We’re here for you.

When your gutters are clogged, your home has no way of draining water after heavy rain. This is especially taxing to your home if you live in rainy areas like the northwest.

These notes below show exactly what clogged gutters do to your home and why you need to avoid them:

When gutters get clogged by debris, water will sit until it begins to seep through the roof and walls. As this happens, you'll see leaks inside your house as well as cracks developing in your roof due to the water. As time goes on, the leaks will get worse until you get rid of the standing water and clean your gutters. The impact of clogged gutters on your roof aside, other damage to your house might include the walls as gutters separate from the structure, and as we'll go over next, your foundation. If the damage continues to worsen, it'll seep into the inside of your house, impacting the walls and even electrical systems.

When water cannot be drained from your home, your foundation will also be impacted. Water pools at the wall of your foundation and, much like on the roof, it will sit until it starts to destabilize.The foundation is the most important part of your entire home. When that's compromised, the whole home is in danger.

A foundation repair from a Portland contractor can cost between $2000 and $6000. Taking care of your gutters is a much easier way to sustain the foundation and far less costly.

It's only a matter of time before standing water turns into mold and mildew. Eliminating either one can be a pricey proposition, as contractors charge between $500 and $6,000.

Aside from the price you will have to pay to eliminate it, it's also very dangerous for your health. While some molds are relatively benign, others can do a lot to hurt your overall health. Also, sitting water that'll collect because of this growth will lead to the perfect haven for mosquitos.

In addition to the physical damage and health risks of clogs, a clogged gutter system can do an entirely different type of damage: financial. The chart to the left shows estimates of the costs associated with damage to your house.

Wondering about the details surrounding gutter cleaning? Browse our frequently asked questions down below.

We strongly recommend hiring professionals for this job, but to do it yourself you'll need a pressure washer, ladder, tools, safety gear, and help to pull debris and build up from your gutter system, repair any loose or damaged gutters, and then a pressure washer to flush your gutters of any leftover debris.

Water overflows onto your roof and ground below while jeopardizing your home's structure. You'll also see stains on the windows and exterior walls of your house and, in cases where the damage has become severe, water will seep into your house, staining the ceiling and interior walls.

Absolutely. Clogged gutters will cause water to accumulate and sit on your roof. That water will then seep into your house, damaging the shingles, roof, and more. It will also cause your gutters to become warped and weighted before separating from your home's structure, taking part of the roof with it.

Look for signs of flowing water. If no water is coming out of your downspouts, it's a sign that they are completely clogged somewhere along the line. If debris is coming out with moving water, that's also sign of a clog, albeit a less significant one.

There are some telltale signs that your gutters are clogged regardless of where you live or the climate. The most obvious one that comes to mind for everyone is when water begins spilling overflowing, but there are others as well that may not be quite as obvious, or attributed to other, minor issues.

Bugs love the wet conditions of dirty gutters. Insects will swarm around these conditions and make their home in your gutter. Once the conditions are perfect and these pests have claimed your gutters, it's pretty typical to find a teeming spider's nest or mosquitoes swarming around outside your house. With enough time, snakes, rats, frogs, and lizards might join them and, they will invite themselves inside as well.

By creating an environment outside your house that encourages bugs and pests to come around, it also encourages them to use open windows, doors, or water damage from clogged gutters to enter your house and endanger your health.

Another good indicator that you have clogged gutters is staining. For the outside of your home, this is the precursor to more serious damage. Staining on your siding or on the downspouts and gutters is a telltale sign that the gutters have been overflowing due to a clog.

Inside the house, stains on the ceiling or in the attic can sometimes indicate that your gutters are clogged and are causing damage. Water collects on your roof and, with nowhere else to go, it slowly begins to seep into your house at jointed spots, like where your roof meets the siding (the fascia board) and the underside of your exposed roof (the soffit).

The longer you allow water to sit on your roof, the more costly the repairs will be and will result in replacing your roof altogether.

Gutters that haven't been cleaned tend to sag under the mass weight of all the water and debris that has built up in them. Sagging gutters alone isn't specifically damaging to your property as a whole, but as they start pulling away from your roof the gutter could disconnect and bring part of your home with it.

If gutters are made out of lower quality materials or you allow them to sag long enough, the damage to them will be too much and gutter replacement or repair may be necessary. 

When you don't clean your gutters regularly, organic matter tends to collect in your gutter system. This dirt and debris, combined with the sunlight and moisture, create an environment for seeds or fungi to sprout.

Your gutters can become a planter for weeds, grass, plants, and even flowers if they aren't maintained. Whether you want plants or not, the gutter isn't the right place for them.