The blog
Gutter know-how, minus the fluff
Practical guides for GTA homeowners on when to clean, what clogs your gutters, and how to keep water where it belongs.
How to hang Christmas lights on gutters and gutter guards
Hang Christmas lights on eavestroughs and gutter guards without damage: which clips work, why magnets fail on aluminum, and Ontario's ESA safety rules.
Downspout ice on driveways and walkways: how to fix it
Why downspouts turn driveways and walkways into ice, what GTA bylaws say about roof water on paths, who is liable for a slip, and how to move the discharge.
Flat roof scuppers and drains: clear them before winter
How flat and low-slope roofs drain through scuppers, conductor heads and roof drains, why leaves pond there, and how to check them safely before the freeze.
How to clean gutter guards: mesh, screens, foam and brush
How to clean gutter guards by type: brush micro-mesh, lift screens, pull foam and brush inserts, flush what is underneath, and know when it is a job for a crew.
Yard waste pickup in 2026: where your gutter leaves go
Fall 2026 yard waste rules for Toronto, Peel and Richmond Hill: pickup dates, kraft bags, whether gutter debris counts, and what to do after the last pickup.
Gutter guard contracts in Ontario: your cooling-off rights
Signed a gutter guard contract at home in Ontario? You have 10 days to cancel and a refund within 15. What the contract must say, fair deposits and red flags.
Downspout draining onto a lower roof: is it OK?
A downspout draining onto a lower roof wears and stains the shingles and overloads the lower gutter. What roofing makers advise, and the fix that lasts.
Gutter cleaning on three-storey homes: access and cost
What gutter cleaning on a three-storey home costs in 2026, how a crew reaches the top eave safely, and why it is not a job for your own ladder.
Tarion warranty for eavestroughs, downspouts and grading
Does Tarion cover leaking or overflowing eavestroughs and poor grading on a new Ontario home? What the guidelines say, what's on the owner, and when to file.
Are eavestroughs required? GTA property standards bylaws
Are eavestroughs required by law in the GTA? What Toronto, Mississauga and five other cities' bylaws say, the 2027 Toronto change, and how to report a neighbour.
Neighbour's downspout flooding your yard? GTA rules
Neighbour's downspout flooding your yard? What Toronto, Brampton, Markham, Oakville and other GTA bylaws say, how to raise it, and fixes that suit both houses.
Neighbour's tree filling your gutters? Ontario rules
Leaves from a neighbour's tree clogging your gutters? Ontario rules on overhanging branches, boundary trees and permits, who pays, and the guards that help.
Downspout disconnection rebates in Peel, Halton and York
What GTA regions outside Toronto pay to disconnect downspouts: Halton up to $900, Mississauga $125 a downspout, Peel's free program, and York's valve rules.
Water in the basement after rain: how to find the source
Water in the basement after rain? Find the source from the roof down: gutters, downspouts, grading, window wells, cracks, floor drain, and who to call for each.
Gutter damage after a storm: what to check in the GTA
A ground-level checklist for gutter damage after a storm: hail dents, pulled hangers, loose downspouts and branches, what is safe to touch, and what to fix first.
The GTA fall exterior checklist: 10 jobs before the freeze
Ten outside jobs that protect a GTA house through winter, in the order the season allows: gutters, downspouts, outdoor taps, grading, window wells and more.
Frozen gutters and downspouts: what to do this winter
Ice-packed eavestroughs and solid downspouts are an Ontario winter staple. What's safe to do, what never to do, and how to stop it happening again next year.
Heat cables for gutters: worth it in Ontario?
Heat cables keep a melt channel open through gutters and downspouts, but they don't stop ice dams on their own. Types, running costs, risks and when they pay off.
Is a twice-a-year gutter maintenance plan worth it?
The math on a two-visit plan versus booking one-off cleanings: what 15% off each visit saves by home type, what you give up, and who shouldn't bother.
Getting ready for your gutter cleaning: a simple checklist
No need to be home, but a few minutes of prep makes the visit faster: unlocked gates, clear ground under the eaves, pets inside. Plus what happens if it rains.
How to read your before-and-after gutter photo report
Every Gutter Gang job ends with before and after photos in your inbox. What each shot is proving, what to look for, and how to use them over the years.
How to clean your gutters yourself, safely: step by step
The safe DIY method for a one-storey eavestrough: ladder setup, the right tools, clearing by hand, flushing the downspouts, and the jobs to leave to someone else.
Built-in box gutters on older Toronto homes: a guide
Some Victorian and Edwardian houses in Toronto hide their gutters inside the roof edge. How built-in box gutters work, how they fail and how to look after them.
Moss on your roof and gutters: GTA causes and safe removal
Moss grows on shaded, north-facing GTA roofs, holds water against shingles and sheds into eavestroughs. Why it grows, how to remove it gently, and what not to do.
