Hi everyone, thought I would lend some of my organizational ideas to the group potluck.
For the window cleaners in seasonal climates that offer gutter cleaning as an add-on, do you also offer minor (or major) gutter repair?
I don’t re-hang gutters, but I do offer tightening of the gutter hangers, re-attachment / fixing of gutter elbows and caulking of gutter seams.
Transporting an electric driver, screws, paint, caulk etc up to the top of the ladder can be accomplished with a tool belt. But since I don’t repair gutters all that frequently I don’t want to have a whole belt set-up on stand by or set up a belt just to tighten a few gutter hangers.
And I don’t like the idea of climbing a ladder with a bunch of tools in my hand (not that I haven’t done it before lots of times)
Here’s my idea and it’s worked pretty well so far:
The video shows me attaching it straight to the ladder while they’re strapped to the van. In the field, i would attach it to the ring on my bandolier, climb up the ladder, then transfer it to my “Rung Buddy” tool holder.
[MENTION=4338]CapeCodCleaner[/MENTION], props on another ingenious innovation. Thanks for sharing. I made a “rung buddy” last week. Seriously beats my old method of having a short bungee cord wrapped around the rung, so the bucket hung behind the ladder! I’m probably only going to use it with one bucket, but it’s nice to be able to seamlessly switch the bucket over to the other side when I pull debris from that direction.
“Rung Buddy”… has a nice ring to it I think I’ll probably use it with 1 bucket most of the time. On the gutters jammed full of heavy composted debris 2 buckets may come in handy. Or gutter debris bucket on 1 side and tool bucket on the other if I’m tightening gutter hangers* or caulking leaks.
That’s cool that you implemented the idea. Post some pics if you can. I wrapped electrical tape around the end so it wouldn’t slide back through the rung, but i think a removable pin would be better - like a cotter pin.
*you’d be surprised the number of gutters with loose nails in the gutter hangers instead of screws… that’s a great add-on service - putting screws in all the gutter hangers. usually they have two holes in each one, so you don’t even need to take out the old nails.
How are you charging for your repair services? Are you concerned at all over contractors’ licensing requirements or insurance? It seems Mass is way more strict about those types of issues than VT.
I’m looking into right now. So far, I have just been tightening loose hangers free of charge as part of the gutter cleaning. Usually, that amounts to only a few. I guess there’s a line between “maintenance” and “construction”. I’m waiting for the day when you need a license to restore windows with a buffer or chems. Governments pretend licensure is just a matter of public safety, when it’s really just about bringing in more money.
Judging by results of licensed contractors who installed a lot of the gutters I work on, it would be hard to make the case that licenses are granted on merit & conscientiousness.
I also offer minor repairs, mostly just things a customer doesn’t want to get up and do themselves. Since I’m up there it’s not a huge ordeal.
For minor repairs like tightening up a gutter that’s coming loose or readjusting an elbow so everything flows correctly I don’t even charge. Last week I had a job with gutters so full the gutter nails had starting coming loose on the front section, just grabbed my hammer and banged them back in. A selling point to my gutter cleaning service is that I inspect everything and if something is an easy fix I have the tools, ability, and knowledge to do so. I let them know if there is anything rotted out or problem areas for them to address (with the proper contractor, not myself).
Too many people will charge $50 to clean the gutters of your whole home. I want to charge more so I offer a few extras that make it worth using my service over the $50 guys’ “service”
As far as repairs go, I’ve attached downspouts and replaced downspouts. I don’t hang any gutters back up or do installations. I charge $75/hour plus materials, minimum one hour for repairs if I’m already there doing gutter cleaning/WC/PW. I won’t just show up just to repair gutters, reattach or replace anything as that’s not my job and although I’m capable of doing that I have windows to clean.
Mike Radzik
Pro Window Cleaning
Central Massachusetts
Sent from my iPhone using Window Cleaning Resource
1/4" nut driver does the trick. I use it for the gutter elbow screws too. Instead of the little gutter screws that most installers use - “zip screws” (I find the heads too shallow for the nut driver to grab a hold of) I use shorter 1/4" self tapping screws and then just paint them white with appliance paint. The self tappers can also be held with my magnetic nut driver, whereas the pre-painted gutter screws were always falling out… at 24" on the ladder to boot.
medium duty (as you tighten screw gutter hanger flexes outward providing increased resistance):
And lastly, these are the heavy duty kind. Shown in a copper gutter, but I’ve seen them in aluminum gutters as well. Top part is inserted under shingle. This is for when it’s raining cats & dogs and hail the size of golf balls:
I don’t know why I notice all these things while I am up a ladder scooping out debris.
there’s even a website that shows the results of how much weight different gutter hanger designs will hold. Of particular value if you are planning on building a house in snow country.
I think I’ll probably use it with 1 bucket most of the time. On the gutters jammed full of heavy composted debris 2 buckets may come in handy. Or gutter debris bucket on 1 side and tool bucket on the other if I’m tightening gutter hangers* or caulking leaks.
