Find a Gutter Installer you can trust in Portree.

Yes, it’s a dirty job, but every homeowner out there has got to do it! Your gutter needs to be free of dead leaves, birds’ nest and other debris as well as being through clean in order to perform its functions effectively. It’s just a part of the responsibilities that comes with owning a home. Dry leaves, tree branches and other materials build up in your gutters overtime especially during the dry summer and you won’t notice until the point where your gutters start overflowing during the first main rain of the season.

In the event whereby your dirty and clogged gutter is left unattended to, this can lead to several issues like a leaky gutter and mold, leaky roof and basements,cracked foundation, driveway and yard damage and several more which will definitely make you incur more unnecessary expenses. So the question is, how often should the gutters be cleaned? The answer is, it depends. According to several experts, gutters should be cleaned at least twice a year - which is once in the late spring and once in the late summer or early fall. However, there are a couple of factors that may make you have a rethink.

If you happen to have a pine tree growing above your house, it’ll be wise to consider inspecting your gutters every 3 months. This is because pine trees shed needles year-round and they usually have a lot of these needles to shed. In the situation whereby you’re located at a higher elevation, ice is will most likely be your greatest source of concern. Making sure that your gutters remain clean throughout the winter can be quite a headache, but damage to your roof cause by ice can be an even greater pain. Prevention is always better than cure.

You can paint your soffits and fascias if they’re made of wood. In fact, it’s a good idea to do this every few years, as it can help to preserve them and keep them looking smart.

You can choose what you paint your soffits and fascias with by deciding what kind of look you want to achieve. You can stain them if you want to maintain a natural wood look, or use an exterior gloss or satin paint if you want to change their colour.

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.

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.

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.

Soffit is a word gotten from two languages - French and Latin, whereby the root word implies to “form as a ceiling in French, while it means to “to fix underneath in Latin. Basically, soffit is a portion of the ceiling that has been constructed lower than the area that surrounds it. And even though they aren’t that much popular in recent times, they happen to be a common feature in kitchens of older homes in the UK. At times, a soffit can occupy the whole room or area in a home.

Homeowners across the globe make use of this feature mostly as a decorative element in the room , however, there are also times in which they may be required for various purposes. These purposes include using soffits to conceal plumbing pipes or, heating or cooling ducts, which is often the case when sofits are constructed at the lower levels of homes. They’re also often incorporated in bathrooms or kitchens as soffits house light fixtures. For instance, recessed light fixtures fitted over kitchen or bathroom sinks are mostly fitted into a soffit. What’s more? Soffit can also be required in a room because of the home’s structure as the feature can be used to hide a structural beam.

If you happen to own an older home and you’d like to remove an existing soffit, the first step is to ensure that its safe to carry out such plan. You should firstly check for any electrical lines, ductwork, lighting or structural problems that may exist prior to the commencement of the project. If you’re not sure or confident enough to pull this off, then it’s advisable to consult a professional contractor before you proceed.

It may be shocking a whole lot of people would not be able to point out fascias and soffits on a building despite the fact that they’re an essential part of the roof. To give you an idea, they’re simply used to cover the roof beams’ ends that comes out of the wall from underneath of the roof. The board that runs vertically just below the roofline is the fascia board, which is also the long length of UPVC. Therefore if you look at the gutters located in the front of house, the board behind is called the fascia board. However, soffits runs horizontally from behind the gutters to the wall of a building, so if you walk close to a house and look up, you’ll identify the soffits. They’re done to cover the gaps between the wall house and the gutters. The main function of both soffit and fascia is to divert water away from your roof as well as walls.

Fascias and soffits were usually made of wood before UPVC came along. And as a result, they only require little maintenance, no more warping, painting or cracks unlike the wooden ones. However they also can’t last an eternity, so when the time comes and you need to replace your soffit and fascia, you’ll probably want to know just how much it’s going to cost.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to calculate an accurate cost for fascias and soffits as there are too many variables to put into consideration. These includes the type of fascia and soffit you choose as well as the size of your property. However the average cost to replace a three bed semi-detached house’s fascias and soffits is within the range of £1200 to £1500 or even more if you’re staying in London or in a larger detached building.