A price given over the phone, before anyone has seen the house, is a guess. Two homes on the same street can be an hour apart once you count the length of the run, the height and how much has settled in the gutter. Here is what actually sets the number.
The starting point
Gutter clearance with Whales starts at £85. That covers clearing moss, leaves and silt out of the run, flushing the downpipes, checking the run end to end, and before and after photos so you can see it is clear. Most of it is done pole fed from the ground where access allows.
What pushes the price up
- The length of guttering. A detached house with a wrap-around run has far more of it than a mid-terrace, and length is the biggest single factor.
- Height. A bungalow is quick. A two-storey house takes longer, and anything beyond the reach of a pole changes both the equipment and the time.
- Access. Conservatories, extensions, lean-to roofs, narrow side passages and a gate nobody can get through all slow the job down.
- How much is in there. A season of leaves is a different job from moss and silt that has compacted and set hard.
- Blocked downpipes. Clearing the gutter is not the same as freeing a pipe that has packed solid at the bend.
- Whether you want the outside washed as well. The face of the gutter, the fascias and the soffits are a separate job from clearing the inside.
Why two quotes for the same house look nothing alike
Usually because they are for different work. One is for clearing the inside only, another includes washing the outside, a third adds a charge per downpipe or prices by the hour. Before you compare the numbers, ask each one what is included. Our guide to what a clearance covers sets out where that line normally sits.
Why James quotes from photos
Send your full address and a few photos taken from the ground showing the front, the back and any awkward corner such as a conservatory. James looks at the height, the access and the length of the run, then confirms the price before you book. Nobody climbs up to inspect it first.
Where we work
Gutter clearance across Kettering, Wellingborough, Corby, Rushden, Thrapston, Oundle, Higham Ferrers, Raunds, Desborough and Rothwell.
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