You ask the person mowing your lawn whether they can do the gutters while they are here. On a single-storey house, most will say yes without hesitating.
Two-storey gutter cleaning is where you may get a different answer, and it is worth understanding why. It is not reluctance. It is a gutter cleaning safety and licensing line.
Single Storey and Two Storey Are Different Jobs
Within Jim’s, these are handled as separate services, and the second one requires additional qualifications.
“Rubbish removal, green waste, hard waste, slashing, gutter cleaning, first storey. Need your tickets to do two-storey gutter cleaning, but it is there as an option.”
— Dan Cahill, Jim’s Mowing divisional owner, on the Jim’s Mowing podcast
“Tickets” means formal working at heights training and the equipment that goes with it. An operator without them does not take the job on. That is the correct outcome rather than a limitation, because falls from height are among the most serious injuries in this kind of work, and a ladder on soft ground beside a two-storey house is exactly the scenario that produces them.
What Happens Instead
The job does not simply get refused and forgotten. Within a franchise network it gets passed to someone equipped for it.
“He’s not doing two-storey properties. Hasn’t got working at heights, no problem. We do have another guy who’s close by that does. He’ll subby him to do that job.”
— Damian Bush, Jim’s Mowing franchisee in Tasmania, on the Jim’s Mowing podcast
So you still get the work done, by someone trained for it, arranged through the person you already deal with. That is one of the practical differences between a network and a sole operator, who can only ever say yes or no.
Why DIY Gutter Cleaning Goes Wrong
Most people who fall while cleaning gutters are not doing anything dramatic. The common pattern is small and avoidable.
The Ladder Is on Soft Ground
Garden beds, lawn and mulch all shift under load.
- Overreaching sideways rather than getting down and moving the ladder, because moving it is annoying and there is only a bit more to do.
- Leaning on the gutter itself for balance. Guttering is not structural and will give.
- Working alone with nobody to foot the ladder or notice if something happens.
- Wet or slippery roof surfaces, which is common because people tackle gutters after rain has shown them there is a problem.
Add roof tiles that crack under weight, solar panels and wiring, and a two-storey drop, and the maths gets unattractive quickly.
How Often Gutters Need Cleaning
How often to clean gutters depends almost entirely on what is growing around the house.
For a property with little overhanging vegetation, once a year is often enough, as we set out in the importance of regular gutter cleaning. For a house under trees, particularly gums that drop constantly, every four to six months is more realistic.
Franchisees generally set the cycle by looking at what is around the property rather than applying a fixed rule, with heavily treed properties going onto a four-monthly cycle and others on six.
Bushfire-risk areas are the exception where timing is not flexible. Gutters full of dry leaf litter are an ember trap, and clearing them before the fire season is a standard part of property preparation rather than routine maintenance.
What a Proper Gutter Clean Includes
What Is Included
- Clearing the [gutters](https://jimsmowing.com.au/service/gutter-cleaning/) themselves, removing the material rather than pushing it along.
- Checking and clearing downpipes, which is the part most often skipped. Clear gutters feeding a blocked downpipe still overflow, so downpipes usually get flushed after clearing.
- Checking for damage while up there. Sagging brackets, rust, split joins and gutters pitched the wrong way all cause overflow that looks like a blockage.
- Cleaning up afterwards, because what comes out of the gutters ends up somewhere and usually needs removing, usually the garden bed or the roof.
- Telling you what they found. A good operator will mention the cracked tile or the loose bracket rather than leaving you to discover it in a storm.
Why It Comes up in Winter
Gutter cleaning tends to get raised when lawns slow down, and there is a practical reason. Winter is when overflowing gutters cause damage, and it is also when the mowing frequency drops off over winter, so it is a natural time to catch up on the jobs around the outside of the house.
Most people do not realise their lawn mowing service does gutters at all. It is generally worth asking, because the person already on your property every fortnight is the easiest person to have do it.
Gutters overflowing, or overdue? Your local Jim’s Mowing team can clear them, flush the downpipes and tell you what they find. Call 131 546 for a free quote or book online.
