Gutter Cleaning Cost in 2024
Last updated 16th September, 2024
Wondering how much it costs to have your gutters professionally cleaned?
The average gutter cleaning cost is between £100 – £150 in the UK. It typically doesn't take a professional gutter cleaner more than one day to clean a house's guttering.
But keep in mind: the total cost of gutter cleaning (and how long it takes) varies depending on some key factors.
In this short guide, we cover everything you need to know about gutter cleaning costs — including the average cost of gutter cleaning for different-sized homes, what impacts the cost of gutter cleaning services, and more!
Let's get started.
How Much To Clean Gutters?
So, what should we expect cleaning gutters to cost in 2024?
The cost of having your home's guttering cleaned by a professional gutter cleaning service mainly depends on the size of your home, the height of the property, and how accessible your guttering is from the ground floor.
The average gutter cleaning cost for a 2-storey semi-detached house is around £125. The typical cost of gutter cleaning is slightly higher, at about £150, for a 2-storey detached house. For a 2-storey terraced house, you're looking at it costing about £100 to have the gutters cleaned by a professional.
On average, it takes an experienced gutter cleaner around 4 - 8 hours to clean the guttering on a property. In most cases, it shouldn't take them more than half a day.
But if it's difficult to reach your home's guttering or there are any stubborn blockages, then the gutter cleaner will need to spend more time on-site. Most professional gutter cleaning services charge around £150 – £200 per day.
It's widely recommended that guttering is cleaned twice every year. But this is money well spent and could save money in the long run. Any issues you have with your guttering can lead to difficult blockages (which are more time-consuming to clear) or damage to your property in some way.
Gutter Cleaning Prices
This section summarises the average costs of having gutters cleaned for various types of houses.
Most homeowners will find that they don't need to hire scaffolding to have their gutters cleaned.
However, it's sometimes necessary if the guttering is higher up (e.g., a 3-storey house) or difficult to reach for some reason (e.g., an extension obstructs easy access). It might also be unavoidable if there are blockages or gutter damage which can't be resolved from the ground.
Gutter Cleaning Prices (Without Scaffolding)
The typical gutter cleaning cost is £125 if you do not need to hire scaffolding. A professional gutter cleaning company (with the correct equipment) won't usually require scaffolding to clean the guttering of a 2-storey house.
| House Type | Avg. Cost | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £100 | Half a day |
| Semi-detached | £125 | Half a day |
| Detached | £150 | Half a day |
Gutter Cleaning Prices (With Scaffolding)
The typical gutter cleaning cost is £400 if you need to get scaffolding. This might be necessary if you have a 3-storey house or it's not possible for the gutter cleaner to reach your guttering.
| House Type | Avg. Cost | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £375 | 1 day |
| Semi-detached | £400 | 1 day |
| Detached | £425 | 1 day |
Gutter Cleaning Cost Calculator
This is a breakdown of the costs involved in having a professional clean the gutters of a two-storey semi-detached house (with easy access and no scaffolding).
Total Cost: £125
Materials
£0
Tradesmen
£100
Waste Removal
£25
Additional Gutter Cleaning Costs
There are some related jobs that you might also want to consider getting done at the same time as having your guttering cleaned.
If you live in an area where the gutters get blocked frequently, then you should consider installing a gutter guard to keep leaves, twigs, and roof moss out of the guttering. The average gutter guard cost is usually in the range of £200 – £350.
You may also want to consider cutting back any overhanging tree branches to reduce the amount of debris that's finding its way into your guttering system. The exact cost varies depending on the scope of the work required, but the average tree-trimming cost is between £500 – £1,000.
You might also want to consider cutting down any trees that are persistently causing you issues. The average cost of tree removal is between £250 – £500 for a tree that's between 25ft – 50ft high.
Here are three other related jobs you may wish to explore:
Installing New Guttering: It typically costs between £450 – £700 to have new plastic gutters installed.
Replacing Soffit & Fascia Boards: On average, it costs about £1,000 – £1,500 to have new soffit and fascia boards installed.
Capping Soffit & Fascia Boards: You should expect to pay around £600 – £1,200 to cap fascia and soffit boards.
What Does Cleaning Guttering Involve?
Roof gutters are designed to collect rainwater from the roof and transport it to a ground-level drain or soak-away. In the UK, most roof gutters are made from plastic. However, cast iron and aluminium gutters are still popular — and can commonly be found on older, period properties.
Gutters in the UK are smaller than those used by the rest of Europe or in the USA. Unfortunately, this means that they tend to become blocked more often and more easily.
The common causes of gutter and downpipe blockages are roof moss, leaves, and twigs. Removing this debris is normally not difficult, but it has to be done regularly or it can become a more costly job to deal with.
