Gutter repairs in Bournemouth
Leaking joints, sagging runs, split downpipes and gutters pulled off the eaves, repaired across Bournemouth. We find why the run failed, fix that, and run water through it before we go.
The site visit is free and so is the written itemised quote. Thomas Hannen prices every job himself.
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Gutter repairs
Find why it leaks, then fix that
Yes, we repair gutters and downpipes across Bournemouth, from one dripping joint to a run that has pulled away from the eaves. We find why it is failing: a blocked outlet, a perished joint seal, a broken bracket, a lost fall, a cracked length or a split downpipe. We fix that, then water test the run before we leave. The site visit and the written, itemised quote are free.
Gutter hanging loose or water pouring down a wall now? Ring 07435 839745.
It starts with something you have noticed. A drip onto the path from the same corner every time it rains. Water sheeting over the front edge. A dark stripe down the render. A run that dips, or a length that came down in the wind.
Each points to a different fault. Resealing a joint will not help a gutter whose outlet is packed with pine needles. So we look first at the brackets, the joints, the fall and the fascia board behind, then quote for the repair it needs, and nothing it does not.
Reading the symptoms
What your gutter is telling you
Next time it rains hard, watch where the water goes. It points to the fault.
- A drip from one spot. Nearly always a joint. The rubber seals in plastic unions and stop ends harden and shrink with age and sun. On cast iron, the old putty in the bolted joint has cracked.
- Water spilling over the front. Something is holding it back: an outlet blocked with moss, debris or a bird's nest, a gutter that has lost its fall, or one too small for the roof draining into it.
- Water running down the wall behind the gutter. Either the gutter hangs too low or too far out, or the eaves felt support tray no longer reaches into it, so rain off the tiles runs down the back of the gutter. That is a roofing fault as much as a gutter one.
- A run that sags. Brackets have snapped, pulled out or were spaced too far apart. If the screws come out of soft wood, the fascia is rotten.
- Green staining on render, or a damp patch upstairs. A slow leak that has run for months. Fix the gutter, then let the wall dry before repainting.
The repairs
Gutter and downpipe repairs, and how each is done
Leaking joints and stop ends
On plastic we unclip the joint, clean both ends and fit a new union or stop end with fresh seals. Sealant smeared over a leaking joint lasts a season at best. On cast iron we unbolt the joint, clean the socket back to sound metal, rebed it with new bolts and paint it. If a plastic run is so brittle that the lengths crack as the union comes off, we stop and show you, because that run needs replacing.
Sagging runs, brackets and the fall
A gutter needs a gentle fall to its outlet, and brackets close enough to carry the weight of water, silt and wet leaves. We take the sagging section down, refix new brackets into sound fascia at the right spacing, set the fall with a string line and a level, then re-hang the gutter. A short run is a few hours. If the fascia is soft, we tell you first.
Cracked lengths, outlets and corners
A split length, a cracked angle or a running outlet pulled out of the downpipe can be replaced on its own, as long as matching parts can be had. More on that below.
Downpipes, shoes, swan necks and hoppers
Split pipes, a missing shoe, loose clips, a blocked swan neck under the eaves, a cracked hopper head. We clear the pipe, replace the broken piece, clip it back to the wall, then run water down it and watch where the discharge goes at the bottom.
If the downpipe runs freely but the gully below is blocked, that is drainage. We clear what we can reach at the gully grid and tell you plainly when it needs a drainage firm with a camera. Approved Document H sets out how rainwater should reach a drain or a soakaway.
Bays, porches and conservatories
Conservatory gutters are often a profile made for that roof system alone, so we check the maker before promising parts. Ladders never lean on a conservatory or bay roof.
Valley outlets, parapets and box gutters
Where a roof valley empties into a corner of the gutter, or a parapet hides a lead or felt lined box gutter, the outlet is part of the roof, and we repair it and the lining around it as roofing work. See roof repairs.
Matching what you have
Plastic, cast iron, aluminium and cement gutters
Plastic gutters, sold as uPVC or PVCu, come in four common profiles: half round, square, ogee with its moulded front, and deepflow for bigger roofs. Each maker's shape differs slightly, and a union from one maker will not seal on another's gutter. Older systems also go out of production. So we identify the system first. If parts cannot be matched, the repair becomes a short new run from one outlet or corner to the next, and the quote says so.
Cast iron lasts if it is kept painted, and fails at the joints and rusted sockets. A cracked length can be replaced in cast iron. On a period house in a conservation area, or a listed building, keep cast iron and check with the council before swapping it for plastic on the front. BCP Council lists its conservation areas, and its listed building records are there to check.
Aluminium does not rust. Seamless runs leak only at corners, outlets and stop ends.
Asbestos cement. Some grey cement gutters and downpipes on mid-century houses contain asbestos. Do not drill, cut or break them. The HSE's asbestos essentials sheet a14 covers taking out asbestos cement gutters on a small scale, and only while the cement stays in one piece. If we suspect it, we stop, tell you, and have it tested first.
Concrete gutters built into the roof edge, often called Finlock gutters, crack at their joints. They can be lined, or cut back and replaced with a fascia and plastic gutter.
Repair or replace
Mend the run, or replace it?
Repair it when the fault is local: a joint or two, a bracket, one cracked length, on a gutter that is otherwise straight and sound and still has parts available.
Replace the run when the plastic has gone chalky and brittle, most joints leak, parts will not match, or the gutter is too small for the roof. Age alone is not a reason: a 20 year old gutter that is straight and dry is doing its job.
Look behind it when the fascia or the rafter feet are rotten, because brackets in soft timber pull out again. Then the job is new fascias and guttering: see fascias, soffits and guttering. Where it is close, the quote prices both ways.
