What the job looks like
Debris on a roof does two things. It slides into the gutter with every rain, refilling a gutter you just paid to have cleaned. And where it sits - in valleys, behind chimneys, against dormers, on flat porch roofs - it holds water against the shingles, grows moss and rots the roof from the top down. Homes with complex rooflines and mature trees collect it every season.
We sweep and blow debris off the roof surface where it is safe to walk, clear valleys and dead spots by hand, and clean out skylight wells and flat roof drains. It is usually done as part of a gutter cleaning on homes that need it, and as a standalone visit after a storm drops branches.
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.
Roof Debris & Valley 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.
We serve these areas: Libertyville, Waukegan, Gurnee, Zion, North Chicago, Beach Park, Park City, Winthrop Harbor, Wadsworth, Mundelein, Grayslake, Round Lake Beach, Round Lake, Antioch, Lake Villa, Lindenhurst, Fox Lake, Wauconda, Island Lake, Vernon Hills, Lake Zurich, Buffalo Grove, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Deerfield, Lake Bluff and Highwood.
Text a photo of the house and the town you are in, and we will send back a price.
Where it collects
The spots on a roof that hold debris
Valleys, where two roof planes meet, funnel every leaf on the roof into a line that ends at one point on the gutter. Behind chimneys, the uphill side traps a wedge of leaves that stays wet for months. Against dormer walls and where an addition meets the main roof, debris piles into the corner. Flat porch roofs and low-slope garage roofs simply hold everything that lands on them. Skylight wells fill and the water sits against the flashing.
None of it is visible from the ground, and by the time it shows up as a stain on a ceiling the shingles under it have been wet for a long time. Clearing it once or twice a year is much cheaper than the roof work it prevents.
How it runs
How we clear a roof
Assess from the ground and the ladder. Pitch, surface, moisture and what is up there. Slate, cedar, steep or wet roofs are done from the ladder and the edges only.
Clear the collection points. Valleys, chimney backs and dormer corners are cleared by hand into a bag so nothing goes into the gutter.
Sweep the surface. Loose leaves and twigs are swept or blown toward the edge and collected, not blown into the gutters or onto the neighbours.
Flat roofs and skylights. Standing debris removed, drains and scuppers cleared and tested with a hose.
Gutters last. Whatever came down into the gutters gets scooped and flushed, so the job finishes with everything clean, not just the roof.
Around the county
Which roofs collect the most
Complex rooflines under old trees are the combination, and Lake Forest, Highland Park, Lake Bluff and Libertyville have the most of both. Lake Zurich and Mundelein have a lot of 1980s homes with multiple gables and valleys. Anywhere with a flat porch roof or a single-storey addition under a taller main roof - common in Deerfield and Waukegan - has a shelf that catches everything.
Before you book
What decides whether we can clear your roof
Pitch. A normal 4-in-12 to 8-in-12 asphalt roof is walkable when dry. Steeper than that is ladder-and-edge work only, and some of it we will decline rather than pretend it is safe.
Surface. Asphalt shingle, yes. Slate, cedar shake, clay tile and standing-seam metal, we do not walk on. Those get valleys and edges cleared from the ladder and the rest left to a roofer.
Weather. Wet shingles are off limits. Fall mornings with dew mean we start with the gutters and clear the roof once it has dried.
Access. A flat porch roof reached from a second-storey window is easy. A dormer valley three storeys up on a ravine lot in Highland Park is a different day. Say what you have and we plan for it.
What is up there. Leaves and twigs are one job. A branch through a skylight is another. Send a photo from the ground if you can, and we tell you what it is going to take.
We are not roofers and we do not pretend to be. If we find lifted shingles, exposed nails, soft decking or flashing that has pulled away while we are up there, you get photos and a plain description, and a roofer gets the repair. Finding it early is most of the value.
What we clear
What full gutters look like
Photos of the kind of buildup a cleaning visit deals with. If your gutters look like any of these, water is already going somewhere it should not.
Questions
Everything people ask us
Is this included in gutter cleaning?
Clearing the valley ends where they meet the gutter usually is. A full roof sweep and clearing behind chimneys and dormers is extra time and priced as an add-on.
Will you walk on my roof?
Where it is safe: dry asphalt shingle at a normal pitch. Slate, cedar shake, metal, steep or wet roofs are worked from the ladder and edges only.
Can you remove moss?
We clear loose moss and the debris that grows it. Treating moss chemically is a separate service we do not offer; keeping the roof clear is what stops it coming back.
Do you clear branches after a storm?
Yes. Branches and limbs down on the roof are removed and taken away with the debris.
What about flat roofs?
Yes. Porch roofs, garage roofs, additions and commercial flat sections - debris removed, drains and scuppers cleared and tested.
Will you tell me if something is wrong with the roof?
Yes, with photos. We do not do roof repairs, so the assessment is not a sales pitch.
Roof Debris & Valley 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.