After the Storm: A 10-Minute Gutter Check for Galway and Mayo Homes

After a storm, walk around the house in daylight and look up. Check that the gutters are straight and still fixed to the fascia, that water comes out of every downpipe when it rains, and that no slates or ridge tiles have moved. If gutters are overflowing or pulling away, get them sorted before the next heavy rain or frost.

This autumn's storms came while a lot of trees were still in leaf, so plenty of those leaves have ended up in gutters across Galway and Mayo. Once the weather has settled and it's safe to be outside, here's how to check your house in about 10 minutes, without a ladder.

The 10-minute check, from the ground

1. 1 Walk around the house and look up. Look for gutters sagging, gaps at the joints, or brackets pulling away from the fascia.
2. 2 Check the roof from the ground. Loose or slipped slates and cracked ridge tiles are a job for a roofer, not us.
3. 3 Watch it rain. Water spilling over the front of a gutter, or no water coming out of a downpipe in heavy rain, means a blockage.
4. 4 Check the walls. Damp patches or dark streaks under the gutter line mean water has been overflowing.
5. 5 Check the drains at the bottom of the downpipes. Clear any leaves you can reach safely from the ground.
6. 6 Check inside. Look at ceilings and walls under the gutter line for any sign of water getting in.

Don't go up a ladder in wet or windy weather

Autumn is the worst time of year to be up a ladder: surfaces are wet, the days are short and the wind picks up quickly. For anything above the ground floor, leave it to a team with the right equipment and insurance. We clean gutters up to 4 storeys from the ground with our gutter vac and camera.

Frost and blocked gutters

Blocked gutters are worse in winter. Water trapped behind leaves and moss can freeze, expand and push joints and brackets apart, and the ice can damage fascia boards and soffits. The simplest fix is to get the gutters cleared before the hard frosts. After a frost, look for joints that drip or gutters that have dropped.

What we do on a gutter clean

• A camera check, so you can see what's in the gutters.
• Every gutter cleared from the ground with a high-reach vac.
• Every downpipe flushed and flow-tested. Rodding costs nothing extra.
• Before-and-after photos.
• Minor repairs, like resealing joints and reattaching brackets, from €20. For bigger damage we'll tell you what we found.

Green fascias and soffits after the storms? Fascia and soffit cleaning is a separate service, from €70, and we can do it on the same visit.

What it costs

Gutter cleaning starts from €80 including VAT for a terraced house or a semi with front and back gutters. A semi with a side gutter is €100 and a detached house is from €120. There's no extra charge for blocked gutters, rodding downpipes or guards, and no travel charge. See the 2026 gutter cleaning price guide for the full list.

Local pages: gutter cleaning in Castlebar, Westport, Ballina, the rest of Mayo, Galway and Tuam. For the rest of the house, see our autumn exterior checklist.

Frequently Asked Questions