How we work
How a gutter repair runs
- One person to deal with throughout. Thomas Hannen looks at the gutter and prices the work himself.
- A free visit. We look from the ground, then up close, and photograph what we find.
- A written itemised quote: each repair and the access on their own lines, anything provisional marked as provisional.
- If we find more once the gutter is down, we stop, photograph it and price it. Nothing extra goes ahead until you agree.
- A water test. We pour water in at the far end of the repaired run, and you watch it reach the downpipe with no drips.
- The old gutter and offcuts leave with us, and the ground under the work is swept.
On a flat, check who can order the work. In a block the gutters are normally the freeholder's to repair, and the freeholder or managing agent instructs. Bournemouth has a lot of flats, and on a bigger job the landlord may have to consult leaseholders under section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. See landlords and managing agents.
What decides the price
What a gutter repair costs depends on these
We do not put figures on this page, because they would be wrong for your gutter. How we price a job shows the quote layout.
- How many faults there are. One joint is quick. Several joints, brackets and a split downpipe take longer.
- Height and access. A bungalow is usually a ladder job. A tall villa, a gutter over a conservatory or one above a shop front can need a tower or scaffold. HSE guidance on work at height shapes that choice.
- Material and profile. Cast iron takes longer to match and paint. An obsolete profile can mean a short new run.
- What is behind the gutter. Rotten fascia has to be dealt with first.
- Asbestos cement. Testing or specialist removal is a separate line.
- What is at the bottom. A downpipe into a blocked gully is a drainage job.
Questions to ask any gutter quote, ours included. Will you tell me why it leaked? Will you photograph the fault? Will you water test the run with me there? Are the downpipe and gully checked? Is access included, and is it a ladder, a tower or scaffold?
If it is urgent
A gutter hanging off, or water pouring down the wall
- Do not go up a ladder in wind or rain.
- Keep everyone away from under a loose section, and move the car and anything it could land on.
- If water is coming inside, move furniture clear and put a bowl or towels under it.
- Photograph it from the ground for your insurer, then ring 07435 839745.
The first visit makes it safe, taking down or securing the loose section. The permanent repair goes on a written quote. For water through the roof itself, see emergency roof repairs.
Scheduled work Mon to Fri, 8am to 6pm. Something urgent? Ring, and if we miss you we call back.
Bournemouth's pines
Pine needles, and the tree you might want cut back
Bournemouth is a town of pines. Lewis Tregonwell, who built the first house here, began planting the Scots pines that became its signature. In a gutter, needles knit into a dense mat over the outlet and joints, and the water backs up until it leaks at the weakest joint.
So under a pine, resealing the joint without clearing the needles just moves the leak along. We clear the run and the outlet as part of the repair, then fix the joint. For regular clearing after that, see gutter cleaning.
If the lasting fix is cutting back branches, check first. In a conservation area, a tree with a trunk more than 7.5cm across is protected, and BCP Council needs 6 weeks' written notice before work on it. A tree with a Tree Preservation Order needs the council's permission, and unauthorised pruning is a criminal offence. Check the council's TPO map and conservation areas page first.
Who you are dealing with
A Bournemouth company you can look up
Bournemouth Roofing & Building Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 15471719. The owner is Thomas Hannen, at 80a Wolverton Road, Boscombe BH7 6HX. A verified customer scored the work 10 out of 10 on Checkatrade. The site visit and the written itemised quote are free.
We repair gutters across Bournemouth, including Boscombe, Southbourne, Pokesdown, Winton, Charminster, Moordown, Kinson and Westbourne, and out to Poole and Christchurch.
Questions
Gutter repair questions
How much does a gutter repair cost?
It depends on how many faults there are, how the gutter is reached safely, what it is made of and whether the fascia behind is sound. A published figure would be wrong for most gutters, so the visit is free and the written quote prices each item.
Do roofers do gutter repairs?
Yes, and a roofer helps when the leak is not really the gutter's fault. Water behind a gutter is often the eaves felt or tray no longer reaching into it, and a corner that overflows can be taking a valley's water. We fix the gutter and the roof edge together.
Can a leaking gutter joint be repaired, or does the whole run need replacing?
Usually repaired, with a new union or stop end and fresh seals, or a remade bolted joint on cast iron. Replace the run when the plastic cracks as the joint comes apart, most joints leak, or matching parts are no longer made.
Is guttering covered by home insurance?
That depends on your policy wording, so check whether it treats sudden storm damage differently from wear and tear. Photograph the damage before anything is moved, and ask us to put what we found in writing for your insurer.
How urgent is a leaking gutter?
A drip onto the path can wait for a planned repair, but not for months, because it soaks the wall and rots the fascia. A gutter hanging loose, or water pouring into the house, is urgent. Ring 07435 839745.
Can I repair gutters myself?
A downpipe shoe or a loose clip at ground level, yes. At gutter height, weigh up whether you can work safely from a ladder, in dry still weather, with someone footing it. Never drill, cut or break an old grey cement gutter, as it may contain asbestos.
Related pages
More on gutters, roofs and where we work
- Fascias, soffits and guttering: new roofline and complete gutter runs
- Gutter cleaning: clearing gutters, outlets and downpipes
- Roof repairs: tiles, valleys, lead and the roof edge
- Emergency roof repairs: leaks and storm damage
- Roofing services: every roofing job we do
- How we price a job: what goes on a written quote
- Areas we cover: every town and village we work in
- Contact us: phone, email and address
Free quote
Tell us where the water goes
Send the address and what the gutter is doing, with a photo from the ground if you have one. We will come out, find the cause, and put an itemised repair in writing.