You might not think about them too often as part of a busy household, but ensuring your roof and gutters are maintained is critical to ensuring your property remains structurally sound.
Over its lifetime, your guttering and cladding systems will require regular maintenance to keep them in the best condition and functioning correctly. Unicorn Windows are guttering suppliers and fitters. We know a thing or two about how to maintain these effectively. Here are our top maintenance tips to keep your system clean and performing its best:
Guttering
Your gutter’s fundamental purpose is to control the flow of rainwater and protect your walls, foundations, roof and surrounding area – they do an important job! However, when they are neglected, which is easily done in a busy home, they can become clogged and create an absolute nightmare for the homeowner.
Over winter, your guttering will inevitably accumulate leaves and dirt and other debris. Clogged gutters lead to leaking roofs which can lead to your home becoming water damaged, so regular maintenance checks are recommended. Blocked guttering is also a breeding ground for pests such as mice and rats, which you do not want to invite into your home or risk damaging the exterior.
In case you were wondering, the cost of replacing your guttering system is around £2200 for a detached home, £1360 for a semi-detached home and £990 for a terraced house. Whatever type of home you live in, keeping your gutters clean can save you a considerable amount of money.
Cleaning
There are plenty of professional gutter cleaning services out. Personally, for a job that needs doing once a year, we would recommend calling a professional who will also beagle to do a full maintenance check at the same time. However, if you want to have a go yourself, here’s how we would recommend you go about it:
Get a sturdy extendable ladder and place it on a safe surface. Try to stay away from uneven paving and stay safe. Have a helper on hand in case you drop something or need assistance.
Dress for the job – long sleeves, work trousers, rubber gloves – gutter cleaning is dirty work!
Remove gunk with a plastic scoop. You can get gutter scoops or a shovel from a children’s sandpit will also do the job.
Use a tarp or other covering to protect your lawn and paving from the gunk that comes out.
Once you’ve removed all the debris and gunk, grab your garden hose and clean out the guttering. You can also check for leaks at the same time.
If you identify any leaks or damage to your guttering or cladding, call a professional installer such as unicorn windows to assess the damage and repair it before it causes any further damage to your home. When you appoint a professional guttering and cladding cleaner, you can ensure your drainage system is fully prepared for the year ahead. You can be confident that they would have checked for any damage as part of the package. Call the Unicorn Windows team for more information and advice on gutter and cladding maintenance.