Gutters That Flow — and Look Brand New

Most single-story homes in the Capital Region fall between $149 and $249 for a full gutter cleaning, and most two-story homes between $199 and $349. What moves the number is linear footage of gutter, how many stories the crew has to reach, roof pitch and access, and how heavy the debris load has gotten since the last cleanout.

Bundling gutter cleaning with a house wash on the same visit is almost always cheaper than booking the two separately, since most of the cost of any exterior job is setup, water, and travel.

Every price is firm and in writing before we schedule, and active and retired military, first responders, and seniors receive a discount on every job.

Twice a year is right for most Capital Region homes: once in late spring after the maple seeds and blossom come down, and once in late fall after the leaves have finished dropping. Homes under heavy mature canopy — common across Albany, Troy, and the older Schenectady neighborhoods — often need a third visit mid-fall to get through the season without an overflow.

The fall cleaning is the one that matters most. A gutter that cannot drain in November is the gutter that forms an ice dam in January, and ice dams are how water ends up behind the fascia and inside the soffit.

Pine and hemlock lots are the exception to any schedule. Needles drop year-round, weave together into a mat, and clog downspout elbows even when the trough looks reasonably clear from the ground.

When a gutter fills, water goes over the front lip instead of down the spout. It runs down the fascia board, behind the gutter, into the soffit, and onto the soil packed against your foundation. Rotted fascia, stained siding, wet basements, and cracked walkways all start the same way.

Winter turns that from a maintenance issue into a damage issue. Standing water in a blocked gutter freezes at the roof edge, meltwater from the warm part of the roof backs up behind the ice, and it finds its way under the shingle course and into the framing. A cleanout that costs a couple hundred dollars prevents a repair that costs thousands.

Clogged gutters are also a pest invitation — standing sludge is where mosquitoes breed, and packed wet debris is where carpenter ants and squirrels get their start on your roof edge.