Find a Gutter Installer you can trust in Rye.

To keep water away from your house, the importance of gutters cannot be overemphasized. However, in order to enable them do their job the proper way, the clogging dirt and debris must be thoroughly wiped out and fortunately there are a number of ways to get the job done by yourself. However, it must be stated that cleaning of gutters can be a very dangerous task as it deals with working at heights. As a result, if you are not confident enough to this pull this off, then we’d strongly recommend you get in touch with a reliable professional who can guarantee the job effectively and also in a safe manner. In this guide, we’re going to look at some of the ways in which you get rid of dirt and debris on your gutter by yourself.

• Clean the gutter with a leaf blower. Several leaf blowers feature a nozzle attachment which is made to release a narrow stream of air which is suitable for cleaning of gutters. All you have to do is simply to position your ladder to enable you work slowly towards the downspout and getting rid of all dirt and obstructions on the gutter as you go. The final step would be to remove any lingering leaves or twigs using a hose. If don’t want to stand on a ladder to do all these, a specialized attachment is available to add to the blower’s reach.
• Clean the gutter with a wet or dry vacuum. For heavier debris, you can try out a wet or dry vacuum. To reach the obstructed gutters while standing on the ground, simply get curved attachments and hoses at a local home improvement store. You may, however, need to moisten some stubborn dirt before it can be properly vacuumed or removed.after completing the vacuuming process, simply flush the gutters with garden hose waters.

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.

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.

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.

• A sturdy ladder
• Gloves and safety goggles
• A hammer and nails to secure your fascia so it doesn’t fall down mid-replacement
• A hacksaw – this will cut through uPVC guttering – just make sure you leave a margin of error with every cut you make
• Cable ties or rope to secure the existing gutters while you dismantle them, so they don’t fall off
• All the right fixings and brackets to secure the guttering
• An electric drill and/or screwdrivers

1. Add a gutter bracket to the top of the fascia board at the opposite end to the stop-end outlet, if you have one. Then tie a piece of string around the base of the bracket.
2. You’ll need to place the gutter outlet accurately over the drain. Hold a plumb line against the fascia directly over the drain, and mark that position with a pencil. Following the manufacturer’s advice on the number of screws to use, fit the gutter outlet no more than 50mm below the level of the roof tiles.
3. Stretch the piece of string you tied on the bracket along the fascia board, and tie it to the outlet. Make sure you check with a spirit level that the string slopes towards the outlet.
4. Mark the positions of the other brackets. They should be no more than 800mm apart, or 600mm if your roof is very steep. They also shouldn’t be any more than 150mm from a joint or fitting. Then fit the rest of the brackets.
5. Fit a stop-end to the first length of gutter and clip it into position on the brackets. At the other end, fit a union piece and screw it into the fascia.
6. Then fit the next length of gutter into it, and the next until you’re finished. Cut the last one to fit using your hacksaw before attaching a stop-end. Then make sure all the joints line up with the insertion depth marks on the fittings. Then you’re done!

If you live in an average home with an average amount of guttering and you’re used to a bit of DIY, it’s relatively easy to replace gutters. But if you have a home that’s more than two-storey or you have guttering that’s more complicated, it’s best left to the professionals.

Lots of homes these days have uPVC guttering. uPVC is a hard-wearing plastic that will last a long time without much maintenance except your usual gutter clearing. It’s relatively light, so lots of people think it’s easy to replace uPVC gutters. If you live in a bungalow, you may be able to just use a ladder to take down your old guttering and replace it with new uPVC gutters, but if you live in a two-storey home it can be a bit more complicated. If you do attempt to replace your gutters yourself, make sure you’ve got a sturdy ladder that will comfortably reach the right height, and never rest it on the fascia or the guttering itself.

If you have cast iron or copper guttering, this is much heavier and bulkier than uPVC. Certainly don’t try to replace these on your own – make sure you have another competent DIYer to help you. Reputable roofline specialists will use scaffold towers to make it easier to handle heavy gutters and they will always work in pairs on this type of guttering, so make sure you have the right tools and equipment to work with.

Just because it’s easy to replace gutters, it doesn’t mean you should. It’s better to ask a reliable roofline company to help you, since they have the skills to fit guttering properly and have experience with working at height.

Leaves, twigs and moss all have one thing in common which often annoys home and property owners - they are the three main materials that negatively impacts the proper functioning of a roof guttering system. The major cause of water drainage problems for most homes and buildings are these organic materials. Wondering how some leaves and few twigs can cause such a big problem? Over time there’ll be a gradual build up of the natural debris in your gutter system which starts to rot and turn  to a thick and muddy goo which obstructs the flow of water in your drainage. As a result, there’s the need to make sure that your gutters are thoroughly cleaned at least twice annually in order to prevent bigger issues that can be caused by the blockage of a drainage system.

So if you’re considering getting your gutters cleaned by a professional, you’d probably be interested in know just how it’s going to cost. Well, there’s not straightforward and simple answer to this question as there are a number of factors that contributes to the final cleaning cost of your gutters.

In general, in the UK, the average cost for cleaning of gutter is usually around £18 to about £25 per hour. However, you can also be quoted a day rate which is usually ranging between £150 to £200 per day.

The factors that can affect gutter cleaning price includes the type of your property (such as a terraced, end of terraced, detached and semi detached homes) which possesses a varying gutter cleaning price largely due to their size differences, the height of the building ( if you require the service for a property located on the second floor of a building, this would be a bit higher than if it were to be on the ground floor) as well as additional requests.

Every year, various parts of your roof may need to be changed at one point or the other. Due to the fact that this event can occur at any time in a year, there’s the need to be fully ready. When it comes that being ready, you simply can’t overlook the importance of soffit and fascia boards in protecting your roof space and helping it maintain its clean and unique visual appeal. As a result, when your soffit and fascia boards need to be changed, you best do so as quickly as possible.

This task can be completed by anyone with basic DIY knowledge and experience, but if you lack the confidence to pull off then it’ll be advisable to hire a professional who can guarantee the best results for help.

✓ Remove the old existing boards. In order to install the new soffit and fascia boards, you’d have to remove the existing ones first. If necessary, you can make use of a Stanley knife to make the process much easier.

✓ Fixing soffit boards. Several soffit boards are made using uPVC. The boards are to fixed to the underside of your timber rafter ends. Make sure to use timber to close any gaps between soffit boards and also make sure that your soffit boards’ back are resting against the wall’s top.

✓ Fixing fascia boards. Many fascia boards are also made from uPVC and are usually installed in a similar way to soffit boards. Use a minimum of two nails to make sure they’re secure enough to hold weight of any roof tiles and also to prevent any buckling.

✓ Guttering and felt. To start the guttering, you’d have to screw any brackets into the facia board. You can use a spirit levelto make sure the alignment is perfect to enable the floe of water directly through your guttering system. Once done, you should also check for any rotting roof felt at the edges closest to the gutterin. If there is a rot, make use of eaves felt trays and tuck under existing felt and overlap into the guttering