Gutter, Downpipe & Drainage Repair

Overflowing gutters are usually reported as a roof leak, but the roof is often doing its job. Water that cannot get into the gutter, along it, or down the downpipe ends up on the wall, the fascia and the ground next to the foundation — and that is where the damage shows.

The causes are predictable: gutters that are too small for the roof area, too few outlets, insufficient fall, blocked gutters or downpipes, failed joints and brackets, or a downpipe that discharges against the wall instead of away from it. Heavy rain exposes all of them at once.

Repair starts with the water path. We check the roof area and the outlet capacity, the fall along the gutter, the condition of the joints and brackets, and where the downpipe discharges. Sometimes the answer is a repair; sometimes the gutter is undersized and needs to be replaced or given a second outlet.

The discharge point is the part most often ignored. A downpipe that empties onto the ground at the wall puts the water straight back into the foundation. Extending it to a drain, a soakaway or a graded surface is usually a small job with a large effect.

Gutters need clearing before the rainy season, and guards help but do not remove the need to check. We include the gutters and downpipes in the roof inspection because a sound roof with a failed drainage system still leaks.