Most guttering installations should be uneventful. The best sign that a job has gone well is that the client barely notices we were there, apart from a straight run of new rainwater goods and a tidy driveway.
Here is what a typical installation looks like on a family home somewhere across the Cotswolds, Oxfordshire or Wiltshire.
Before the day
Every job starts with a proper survey. We measure the roof area, check the pitch, look at the existing brackets and fascia condition, and calculate how much water the system will need to move in a serious downpour. On older homes we also look at where the downpipes discharge — a lot of Victorian rainwater goods end at a gulley that has silted up decades ago.
We agree the material — seamless aluminium, cast iron, cast iron effect, copper — the profile, the colour, and the number and position of downpipes. Nothing is left to be decided on site.
Day one on site
- Scaffolding or a properly sited tower goes up first. We do not work off ladders for a full elevation strip.
- Existing guttering and downpipes come down carefully. On period homes we keep sections back for the client if they are of value.
- Fascia and soffit condition gets a proper look. Where we are replacing them at the same time, that work happens now.
- New brackets go up at the correct centres for the profile — closer for cast iron, wider for aluminium — with the fall set by string line, not by eye.
Fitting the run
Seamless aluminium is rolled to length on the driveway from a single coil. Cast iron and cast iron effect come as pre-cut lengths that we join with proper putty and bolted seams. Corners, outlets and stop ends are fitted, adhered and mechanically fixed.
Downpipes are plumbed vertically — a small thing, but the number of otherwise decent installs let down by a leaning downpipe is remarkable.
The flow test
Before we leave, we run water through every outlet. It should reach the downpipe cleanly, discharge without splash-back, and disappear into the drainage. Anything less and we adjust the falls before we sign off.
After we leave
A good install should give you thirty years or more of quiet service. Once a year, a walk round in autumn to check the outlets are clear is usually all it needs.
If you would like us to look at replacing or installing new guttering on your home, we cover the Cotswolds, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Berkshire — and travel further afield for larger projects.