Keeping your gutters clean is an essential part of maintaining your home. Clogged gutters can…
Hi, I’m Brandon with Clearly Amazing.
Today I want to answer a question we get a lot throughout the year – how much does it cost to have your gutters cleaned?
First off – just the fact that you are asking this question means you understand the importance of keeping your gutters clean! When gutters back up and overflow – it can lead to water getting places that it shouldn’t be – causing foundation cracks, rotting fascia boards, roof leaks or even to the gutters detaching from the house altogether! So the cost to NOT have your gutters cleaned can be in the thousands!
Now, there are 3 main factors that affect how much a gutter cleaning costs:
1) How tall is your home?
This one seems obvious, but it’s important to note that the same 15’ long section of gutters can take 4-5x as long to clean if it’s on the 2nd or 3rd level of a home versus the 1st floor because of the need to use and move (potentially multiple times) an extension ladder. Don’t forget about those walkout basements! A “one-story” home with a walkout basement is really more of a “two-story” house when looking at the gutters on the back, and that will impact the difficulty and therefore the price of a gutter cleaning.
2) Do you have large trees overhanging your roof?
While many things can get into and clog your gutters, the most common culprit is leaves, pine needles, and small sticks. Large overhanging trees tend to deposit large amounts of debris onto the roof and into the gutters. Knowing the rough size and number of overhanging trees will determine how much debris needs to be removed from your gutters. Certain types of conifers shed needles year-round and can be dense and time-consuming to remove which may be reflected in your price.
3) How accessible are the gutters?
This is particularly important on multi-level homes where extension ladders are required to reach the gutters. If your home has many trees and bushes around the edge of the home that can make it more difficult and time-consuming to reach and clean the gutters. Additionally, homes built on a slope or hill can make using a ladder difficult and even restrict access in certain sections.
An average price for gutter cleaning is about $1.00 – 1.50 per linear foot, depending on the factors above. An average home typically has between 150-200 linear feet of gutters – which makes sense why the national average price for gutter cleaning is around $150-200.
However, if the home is very tall, is on a steep hill, or has stretches of gutters that can’t be reached with a ladder – oftentimes roof anchors will need to be installed so that a technician can safely repel down to the roof edge and clean the gutters.
This level of difficulty may increase the price to as much as $2.00 per linear foot.
Now, something to keep in mind when selecting a gutter cleaning company – oftentimes the cheapest price is not the best value. Gutter cleaning is a messy job, and a rushed job may leave debris on or around the house, additional damage to the gutters themselves, or may expose you to liability if they do not clean them in a safe, legal way. Make sure and ask a potential company if they offer a guarantee with their gutter cleanings!
It’s also important to identify exactly what services a gutter cleaning company is offering when they give you a price. The most common service is to clean out the inside of the gutters – that’s where leaves and other debris gather and block the flow of water. However, the outsides of gutters, or gutter faces, also need cleaning occasionally and is a separate service.
I hope this blog post has answered your questions – If you have any additional questions or would like a free estimate to get your gutters cleaned, please feel free to reach out to us at Clearly Amazing!
Thank you again for reading– I hope you have a fantastic day!