The Gutter Cleaning Process for 2-Storey Houses
A professional gutter cleaning service will normally clean a gutter system from the ground with equipment that can extend up to the guttering on most 2-storey homes in the UK. Their equipment has cameras attached to them, so they can efficiently identify and clear out any gutter debris that is causing issues.
Once they've removed any debris and cleared clogged gutters, they'll send through water the guttering system to check that it's clear of any issues.
However, this assumes that your house's guttering is accessible. If this isn't the case, or there's an issue with your guttering that needs to be resolved (e.g., a section might need replacement), then you might need to hire scaffolding.
The Gutter Cleaning Process If You Need Scaffolding
If you have a 3-storey or 4-storey high property, then it might not be possible to clean your gutters from the ground floor. This might also be the case if your roofline isn't standard (perhaps because of an extension that altered the guttering system).
In these cases, a gutter cleaning specialist may recommend that you hire scaffolding so that they can more effectively clean the gutters. This will significantly impact how much gutter cleaning costs you.
Much of the labour cost is driven by the access that a tradesperson has to the roof. If the gutters can be cleaned from the ground level using telescopic carbon fibre poles, then this reduces the cost. However, if scaffolding is required to reach the guttering system, then the cost of gutter cleaning will be significantly higher.
On the plus side:
If you do need to get scaffolding to have your gutters cleaned, then there are some related jobs that you may want to consider getting done at the same time.
For instance, you could have your roof tiles cleaned if they're covered in unsightly moss or lichen and have a chemical treatment applied to them to prevent re-growth. It also gives you the opportunity to repair or replace any fascia boards or guttering that isn't in the best condition.
Can You Clean Your Own Guttering?
Gutter cleaning can be done as a DIY project, as the work itself is straightforward and usually involves nothing more than scooping out the debris and then flushing the downpipes with a hosepipe.
With the right equipment, you could even do it all from the ground floor (as long as your guttering isn't too high or inaccessible).
However, cleaning gutters can involve working at height (i.e., with a ladder). This can be dangerous if you're not experienced.
It's best to find a local, reliable, and experienced gutter cleaner to do this type of work for you. Gutter cleaning professionals can usually do the job without ladders or scaffolding using lightweight carbon fibre cleaning poles.
Using a professional also reduces the chance of your guttering being damaged and requiring replacement. The average cost to replace guttering is between £450 – £700, so keep this in mind before risking doing the job yourself!
Gutter Cleaning FAQs
Blocked gutters can eventually lead to much more serious and expensive damage, including mould growth inside and outside of your home, unsightly water stains and damp, flooding, and even damage to the foundations of the property.
Standing water in your home's guttering will also attract insects and lead to the rusting of any metal components (like the gutters themselves, the brackets, or other fixings). Gutter cleaning is also a great opportunity to visually inspect the guttering and spot any problems that might otherwise be difficult to see.
Some of the more obvious signs that your guttering needs to be cleaned are water coming out over the top of the gutter, water consistently dripping from the gutters (even when it's not raining), or damp patches inside your home (typically higher up where the ceilings meet the walls).
Unfortunately, you sometimes won't see any initial signs that there's a problem. Issues might only be evident once water has caused some serious problems. This is why it is recommended that you clean the gutters twice a year, as it helps to catch these smaller problems before they develop.
In most instances, a professional gutter cleaning company can do all the work from the ground by utilising commercial wet and dry cleaning machines, as well as lightweight carbon fibre bore poles.
Not only is this method safe and efficient, but it also helps to keep the cost of gutter cleaning as low as possible — as hiring scaffolding can be expensive and extremely disruptive.
And you don't have to worry about them missing something. Professional gutter cleaning equipment can extend up to 10 metres in length and features a compact camera which allows them to see what they're doing from the safety of the ground.
Alternatively, you can install aluminium gutter screens or permanent gutter guards to prevent any large debris from getting into the gutter.
But keep in mind: these guards or screens are not always effective. Whether they make any difference will depend on the size and type of debris that's causing you headaches.
By far, regular gutter cleaning is still the best way to prevent blockages. This also gives the tradesperson doing the job the opportunity to identify any small issues that can be resolved before they develop into something more serious and expensive.
The average cost to unblock a drain is around £150 – £200, but the price you pay will vary depending on how stubborn the drain blockage is.
But before you do anything, you should check with the local authority to determine who is responsible for the drainage costs. If the blockage is underneath your property, then it's normally your responsibility.
Sources
https://www.kaercher.com/int/home-garden/know-how/cleaning-gutters.html
https://www.jewson.co.uk/expert-advice/care-maintenance/ultimate-guide-gutter-maintenance
https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/scaffoldinginfo.htm
https://www.diy.com/building-supplies/guttering/gutter-clearing-tools.cat
