Find a Gutter Installer you can trust in Carterton.

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.

Clean of your conservatory gutter is probably not one of the most enjoyable chores you’d like to take on around the house. Not only is it messy and tedious, but it’s also time consuming and smelly. It’s a job every home and property owner would rather avoid, but unfortunately everyone has to do it. It’s a necessity due to the fact that neglect gutters holds and harbours mould, moss as well as plant debris. It would have been better if this is only disgusting, but the actual truth is that should be the least of your worries as this gradual build up of organic material in your conservatory gutters can minimize their drainage abilities, leading to leakages and spills that can damage your conservatory.

Cleaning of your conservatory gutter is a task that can be done regardless of your level of experience. However, it’s advisable to call in a professional for help especially if you lack the confidence required to pull it off.

• Use a ladder for a closer look. Cleaning your gutters from the ground by poking it with a hooked tool might seem the best way out, but in truth you risk damaging the gutters or brackets and marking the conservatory panes when you don’t see what you’re doing.
• Invest in specialist tools. For expert DIYers, taking off your downpipes from the wall to clean might be a pretty easy task. However, for most people it can be extremely frustrating. As a result, there’s the need to get hold of some flexible gutter brushes. With a bendable stem and stiff bristles, these are able to hook and dislodge dirt and leaves inside your downpipes with relative ease.

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.

In general uPVC is used for soffits and fascias as it is very strong and durable. It also requires very little maintenance. However, wood can be used and is still popular on listed properties as it retains the original material. Older and listed buildings may require more traditional materials to be used.

• 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!

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.

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.