Autumn gutter cleaning checklist for Lincoln homes
I'm Alex, and I clear gutters across Lincoln and the villages all autumn. This is the exact list I'd run through on my own house before winter — most of it you can do from the ground with a cup of tea in your hand.
1. Wait until most of the leaves are down
In Lincoln the trees usually finish dropping between late October and the end of November. Clear too early and you'll be clearing again by Christmas. If you only have one clearance a year, this is the window to aim for.
2. Walk round the house on a rainy day
It sounds daft, but five minutes in the rain tells you everything. Water spilling over the front edge, a downpipe that isn't running, or a curtain of water down a wall all point straight at a blockage.
3. Look for green growth along the gutter line
Grass, moss or little seedlings sprouting from the gutter mean there's a bed of silt up there holding water. That's weight your fascias weren't designed to carry.
4. Check the walls underneath
Dark tide marks, flaking paint or damp patches on an inside wall are usually an overflowing gutter above, not rising damp. On Lincoln's older brick terraces this is by far the most common cause I see.
5. Check the downpipes and the gully at the bottom
A clear gutter that empties into a blocked gully still floods your foundations. Lift the grate, pull out the leaves and give it a bucket of water to prove it drains.
6. Give the uPVC a look while you're there
Autumn is a good time to do a full gutter, fascia and soffit clean rather than just a clearance — the green algae comes off far easier before the frosts set in.
7. Book before the queue builds up
October and November are my busiest weeks by a mile. If you leave it until the first storm, everyone rings at once. A quick call in September or early October gets you a date that suits you.
What blocked gutters cost you over winter
A clearance is one of the cheapest bits of maintenance on a house. Ignoring it is not.
- Damp patches on internal walls and ceilings
- Rotten fascia boards and sagging gutter runs
- Frozen, cracked gutter joints after the first hard frost
- Water pooling at the foundations and soaking into brickwork
- Blocked downpipes pushing water back under the roof edge
Please don't climb the ladder
Nearly every job I get called out to after a DIY attempt involves a wobbly ladder on soft autumn ground. I work from the ground with a camera-fed vacuum system, so there's no ladder against your gutters and no boots on your roof.
- Ground-based vacuum clearance, no ladders on your house
- Camera check so you can see before and after
- Downpipes flushed and proved clear
- Fully insured, fixed price agreed in writing
Get your gutters sorted before winter
Tell me your address and I'll come back with a fixed price in writing. No obligation and no pushy follow-ups.