Debris cleared from gutters by hand, not blown down the downspout
Downspouts flushed and flow checked at the outlet
Gutter exteriors wiped where streaking has built up
A note on any section that is loose, sloping the wrong way, or leaking at a seam
Photos of anything we think you should see, sent the same day
Why gutters fail in this climate
Fir, cedar, and maple drop a needle load that mats flat and holds water against the gutter bed.
Moss grows in that mat, and moss plus standing water is what rusts and sags a run.
Atmospheric-river weeks deliver rain faster than a partly blocked downspout can move it.
Water that backs up finds the fascia, soffit, and wall behind the gutter before it finds the ground.
Oregon's wet season means a gutters-clean-annually habit is not enough on a treed lot — twice is often the honest answer.
Bundling with a house wash
Gutters are almost always cleaned as a pair with a house wash, because wash water has to go somewhere.
Clearing them first means the wash water drains rather than overflowing onto freshly cleaned siding.
It also means one visit instead of two, and one setup rather than two.
If your gutters need work we cannot do, we will tell you before the wash rather than after.
Safety, and when we decline the job
We work from the ground wherever possible, using poles and ladders set on stable footing.
Steep pitch, fragile roofing, or soft ground under the ladder means we stop.
If a gutter run is pulling away from the fascia, cleaning it adds load to a failing fixing — that is a repair first.
Debris that has already caused rot behind the gutter is a carpentry problem, not a cleaning one.
We would rather decline and explain than put a ladder somewhere it does not belong.
Gutter questions
How often do gutters need cleaning here?
On a treed lot in the Willamette Valley, often twice a year — once after the autumn leaf drop and again once the firs have finished shedding. A house with no overhanging trees can go considerably longer. If we clean yours we will tell you what interval your specific roof actually needs.
Will blocked gutters really cause damage?
Yes, and the damage is usually above the gutter rather than at it. Water that cannot drain backflows under the shingle edge, soaks the fascia, and works into the wall. That is why a cheap cleaning is worth doing before the repairs it prevents.
Do you clean the downspouts too?
Yes. Clearing the gutter and leaving the downspout blocked just relocates the overflow, so we flush every downspout and confirm water exits at the bottom.
Can you repair the gutter while you're there?
Cleaning and minor re-seating we can look at. Anything structural — a run pulling off the fascia, rot behind it, or a re-pitch — needs a gutter or roofing contractor, and we will say so instead of improvising.