Clean gutters and check downspout flow
Twice a year · typically May and November · weather can move it up
Why it matters
Gutters have one job: get roof water away from your foundation. When they clog, water sheets over the edge and lands right at the base of your walls.
What skipping it costs
$1,200–$8,000
Clogged gutters overflow at the foundation. Water works down the wall, and in a year or two you're paying $1,200 for drainage correction — or $8,000+ for foundation repair — because of leaves that cost $150 to remove.
Two ways to get it done
Do it yourself
You'll need: Sturdy extension ladder, Work gloves, Gutter scoop or trowel, Bucket with hook, Garden hose.
- Ladder basics: firm level ground, 4-to-1 lean angle, never lean past your belt buckle. Move the ladder often — reaching is how people fall.
- Scoop the runs into a bucket. Gloves — gutter sludge hides sharp fasteners.
- Flush each downspout with the hose at full pressure. Water should exit strong at the bottom. If it backs up, work a hose up from the bottom or use a plumber's snake.
- While you're up there: look for standing water (bad slope), seams dripping, and sections pulling off the fascia. Photos now save arguments with contractors later.
- Check that downspout extensions throw water at least 4 feet from the foundation.
Hire it out
$120–$250National fair range — local labor moves this number.
A straightforward clean-and-flush runs $120–$250 for a typical home in your area — more for three stories, steep lots, or guards that have to come off and go back on.
The main thing you're paying for is the flush and the eyes-on-the-roofline report. Ask for photos of anything they say needs repair. A good crew hands them over without being asked; a crew that "found" $3,000 of fascia rot but can't show you a picture found their boat payment, not rot.
Ask the tech
- Will you flush the downspouts, not just scoop the runs?
- Did you see any sections pulling away from the fascia, and can you photograph them?
- How's the granule buildup in the gutters? (Lots of granules = an aging roof worth watching.)
Red flags you're being upsold
- A same-day 'your fascia is rotted, we should replace it all' pitch with no photos.
- Gutter-guard hard sell with a 'today only' price. Guards have real trade-offs; nothing about them is today-only.
- Quotes over $350 for a single-story home with normal access.
Second opinion time: Any fascia/soffit repair quote over $1,000 that started as a cleaning visit.
The call
One story and comfortable on a ladder? DIY. Two stories or steep grades? Hire it — a $200 cleaning beats an ER visit every time.