tiles, the soffits and fascias can be more difficult to replace, hence, increasing the cost of the project.

Generally, the average cost of fitting soffits and fascias as replacement options for your homes will range between £1200 - £3,000. What’s more? Soffits and fascias normally have a per metre cost. The average price of soffits and fascias per metre can range between £100 to £130 when you opt for a white uPVC option.

Knowing when best to clean your gutters can do a lot of good. Wile some people assume that fall is the best time for gutter cleaning after the leaves fall, others believe spring is the most appropriate time to clean the gutters before things start to grow there. The truth is, both camps are right. However, the best time to clean your gutters depend on a wide range of factors which are all unique to you. In order to help you make the most informed decision possible, we have created this post to help you figure out the right time to clean your gutters. Let’s take a look!

Where you’re located. What we get is four season in a year as well as as a good amount of rain. As a result, you may want to put into consideration cleaning your gutter at least twice a year - clean the gutters once in the spring and once in the fall. It’s important to make gutter cleaning a part of your normal spring schedule as well as part of your fall maintenance routines.

What surrounds your home. If you happen to have tree surrounding your home, then it’s more likely that dead leaves clog up your gutter pretty quickly. A single tree is enough as it’s going to shed leaves that will find their way into your gutter, accumulate and affect its performance and integrity.

What your gutter currently looks like. If you gutters already have an entire ecosystem of animal life and plants hamging over the edges, then the best time to clean the gutters is now rather than having to wait a particular season to act. A dirty gutter should be attended to immediately in order to prevent some unnecessary damages as well as expensive repairs.

You don’t always need to replace your gutters with your roof. Often people think that it’s a requirement, or simply the best thing to do, but it’s not always necessary. The reason why people think it’s required is because to re-roof a home, the guttering often needs to be removed and put back on.

If the time has come to replace your roof, then the chances are that your guttering is pretty old too. When you start to get quotes for your roof replacement, ask the roofer to take a look at your guttering as well. If there are signs of peeling, rust, cracks or sagging, then it makes sense to replace your gutters with your roof. If you get them done at the same time, you’ll save money labour costs, which is the reason why most homeowners do it.

Another reason to replace your gutters with your roof is the risk of damage. Re-roofing is a significant project, so the guttering needs to come off most of the time – running the risk of brackets and pipes getting damaged in the process. So if your guttering is still looking good right now but you think it might need replacing in a couple of years, it might be worth just doing it at the same time as your roof to save you money and the stress if damage does occur.

However, if your guttering has only recently been replaced, then there’s no need to replace it again with your roof. But because it needs to come off, make sure you speak to the roofing company about keeping it safe and doing their best to avoid damage. It’s also worse ensuring that they have the correct insurance to cover you both in case your guttering does get damaged during your roof replacement.

You don’t always need scaffolding to replace guttering. If your home is a bungalow, the tradespeople might only need a ladder to replace your guttering. It’s when your home is two storeys or more that scaffolding is more necessary.

You might not need full scaffolding for a simple two-storey home. Guttering specialists use scaffold towers, which are the platforms you see underneath the scaffolding, where the installation is relatively straightforward. You might need scaffolding to replace guttering when there are obstructions to towers being used – for example, if you have a conservatory or the ground is very uneven. It's more likely that specialist roofline companies will use scaffold towers when necessary. Sole traders that replace guttering as part of their services may be comfortable using sturdy ladders.

There’s no legal requirement to say that you must have scaffolding when fitting guttering, but it is a good idea when working on homes rather than bungalows. If you’re unsure whether you need full scaffolding for your gutter replacement project, get a few quotes from reputable businesses of different sizes. If you’ve been quoted by one company that you need full scaffolding whereas everyone else says that only towers are needed, it’s likely that the job is perfectly safe to carry out with just towers.

Soffits and fascias are available in lots of different colours. These include black, grey, brown, white and cream. It’s also possible to get them in brighter colours like reds, blues and greens.

What colour soffits and fascias you get is entirely up to you, unless you live in a listed building, in which case some rules may apply. Most people choose a colour that matches their roof, walls or window frames to give their property an attractive, colour-coordinated look.

Soffits and fascias sit along the sides of your property, over the join between your walls and your roof. The fascia attaches to the end of your roof rafters, hiding and protecting them. The soffit fixes on the bottom of the fascia, bridging the gap between your fascia and wall. Your guttering attaches to the fascia, which also joins to the bargeboard on your gable end, if you have one.

Soffits are constructed by homeowners on their properties for several purposes. Not only are they incorporated to hide away the unsightly features of a home, but they can also be used to add decorative architectural detail. Soffits construction, on the other hand, is a project that can be done by any DIY person with the knowledge and experience. However, if you lack the confidence to pull this off, then we’d strongly recommend you get in touch with a reliable professional who can guarantee the best results, the first time. In this guide, we’re are going to take you through the soffit construction process.

✓ Measure and mark. The first step is to take an accurate measurement of the size of your propose soffit and use a pencil to mark it out on both the wall and ceiling. The size of your soffits is mainly determined by your needs or preferences.

✓ Cut and Install Wall & Ceiling Plates. Proceed to cut the wall as well as ceiling plates once the dimensions have been marked. Make use of 2x4 lumber, you can cut to size with the help of a table saw or mitre. Once done, you can then attach it to the wall as well as ceiling studs with a framing nail gun.

✓ Build the box frame. Develop a box-frame from 2x4 lumber, using your measurements as guide.

✓ Fit the box frame. Hold the box frame in place with some slide clamps and then attach it to the ceiling and wall plates with drywall screws.

✓ Mark the studs. Make use of a pencil to mark out the studs location on your soffit box frame.

✓ Cut and hang the drywall. Cut the drywall with a utility knife uing your measurement as a guide. Once done, attach the drywall to the framework with the help of drywall screws.

✓ Add finishing touches. This includes installing the corner beads, finishing off with the common drywall work of taping, spackling and sanding. Once the spackle is dry, you can the complete it by painting the soffit.