Gutters on a home are great for catching rain water and pushing the moisture away from your structure.
Fast forward to a week ago where I, a renter as we wait on our home to be built, see what appears to be a tree branch coming out of the gutter. I hadn't noticed this before as I honestly don't look up at the gutters that are usually behind me.
Being curious by nature I got our ladder out, climbed on up, and discovered a horrid situation...
Gutters filled to the top with dirty water.
Multiple forms of plant life growing, to include a large root coming up through two different gutter pipes
Sludge and bugs.
I immediately pushed forward and decided to fix the situation. What I should've expected, but had tunnel vision at the time, was that this sludge would likely end up on me!
So, why is it important to clean your gutters? Here are our top reasons:
Infestation. Cleaning keeps birds and insects out. Water and wet leaves are an attraction to outside critters.
Damage to brackets and fascia (wood behind gutters) can cause more costly repairs to the structure down the road.
Water retention can lead to a leaky roof or extensive water damage.
External wood rot.
How often you need to maintain your gutters depends on where you live, but in Hampton Roads and nearby it would be recommended you check your gutters semi-annually. Once in the fall after the leaves come down, and again in the spring. Scared of heights or don't have time to do it, hire a contractor to come in and clean your gutters for you! Another way to save time and money in the long run is to install gutter covers. Installing covers still requires an annual "check", but you are more likely to get away with actual cleaning them every other year. Gutter free rain systems are also popular on newer homes, which requires little maintenance.
In the end it was worth me getting messy to fix the problems I found, and kind of fun! Thanks to my friend Alison for helping me climb around to solve the problem =)
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