Gutter Cleaning

Blocked gutters are the cheapest expensive problem in property maintenance. A clear afternoon of work prevents water backing up under the roofline, into the eaves, down the cavity and into the ceiling — damage that routinely runs into five figures once it reaches plaster and framing.

What the job includes

Gutters hand-cleared and flushed, valleys cleared, downpipes flushed and flow-tested, gutter faces washed down, and all debris bagged and taken off site. You get photos of anything we find that needs attention.

The downpipe is the part that matters

A gutter can look immaculate and still overflow, because the blockage is in the downpipe or the stormwater line below it. Compacted leaf litter and silt build into a plug at the bend that no amount of gutter clearing will touch. Every downpipe on the property gets flushed and watched — if it doesn’t run clear, we tell you.

Eastern Suburbs timing

The heavy canopy through Woollahra, Queens Park, Centennial Park and Randwick drops through autumn, and the summer storm season is when blocked gutters actually bite. Most properties here need two clears a year; homes directly under mature figs or gums need more.

Coastal properties have a second issue — salt accelerates corrosion in the gutter itself, and standing water and wet leaf litter make it dramatically worse. Keeping gutters clear and dry is the main thing that determines whether they last a decade or three.

Strata and multi-dwelling

We service strata blocks, townhouses and commercial buildings across the Eastern Suburbs, with documentation and photo reporting suitable for building managers and committee records.

Gutter cleaning questions we get asked

How often should gutters be cleaned in Sydney?

Twice a year suits most Sydney properties — once in late autumn after the deciduous drop, and once in early spring before the storm season. That schedule shifts with what is overhead. A house under mature figs, gums or paperbarks can need three or four visits, because gums shed year-round rather than in one clean autumn burst. A Colorbond roof on an open block with no canopy within twenty metres can often stretch to annually. We tell you which category your property falls into after the first clean, rather than selling you a frequency up front.

What determines the price of a gutter clean?

Four things: the number of storeys, the linear metres of guttering, roof pitch and access. A single-storey Colorbond home with a simple hip roof and clear side access is straightforward. A two-storey Federation house with a steep terracotta roof, multiple valleys, a box gutter and no rear vehicle access is a different job entirely, because the safety setup takes longer than the cleaning. Debris volume matters less than people expect. We quote in writing after looking at the property, and the quote is what you pay.

Is it worth paying someone rather than doing it myself?

On a single-storey house with easy ground access and a stable ladder position, plenty of people manage it themselves. Above single storey the calculation changes sharply — falls from height are the leading cause of serious injury in home maintenance in Australia, and gutter work puts you on a ladder, leaning, with both hands occupied. There is also a diagnostic element you lose doing it yourself: we are looking at the roof while we are up there, so slipped tiles, rusted-through gutter runs, failed valley irons and lifted flashings get photographed and reported before they become leaks.

Do you walk on the roof?

Only where the roof is sound and the pitch allows it safely. Terracotta and older cement tile roofs crack under foot traffic, particularly around the eaves where tiles are unsupported, so on those we work from ladders and edge access wherever possible. If a roof genuinely cannot be walked, we say so and price the access accordingly — the alternative is a cheaper job now and a dozen cracked tiles to replace later.

Will you tell me if something needs repair?

Yes, with photos. Rusted gutter runs, sagging brackets, deteriorated valley irons, cracked or slipped tiles, and failed downpipe joints all get documented and sent through with the invoice. Knowing a gutter run has two years left is far more useful than discovering it in a February storm. We are not a roofing contractor, so there is no incentive on our side to find work that isn’t there.

Can gutter cleaning be booked with other work in one visit?

It usually should be. We are already set up at height, so pairing gutters with roof cleaning, solar panel cleaning or exterior window cleaning saves a second mobilisation. On strata blocks in particular, one combined visit is significantly less disruptive to residents than three separate ones.