Selly Oak Gutter Cleaning, Kitchen Extension Runs First
Many terraces in Selly Oak have had a kitchen added on the back at some point, most of them with a flat or shallow-pitched roof and a short length of guttering at low level. Those runs sit under whatever is growing in the back yard, they catch moss washing down off the main roof slope, and they silt up long before the front gutters do. The first sign is water running down the rear wall of the house, which is invisible from the road.
The other feature of B29 guttering is that a Victorian terrace shares one continuous run across several houses. A blockage over one house will overflow onto its neighbour, so clearing your own length often solves nothing at all. Where we can, we clear the whole run in a single visit, which is what actually fixes the problem. A landlord with three or four houses on one street can book it that way in one go.
- Service
- Gutter Cleaning
- Area covered
- Selly Oak, B29
- Local authority
- Birmingham
- How we do it
- Cleared and vacuumed from the ground, with camera confirmation
- From our Selly Oak base
- On the doorstep
- Price
- Quoted per property before we start (how quotes work)
- Booking
- Call or WhatsApp 07788 574283
Extension gutters and one continuous terrace run
Selly Oak’s building stock produces plenty of gutter work, for three reasons. First the rear extensions: low, wide, shaded and shallow, they collect moss shed from the main roof as well as anything blowing round the back yard. Second the shared continuous runs on the terraces, where no single house owns the blockage and nobody feels responsible for it. Third, on a let house the owner is not there to hear a gurgling downpipe, so the problem surfaces as a damp patch in a back bedroom discovered by a landlord in February. The owner-occupied streets towards Selly Park have more mature trees and behave far more conventionally.
- Low-level guttering on rear kitchen extensions, silting up entirely out of sight from the street
- Continuous shared runs across a terrace, where one blocked length overflows onto the houses either side
- Moss washing off the main roof slope straight into the extension gutter below it
- Let houses where the owner is not on hand to hear a gurgling downpipe, so blockages emerge as damp in a rear bedroom
- Mature street trees on the Selly Park side, which is a more ordinary autumn leaf problem
Cleared by pole vacuum, with nobody on the flat roof
Everything is cleared from the ground with a pole-mounted vacuum, which matters on these terraces because the rear extension roofs are not designed to carry a person and the back of the house is often only reachable through a narrow shared entry. We take out silt and moss as well as leaves, since silt is what holds standing water on a low extension run. Downpipes are then flushed to confirm the whole run drains, including the one discharging into a gully at the back. Anything cracked, sagging or with a failed joint gets photographed and shown to you.
- Pole-mounted vacuum from ground level, with nobody standing on a flat-roof kitchen extension
- Silt and moss removed, not just leaves, because silt is what holds water on a low extension run
- Downpipes and rear gullies flushed, so we know the full length is genuinely flowing
- Photographs of any damage found, since on a let house the owner is not there to see it themselves
More detail on the equipment and the order of work: our gutter cleaning method.
Shared runs and back-extension gutters in B29
On the terraces off the Bristol Road the practical constraint is access. The rear of these houses is reached through an entry between two properties, sometimes gated, often with bins or a bike store in the way, so it helps if someone can unlock it and shift things beforehand. The void weeks between tenancies are the easiest time to do a student house, because there is nobody to work around, and gutters fit neatly alongside the end of tenancy clean. The owner-occupied streets towards Selly Park tend to book in autumn. Selly Oak is on our doorstep, so a slot within the week is usually possible.
A modest run, unless the extension gutter is packed with silt
A two-storey Selly Oak terrace on its own is a straightforward job, priced for a modest run at a modest height. Two things change that. If the rear extension gutter holds years of compacted silt rather than one season of leaves, it takes longer and the downpipe may need rodding as well as flushing. And if we are only clearing one house out of a shared continuous run, the result is compromised from the start, so it is better to clear three or four houses together. Landlords with a cluster of properties on one street can book them onto the same visit.
Late autumn each year, or in the empty July weeks
Once a year for a standard Selly Oak terrace, ideally in late autumn once the leaves are down but before sustained winter rain arrives. The rear extension gutter under a shaded back yard often wants doing twice, because moss keeps arriving off the roof slope regardless of season. Towards Selly Park, where the streets carry mature trees, twice a year is justified: once after leaf fall and once in spring. On a student house, the empty July weeks between tenancies are the easiest time of all.
Overall satisfied with service this company has provided leaving windows & guttering clean.
Excellent job, highly recommended.
Nice man great at what he does
Selly Oak · Gutter Cleaning
Frequently asked questions
The extension run is low, shaded and short, with very little fall, and it catches moss and grit washing down off the main roof slope above it. So it fills with silt while the front gutter, which only sees what lands directly in it, stays reasonably clear. On a Selly Oak terrace it is the gutter that fails first.
Ideally yes. On these terraces the run is continuous across several houses, so a blockage two doors along will still overflow onto your section. Clearing the whole run at once is what stops the overflow, and we are happy to quote it that way if you can get the neighbours to agree.
Yes, if the entry is unlocked. The rear of these houses is reached through the shared passage between properties, and if it is gated we cannot get the equipment through. If nobody can be there, leave the gate open and move the bins and bikes, and we will do the rest without disturbing anyone.
Yes, it is the best time. Nobody to work around, the entry can be left open, and the property is being visited anyway for the changeover clean. Booking gutters and the end of tenancy clean in the same week means one visit and one unlocked gate.
Often, yes, because an overflowing extension gutter soaks the rear wall directly beneath it. But not always. If the cause is a cracked section, a failed joint or a run that has sagged away from the fascia, cleaning will not solve it, and we will photograph it and tell you. We do not do gutter repairs, so there is nothing in it for us to overstate the problem.
Other cleaning we do in Selly Oak
Tell us about the job
Send a few details or photos and we’ll come back with a clear price and an estimated time, with no obligation.