What the job looks like
Gutters only do one job: move the water off the roof and away from the foundation. Once leaves, seeds and shingle grit pack in, the water goes over the front edge onto the siding and the beds, or backs up under the shingles. In Lake County that happens twice a year, and by the time you can see plants growing out of the gutter it has been happening for a while.
We clean gutters by hand from a ladder, scooping the debris into buckets rather than blowing it onto your lawn and driveway, then flush every run and every downspout with a hose until the water runs clear at the bottom. Debris is bagged and taken with us. You get a text with photos of the gutters when we finish, so you do not have to climb up to check.
Pricing
Priced from a photo, not an hourly rate
Four things set the price. Text a photo of the front of the house and we work them out for you and send one flat number that includes the cleanup and hauling the debris away.
- StoreysOne-storey is quick. Two and three storeys need taller ladders and more time.
- Gutter lengthA ranch with 120 feet is a different job from a big two-storey with 300.
- DownspoutsEach one gets flushed and confirmed clear. More downspouts, more time.
- Guards and debrisGutter guards to lift and refit, or years of packed debris, add time.
How it works
Four steps, no ladder for you
- 01Text a photo
Send a picture of the front of the house. Most jobs are priced from that in under an hour, no visit needed.
- 02Get a number
One flat price covering the cleaning, the flushing, the cleanup and hauling the debris away. No hourly rate.
- 03Pick a day
Same-week in most cases. Fall fills fast, so book a week ahead once the leaves start dropping.
- 04Done, with photos
We clean, flush, tidy up and text you before-and-after photos. You never climb the ladder.
Gutter Cleaning by town
Every town in Lake County. Pick yours for local detail, or just text a photo and tell us where the house is.
- Gutter Cleaning in Libertyville
- Gutter Cleaning in Waukegan
- Gutter Cleaning in Gurnee
- Gutter Cleaning in Zion
- Gutter Cleaning in North Chicago
- Gutter Cleaning in Beach Park
- Gutter Cleaning in Park City
- Gutter Cleaning in Winthrop Harbor
- Gutter Cleaning in Wadsworth
- Gutter Cleaning in Mundelein
- Gutter Cleaning in Grayslake
- Gutter Cleaning in Round Lake Beach
- Gutter Cleaning in Round Lake
- Gutter Cleaning in Antioch
- Gutter Cleaning in Lake Villa
- Gutter Cleaning in Lindenhurst
- Gutter Cleaning in Fox Lake
- Gutter Cleaning in Wauconda
- Gutter Cleaning in Island Lake
- Gutter Cleaning in Vernon Hills
- Gutter Cleaning in Lake Zurich
- Gutter Cleaning in Buffalo Grove
- Gutter Cleaning in Highland Park
- Gutter Cleaning in Lake Forest
- Gutter Cleaning in Deerfield
- Gutter Cleaning in Lake Bluff
- Gutter Cleaning in Highwood
When to book
The two times a year Lake County gutters need cleaning
Late fall is the one everybody knows. Once the oaks and maples have dropped, usually mid-October through Thanksgiving, gutters are full and the first hard freeze is a few weeks out. A gutter full of wet leaves that freezes becomes an ice block that pulls hangers loose and feeds ice dams. Getting it clean before the freeze is the single most useful thing you can do for the roof edge.
Late spring is the one people skip. Maple seeds, oak tassels, cottonwood fluff and the winter's shingle grit come down in May and June and they pack into downspout elbows. That is the clog that sends a summer thunderstorm over the gutter edge and into the basement. Homes under heavy tree cover, and anything near the lake, usually need both visits.
If you are selling, cleaning the gutters before the inspection is cheap insurance: overflow stains on siding and washed-out beds are the kind of thing a buyer's inspector writes up as a drainage concern.
How it runs
What a gutter cleaning visit actually looks like
Walk the house first. We look at every run from the ground, check how the downspouts terminate, and note anything already loose, sagging or leaking so you hear about it before we start rather than after.
