Concrete guttering

Lubelu1961

I read with interest all the comments and experiences by consumers having had their Finlock/Concrete Gutters replaced either a few years a go or recently.

It is a minefield out there and trying to make a decision on which company to go with is not easy as a lot of comments contradict reviews made by consumers on certain companies. What worries me is if the companies themselves are raising their profiles by leaving reviews themselves?

So back to square one who will do the best and most reliable job that will resolve the problems concrete gutters cause....

Any advice please?

Kena2000

I sealed ours with bitumen paint which didnt work at all. We then had them lined with aluminium 6 months later. We still had damp and finally had to have them removed this year. Wish we had just done this in the first place, as I essentially paid double. Be warned, sealing and lining concrete gutters was a WASTE OF MONEY. This article was helpful when finally getting it done last month. Hope it helps. fasciaforce.co.uk/finlock-concrete-gutters/

prmarsh

I'm currently planning to remove my concrete gutters. I was just almost taken in by a company that appeared to be reputable, but just in time I found out it had links with upwards of 9 former guttering companies that have been incorporated then dissolved or liquidated within a year or two. Some of the company names are deliberately misleading (e.g. similar to the names of other unrelated companies). I feel I can't trust anyone, as company representatives can post here anonymously with good "reviews" for themselves and bad "reviews" for competitors - as pointed out by Lubelu1961 last year.

I'm not sure if this has already been suggested on this forum, but I recommend anyone considering works on their concrete gutters to carefully review the entries with Companies House - you can check online who the registered officers are for each company, and if they have any links with 'suspicious' existing or former companies then tread very carefully.

Good luck!

mduarte89

I share the same pain as you guys, we have decided to remove our finlock gutters as well, but is very difficult to decide which company to choose based on all of the reviews and online reputation.. I've had a couple of quotes: 1) TVF (Trent valley fascias) they were professional, didn't push the sale, they did mention Watchdog’s Rogue Traders as well. The other company was Rutilus concrete gutter replacement ltd, i have to say that they were very professional, polite, they seem to have really good reviews though. They are also registered in Which and HomePro. Both quotes are around the same value, but the way they execute the job is different. While TVF told us that they extend the rafters, add the timber board to provide structural strength and add an insulation layer, Rutilus said that they don't extend the rafters, they cut the block etc, add the timber board and they don't add the extra layer of insulation.. I'm more inclined to go with Rutilus, as they don't have as many bad reviews as TVF, but I've read that the recommended approach would be to extend the rafters and add the insulation layer as it would prevent the formation of condensation and subsequent mould and damp inside the property. What's your opinion guys? Thanks a lot in advance!

Loolynn

We had our Concrete guttering replaced almost 1 year ago by Rutilus, we received excellent service and so far are 100% happy with the results.
Whilst doing our research and gathering quotes we realised that several companies are run by the same people (they have directors in common), they constantly go into administration and change their company name, one of the gentlemen featured on Rogue Traders. Before we realised they came out to quote us and did the full pressure sales routine. (Phoning boss, on speaker phone, cutting the price if sign up immediately), thank goodness we realised and didn't sign. I
Please do your research.

BambiD

Hi, we were thrilled with the work completed by Trent Valley to replace our concrete guttering. Whilst this company are great at removing concrete guttering and putting up new, the same cannot be said for their customer service when there is a problem. Our guttering sprung a leak and we had several call outs from Trent. The workmen on each visit blamed each other and claimed they had fixed it. We have damp damage in our lounge and the leak has also caused damp damage in our neighbours property. With each contact to the company we were fobbed off with excuses, couldn't speak to the owner and then when we did, he was rude and obnoxious. My husband and I pride ourselves on being polite and courteous, and although the secretary/receptionist was always polite and friendly, the same absolutely cannot be said for the owner who was also sarcastic. This company is only great if there are no on-going problems.

seb345

Hey I recently moved in a new house, the place is an old 1930's Victorian House with concrete guttering that's painted to make it look fresh and modern. A few years back after some really have rains (I was actually shocked by the amount of water that came down from the sky) some of the gutters cracked and some of the water started to gather under the roof. I was worried and decided that I needed to change them so I started looking online for gutter contractors. It took a while to find the best fit (money and time wise) but I am very pleased with the results and the price was not as bad as I feared at first.