Find a Gutter Installer you can trust in Callander.

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.

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.

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.

In the UK, gutters are normally made from uPVC. It’s a hardy plastic that won’t rot, warp or tarnish very easily, which is why it’s so popular. It’s the same material that’s used for most homes’ windows these days; they don’t have to be the standard white as they can be made into a range of colours. Expect to pay an average of £500 for the supply and installation of uPVC guttering, and more if you require scaffolding.

Other materials that are popular for gutters include copper, aluminium and cast iron. These are much more expensive – you might be looking at around £1500 or more for the supply and installation – but they give a more polished look and are often used on period properties or those in a conservation area. If you're considering these types of gutters, make sure you get a few quotes from different roofline companies so you can compare the different materials.

In the past, gutters were made from wood, asbestos concrete or stone. They were often lined with lead to stop the water from seeping through. When it was discovered that asbestos was seriously harmful, it of course stopped being used. Wood was prone to rotting, even with lead lining, and stone is heavy and expensive. So when uPVC came along, it became an affordable and easy material to use for gutters so homeowners could be confident that rainwater will be kept away from the foundations of their properties. It’s important to keep gutters clear from leaves and debris, because if they become blocked, they can make water to fall against your property’s walls, causing damp.

Gutters are a crucial component of any roofing system. They’re designed in such a way to protect your home or property from serious water damage, but keeping them clean and in good condition is something that’s almost always forgotten or ignored. Do not be deceived even when rain water is still running from them or they don’t appear to be clogged. Failure to clean maintain your gutters can lead to a wide range of outcomes and they aren’t so pretty. According to experts, gutter cleaning should be done twice a year - once in the spring and once in the fall. In order to help you realize the importance of cleaning your gutters, we’ll look at some of the possible outcomes of a neglected gutter.

• Leaky roof. If your gutters get clogged and cannot move water away from your home, it begins to build up on the roof and eventually lead to damages like rot and mold. As the damages spread, the end result could be a severe damage to the attic and supports.
• Damaged foundation. If the gutters are not functioning as they should, water saturation becomes a great threat to the foundation of your home or property. The concrete will crack or wood rots and you can also end up with mold.
• Creepy crawler infestation. Wherever you have stagnant water, there are also bugs. This is because they love the wet and moisture-filled gutters. You get unwanted visitors like carpenter ants, roaches and mosquitoes, just to mention a few.
• Driveway and path damage. When the downspouts aren’t directing the water to the appropriate spot, the excess that comes in contact with these surfaces can lead to cracks or sagging.

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.

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.

1. Hang a plumb bob from the outlet to the drain to use as a guide while you draw several marks on the wall with a pencil to show you where the downpipe will run.
2. Join the marks up with a straight edge, creating a line to show where the centre of the downpipe will be.
3. Position a downpipe clip at the top of wall, in the centre of the pencil line. Mark the position of its fixing holes on the wall. If you need an offset bend, put a downpipe clip directly below the bend.
4. Repeat the process down the wall. Make sure there is no more than 1.8 metres between pipe clips.
5. Refer to the guttering manufacturer’s instructions to see which drill bit is required. Use a drill to drill the fixing holes and insert wall plugs.
6. Fit the first piece of downpipe starting from the outlet and moving towards the drain.
7. If you need to add more downpipe, join the two pieces with a pipe socket and clip. Leave a 10mm gap between the end of the pipe and the bottom of the pipe socket, because it will probably expand. Then attach a pipe clip over the joint.
8. Continue attaching pipe clips down the length of the downpipe.
9. If you need to, fit a downpipe show to direct the water into the drain. Attach a downpipe clip directly below the socket of the shoe.