Quote for cleaning roof, clearing gutter.

TELLIT01

We had our cast iron guttering replaced with plastic many years ago and haven't had a blockage since.  I've been up the ladder to check a couple of times and the fall must be good as there is never more than a couple of pieces of moss in there.  When it rains hard, there is always a lot of moss on a flat roof where one of the downpipes discharges.

Phil4432

Thanks for the replies all.

We're near trees and it gets a bit damp, so moss does flourish on the roofs.  A couple of houses have never cleaned their roofs and as a result you can see where the moss has caused extra weight, and the roofs are becoming damaged.  So I've been getting my roof cleaned every two years, though some recommend once/year.  This was done by a builder mate, at a discount price.  He's not available now unfortunately.

Previously, moss has entered the down pipes and caused blockages in the gutters.  I've since had gutter downpipe guards put on.  The problem here is that THEY get blocked by moss and leaves.  But are much easier to clean out, IF I can get to them.

One of the downpipe guards is above the bathroom window.  So when the gutter overflows I'm reaching out of the bathroom window, and taking the moss out(!)  A temporary solution. 

If I invest in a ladder and stand off as Scrooge suggested, then I can fully clean the gutter on that side.

The problem is the other side.  I'm link detached, and the path to that side of my wall belongs to my neighbour.  I can only access that gutter from the roof!

Ebe_Scrooge

Phil4432 said:

A couple of houses have never cleaned their roofs and as a result you can see where the moss has caused extra weight, and the roofs are becoming damaged.

I'd be very surprised if the moss has caused damage - how heavy do you think moss is, compared to the weight of the tiles themselves?  If you want to clean it off for purely aesthetic reasons then go ahead, but really, it won't cause any damage.  The worst that'll happen is, as already discussed, a bit of a hassle if it means you need to scoop it out of the gutters.

Phil4432 said:

The problem is the other side.  I'm link detached, and the path to that side of my wall belongs to my neighbour.  I can only access that gutter from the roof!

OK, fair enough.  But PLEASE be careful!  You can buy ladder roof hooks from lots of places ( just as an example, https://www.screwfix.com/p/ladder-roof-ridge-hooks/2029p ), that will attach to an ordinary ladder to make it safer.  But be sensible if you're scrambling around on the roof - and no matter how safe you think you are, ALWAYS have someone watching you so they can call for help if the worst should happen.

elsien

Phil4432 said:

Ebe_Scrooge said:

Why would you want to clean the roof?  Gutters - sounds reasonable I guess, for London.  It's the sort of thing you can do yourself if you're OK with a ladder, but admittedly it's not everyone's idea of a fun way to spend an afternoon :-)

Re the gutters, I would like to get on the roof and just scoop them out.  Never got on the roof before though.  I'm relatively young(ish) and fit; any tips?

Make sure someone who doesn’t have a stake in your demise is securing the ladder? 

Grenage

Moss never damaged a roof; the only people saying such are folk selling solutions and those that believe them.

TELLIT01

Phil4432 said:

Thanks for the replies all.

We're near trees and it gets a bit damp, so moss does flourish on the roofs.  A couple of houses have never cleaned their roofs and as a result you can see where the moss has caused extra weight, and the roofs are becoming damaged.  So I've been getting my roof cleaned every two years, though some recommend once/year.  This was done by a builder mate, at a discount price.  He's not available now unfortunately.

Previously, moss has entered the down pipes and caused blockages in the gutters.  I've since had gutter downpipe guards put on.  The problem here is that THEY get blocked by moss and leaves.  But are much easier to clean out, IF I can get to them.

One of the downpipe guards is above the bathroom window.  So when the gutter overflows I'm reaching out of the bathroom window, and taking the moss out(!)  A temporary solution. 

If I invest in a ladder and stand off as Scrooge suggested, then I can fully clean the gutter on that side.

The problem is the other side.  I'm link detached, and the path to that side of my wall belongs to my neighbour.  I can only access that gutter from the roof!

I may be wrong but I thought there was a legal right of access to adjoining properties to do maintenance work on a house.

Phil4432

Thought I'd update, my builder mate cleared the gutters for £50.  He commented that the roof doesn't need cleaning for a year or two.

All good, on to the next problem!