Scoop by hand. Ladder up, debris into a bucket, bucket to the bag. Blowers and pressure washers throw the mess across the property and can lift shingles. Hands and a scoop do not.
Flush every downspout. A hose in the top, and we watch the bottom. If it does not run clear, the clog gets worked out from the elbow or the bottom, not left for the next storm to find.
Check pitch and hangers. Standing water in a clean gutter means it has lost its slope or a hanger has let go. We note it, and if it is a quick fix we can usually do it on the spot.
Clean up and send photos. Debris goes with us, the walks and beds are left as we found them, and you get before-and-after photos by text.
A single-storey ranch is under an hour. A two-storey home with a normal amount of tree cover is one to two hours. Big North Shore homes with multiple rooflines take longer and we allow for it.
Around the county
Where gutters fill fastest in Lake County
The heaviest gutters we clean are under the old oaks of Libertyville, Lake Forest, Highland Park and Lake Bluff, where the trees are older than the houses. Lakefront towns - Zion, Winthrop Harbor, Waukegan, Lake Bluff - get wind-blown leaves from streets away plus sand and cottonwood off the water. The Chain O'Lakes towns - Antioch, Lake Villa, Fox Lake - add pine needles, which mat down and shed water like a roof. The newer subdivisions in Gurnee, Grayslake, Round Lake and Vernon Hills have fewer big trees but taller roofs and longer runs draining into fewer downspouts, so the downspouts are the problem there. Every one of these is a different job, and it is why we quote from a photo of the actual house rather than a flat rate.
Before you book
Questions we ask before quoting a gutter cleaning
How many storeys, and is any of it over a walkout or a deck? A two-storey back wall over a walkout basement is effectively three storeys of ladder. It changes the equipment and the time, and it is the single most common thing a photo from the street does not show.
When were they last cleaned? A gutter cleaned last fall has a season of debris in it. One that has not been touched in five years has soil, roots and sometimes a small tree, and the downspouts are almost certainly packed. Neither is a problem, but they are different jobs.
Do the downspouts go into the ground? Underground extensions have to be flushed and confirmed, not just the visible downspout. If water comes back up when we flush, the buried pipe is blocked and you need to know that.
Are there gutter guards? Guards mean lifting and refitting, and sometimes discovering the gutter under them is full despite the guards. We price for the time and tell you what we found.
Anything on the roof we should stay off? Skylights, solar panels, slate, cedar, satellite dishes. We work from ladders by default and only step onto a roof when it is safe and it helps.
Two things worth knowing before the day. If your downspouts run into underground drains, tell us - flushing those takes longer and sometimes finds a collapsed pipe that is the real reason the gutter overflows. And if there is anything on the roof you would rather we did not walk on - a skylight, a satellite dish, slate or cedar - say so and we work from the ladder only.
Questions
Everything people ask us
How much does gutter cleaning cost?
It depends on the size of the house, how many storeys, how many downspouts and how full the gutters are. Text a photo of the front of the house and we send a price back, usually within the hour. No visit needed to quote.
Do I need to be home?
No. As long as we can reach the gutters and there is an outside spigot, we can do the whole job while you are at work. You get photos by text when it is done.
Do you clean the debris up afterwards?
Yes. Everything comes down in buckets, gets bagged and leaves with us. Walks, decks and beds are left as we found them.
How often should gutters be cleaned in Lake County?
Twice a year for most homes: late fall after the leaves drop and late spring after the seeds and fluff. Homes under heavy tree cover or near the lake sometimes need a third visit.
Will you go on the roof?
Only where it is safe and necessary, usually to clear a valley or a flat section. Most of the work is done from ladders. We stay off slate, cedar and anything steep or wet.
What if you find something broken?
We tell you before we touch it. Small things - a loose hanger, a downspout that has come apart - we can usually fix on the spot for a small add-on. Anything bigger you get a price for and decide.
Gutter Cleaning across Lake County
Get a price today
Text a photo of the house and get a price back - usually within the hour. Serving Libertyville and all of Lake County.