Guttering & roofline · Exeter & East Devon
Guttering repairs in Exeter
Blocked guttering is the cheapest roof problem there is and the one that causes the most expensive damage. Water that cannot get away goes into the wall, the eaves, or the roof structure instead.
Exeter's mature tree cover is the reason guttering matters more here than in newer towns. The inner suburbs — Pennsylvania, Heavitree, St Leonard's, the streets around the university — sit under established trees that fill gutters with leaf litter every autumn. That litter holds moisture against the fascia, blocks the outlets, and sends water over the front edge into the wall below.
What overflowing gutters actually cost you
Wall saturation and internal damp
Water running down an external wall for a winter penetrates the masonry. The damp patch that appears inside is usually blamed on rising damp when the cause is three metres above it.
Rotten fascia and soffit
Wet leaf litter sitting in a gutter rots the timber behind it. Replacing a fascia is several times the cost of clearing the gutter that destroyed it.
Water into the roof structure
A gutter blocked at the outlet backs water up under the eaves course and into the roof itself — which turns a gutter problem into a rafter-end problem.
What we do
- Clearing and flushing, including checking that outlets and downpipes actually run
- Joint, bracket and union repair on uPVC, cast iron and aluminium
- Realigning falls where sections have dropped and water is standing
- Full replacement in uPVC, aluminium or cast iron to match the property
- Gutter guards and leaf protection on tree-affected properties
- Fascia, soffit and bargeboard replacement as part of a complete roofline job
- Downpipe renewal, including connections into gullies and soakaways
What you get
- Photographs of what was in the gutter and what it looks like clear
- An honest read on repair versus replacement — most cast iron is worth keeping
- Fascia condition checked while the access is up, not as a separate visit later
- Written workmanship guarantee on any repair or replacement work
Fascias and soffits · Roof repairs · Landlord roof repairs · Emergency repairs
Frequently asked
How often should gutters be cleared in Exeter?
Once a year is the minimum on most properties. Twice — late autumn and spring — is the right answer anywhere with mature trees nearby, which covers most of the inner suburbs. Pennsylvania, Heavitree and the streets around the university are the worst for leaf fall.
Can cast iron guttering be repaired or does it need replacing?
Repaired, usually. Cast iron has a very long life, and most problems are joint failure, blockage, or paint breakdown rather than the metal itself going. On period and listed properties cast iron is often the right thing to keep — replacing it in uPVC changes the look of the building and can be a consent issue in a conservation area.
What are gutter guards and are they worth it?
Mesh or brush inserts that keep leaf litter out while letting water through. On a property under mature trees they genuinely reduce clearing frequency. They are not maintenance-free — they still need checking — but they turn twice-yearly clearing into an annual look.
My gutters overflow only in heavy rain — is that a blockage?
Not always. It can be undersized guttering, insufficient fall, or too few downpipes for the roof area. A gutter that copes with ordinary rain and fails in a downpour is often a capacity problem rather than a blockage, and clearing it will not fix it.
Do you do fascias and soffits too?
Yes. Guttering, fascias, soffits and bargeboards are usually done together as a roofline job — replacing the gutter while leaving rotten fascia behind means doing the access twice.
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