Guttering in Westcliff-on-sea

The best way to replace gutters is to ask a reputable installer to do it for you. They have all the right safety equipment and knowledge to do it. But if you’re a competent DIYer, you could have a go at replacing the gutters yourself. If you do, you could save yourself an average of £359 on labour costs.

The biggest risk from replacing guttering yourself is the height. Even if you’re on a secure ladder, if you’re not used to working at height you could seriously hurt yourself. If your home is a bungalow, the risk is lower, but anything two storeys and above carries significant risk.

If you’re still happy to go ahead, there are a few things you’ll need to fit gutters yourself:

• A sturdy ladder
• Gloves and safety goggles
• A hammer and nails to secure your fascia so it doesn’t fall down mid-replacement
• A hacksaw – this will cut through uPVC guttering – just make sure you leave a margin of error with every cut you make
• Cable ties or rope to secure the existing gutters while you dismantle them, so they don’t fall off
• All the right fixings and brackets to secure the guttering
• An electric drill and/or screwdrivers

Once you’ve removed the old guttering, you can get started with the new ones. Follow these steps:

1. Add a gutter bracket to the top of the fascia board at the opposite end to the stop-end outlet, if you have one. Then tie a piece of string around the base of the bracket.
2. You’ll need to place the gutter outlet accurately over the drain. Hold a plumb line against the fascia directly over the drain, and mark that position with a pencil. Following the manufacturer’s advice on the number of screws to use, fit the gutter outlet no more than 50mm below the level of the roof tiles.
3. Stretch the piece of string you tied on the bracket along the fascia board, and tie it to the outlet. Make sure you check with a spirit level that the string slopes towards the outlet.
4. Mark the positions of the other brackets. They should be no more than 800mm apart, or 600mm if your roof is very steep. They also shouldn’t be any more than 150mm from a joint or fitting. Then fit the rest of the brackets.
5. Fit a stop-end to the first length of gutter and clip it into position on the brackets. At the other end, fit a union piece and screw it into the fascia.
6. Then fit the next length of gutter into it, and the next until you’re finished. Cut the last one to fit using your hacksaw before attaching a stop-end. Then make sure all the joints line up with the insertion depth marks on the fittings. Then you’re done!

Copper gutters are expensive – there's no doubt about it. But the look it can give a property might be just what you’re after. uPVC guttering doesn’t suit every home, and while it’s the cheapest option, some properties might not even be able to have it – for example, if you live in a conservation area or listed building. So if you’re going to have them installed, how much do copper gutters cost?

Prices start at £18 per linear metre for half-round copper guttering. If you add all the bits you’ll need to go with them, like brackets and clips, you could be looking at around £40 per metre. That’s about double the cost of a uPVC or aluminium guttering system and about the same as cast iron guttering. Add in the installation costs and the average cost of a copper guttering system is £2,390. But copper gutters have a look that can’t be replicated by any other material, so if your home will suit them it might be worth the investment.

It might be tempting to try to install copper guttering yourself, especially if you’re used to doing DIY. But copper guttering can be quite heavy to handle and is more fragile than uPVC, so it’s best leaving it to the professionals. On two-storey homes, roofline specialists would probably use scaffold towers to help them keep stable while they install the guttering, and will work in pairs. Since they carry out copper gutter installations all the time, they’ll be used to handling it and ensuring that they don’t scratch or damage this expensive product. So while it might seem cheaper to do it yourself, it won’t if you damage your copper gutters and have to fork out for new ones.

You don’t always need scaffolding to replace guttering. If your home is a bungalow, the tradespeople might only need a ladder to replace your guttering. It’s when your home is two storeys or more that scaffolding is more necessary.

You might not need full scaffolding for a simple two-storey home. Guttering specialists use scaffold towers, which are the platforms you see underneath the scaffolding, where the installation is relatively straightforward. You might need scaffolding to replace guttering when there are obstructions to towers being used – for example, if you have a conservatory or the ground is very uneven. It's more likely that specialist roofline companies will use scaffold towers when necessary. Sole traders that replace guttering as part of their services may be comfortable using sturdy ladders.

There’s no legal requirement to say that you must have scaffolding when fitting guttering, but it is a good idea when working on homes rather than bungalows. If you’re unsure whether you need full scaffolding for your gutter replacement project, get a few quotes from reputable businesses of different sizes. If you’ve been quoted by one company that you need full scaffolding whereas everyone else says that only towers are needed, it’s likely that the job is perfectly safe to carry out with just towers.

You don’t always need to replace your gutters with your roof. Often people think that it’s a requirement, or simply the best thing to do, but it’s not always necessary. The reason why people think it’s required is because to re-roof a home, the guttering often needs to be removed and put back on.

If the time has come to replace your roof, then the chances are that your guttering is pretty old too. When you start to get quotes for your roof replacement, ask the roofer to take a look at your guttering as well. If there are signs of peeling, rust, cracks or sagging, then it makes sense to replace your gutters with your roof. If you get them done at the same time, you’ll save money labour costs, which is the reason why most homeowners do it.

Another reason to replace your gutters with your roof is the risk of damage. Re-roofing is a significant project, so the guttering needs to come off most of the time – running the risk of brackets and pipes getting damaged in the process. So if your guttering is still looking good right now but you think it might need replacing in a couple of years, it might be worth just doing it at the same time as your roof to save you money and the stress if damage does occur.

However, if your guttering has only recently been replaced, then there’s no need to replace it again with your roof. But because it needs to come off, make sure you speak to the roofing company about keeping it safe and doing their best to avoid damage. It’s also worse ensuring that they have the correct insurance to cover you both in case your guttering does get damaged during your roof replacement.