Gutter cleaning

Gutters have one job: move water away from the house. When they clog, that water finds somewhere else to go — and it's never somewhere good.

Around here the calendar is set by the trees. The mature oaks that make these streets beautiful drop pollen strings in late spring and a serious volume of leaves in late fall — so gutters in East Williston and Williston Park realistically need attention at least twice a year, and shaded houses under heavy canopy often need a third pass.

What clogged gutters actually do

• [✓]Fascia rot. Overflowing water runs down the wooden boards behind the gutter. On the pre-war colonials common in this neighborhood, that wood is original and expensive to replace once it goes soft.
• [✓]Basement water. Water dumping at the foundation instead of running out the downspout is the classic cause of damp basements.
• [✓]Ice dams. A gutter full of wet leaves freezes solid in January, and melting roof snow backs up under the shingles.

What a proper clearing includes

Scoop and bag the debris, flush the gutters and every downspout until water runs free at the bottom, check that hangers are tight and nothing is pulling away from the fascia, and flag any soft wood or seam leaks with photos so you can see exactly what I saw.