Cleaning the gutters

Gutters only have one job: move water away from the house. When they're full, water goes over the edge instead — down the fascia, behind the siding, and into the ground right against the foundation. The repair bill for that is measured in thousands. The prevention is an afternoon, twice a year.

When to do it

Late spring, after the seeds and blossoms drop, and late autumn, once the leaves are mostly down. If you have pines, you'll want a third pass — needles don't fall on a schedule and they knit together into a mat that holds water.

Warning: more people are hurt doing this than any other home job

Warning: Set the ladder on firm, level ground at a 4-to-1 angle, never on the gutter itself, and move it rather than leaning. If the house is two storeys, or the roof is steep, or the ground is soft, hire someone. A gutter clean costs less than an ambulance.

How to do it

1. 1Put the ladder on level ground, with a stabilizer standing off the roof edge so you're not resting weight on the gutter.
2. 2Scoop the debris out by hand or with a gutter scoop, working away from the downspout so you're not packing it in.
3. 3Drop the waste into a bucket on the ladder hook, not onto the flowerbeds — you'll only pick it up later.
4. 4Flush the run with a hose from the far end and watch the water go. It should leave within a few seconds of arriving.
5. 5If it backs up, the downspout is blocked. Tap the length of it to find where, then clear it from the bottom with a hose or a plumber's snake.
6. 6Check the water leaving the downspout actually runs away from the house. If it pools within six feet of the foundation, you need an extension — that's a separate job.
7. 7While you're up there, look at the fascia behind the gutter for soft or dark wood, and at the spikes or hangers for any that have pulled loose.

What you're looking for while you're up there

Sagging between hangers means a section is holding water, which means it will rust or rot from the inside. A gutter that's pulled away from the fascia at one end has usually been overloaded at some point. Both are cheap to fix now and expensive to ignore.

If you find rotten fascia, stop and get someone to look at it. The gutter is screwed into that wood, and new gutters on bad fascia fall off.