Shingle granules in your gutters: normal or a warning?
Some grit in the eavestrough is normal, especially on a new roof. A lot of it, bald patches or a load after hail mean something else. How to read what washes down.
Black streaks on gutters: what 'tiger stripes' are
Those dark vertical stripes on the face of your eavestrough are grime baked onto the paint, not dirt you can hose off. What causes them and how they come off.
Buying a home? A 10-minute gutter and roofline check
Before you firm up an offer, walk the outside of the house. Ten minutes of looking at eavestroughs, downspouts and grading shows you where the water has been going.
Townhouse and condo gutters: who's responsible?
In an Ontario condo townhouse the corporation usually maintains the eavestroughs, but your declaration decides. Freehold, POTL and condo townhouse rules compared.
Landlord or tenant: who cleans the gutters in Ontario?
Under Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act, keeping a rental in good repair is the landlord's job, and a lease can't shift it. What that means for eavestroughs.
Does home insurance cover damage from clogged gutters?
Most Canadian policies cover sudden water damage, not poor maintenance, and repeated ice dam leaks can count as maintenance. What to check, and what to keep.
Aluminum, steel, copper or vinyl: which gutters last?
How each eavestrough material handles an Ontario winter, typical lifespans, and what makes gutters fail early. Aluminum, galvanized steel, copper and vinyl compared.
5-inch or 6-inch gutters? Sizing eavestroughs in Ontario
Most GTA houses have 5-inch K-style eavestroughs and 2-by-3 downspouts. When a roof needs 6-inch gutters or 3-by-4 spouts, and the cheaper fixes to try first.
Seamless vs sectional eavestroughs: what's the difference?
Seamless eavestroughs are formed on site in one piece per run; sectional ones join short lengths. Leaks, cost, looks and repairs compared for Ontario homes.
Water running behind your gutters? The drip edge problem
If water drips between the gutter and the house, the roof edge isn't delivering it into the trough. Missing drip edge, gaps and sags explained, with the fixes.
Sagging gutters pulling away from the house: why and fixes
A gutter that sags or leans away from the fascia is telling you about its hangers, its load or the wood behind it. How to read the gap and what each fix involves.
Noisy gutters and dripping downspouts: how to quiet them
The plink that keeps you up after rain, the rattle in the wind and the roar in a downpour each have a cause, and most have a cheap fix. How to find yours.
How to connect a rain barrel to your downspout
A rain barrel turns a downspout into free garden water. Diverter or cut-in, overflow, mosquito screens, and why it has to come down before the first freeze.
Raccoons, squirrels and birds in your eavestroughs
Raccoons climb downspouts, squirrels cache nuts in gutters and birds nest in outlets. What each one does, what Ontario law allows, and how to keep them out.
Why gutters leak at the seams and corners
A drip at a corner or joint is usually failed sealant, a loose end cap or a popped rivet, not a dead gutter. How to find the leak and what a proper fix involves.
How much slope should gutters have? Checking the pitch
Gutters need a fall toward the downspout you can't see from the ground. The numbers, a 10-minute way to check yours, and what to do when a run has flattened.
Standing water in your gutters: causes and mosquito risk
Water still sitting in your eavestroughs days after rain means a clog or a low spot, and a mosquito nursery at roof height. How to find the cause and fix it.
Toronto's basement flooding subsidy: what it covers in 2026
Toronto now pays up to $6,650 per home toward backwater valves, sump pumps and more. What each item covers, who qualifies, and why your downspouts come first.
Toronto's downspout disconnection bylaw, explained
Toronto requires downspouts to be disconnected from City sewers. What the rule says, where the water may go, how exemptions work, and help for eligible seniors.
Why your gutters overflow even when they're clean
Clean gutters that still spill in a storm usually have a slope, spout, size or valley problem. Here is how to tell which one you have and what fixes it.
How to unclog a downspout (above ground and underground)
Gutter overflowing while the downspout stays dry? How to find the clog, clear it from the top or the elbow, and what to do when the spout runs underground.
How much does gutter cleaning cost in Toronto? (2026 prices)
Real 2026 numbers by home type and storeys, what moves the price up or down, and what to ask when a quote comes in far lower.
Eavestrough vs gutter: is there actually a difference?
Canadians say eavestrough, Americans say gutter, and contractors say both. What each word means, why it matters when you search, and the parts people mix up.
Skip the fall gutter cleaning? Ice dams, explained
A clogged eavestrough in November becomes an ice tray in January. How ice dams form, what they wreck, and why the fix is a cleaning, not a four-figure repair.
DIY vs professional gutter cleaning: the honest math
When climbing the ladder yourself makes sense, when it absolutely does not, and what the $299–$499 professional price actually buys you.
Signs your gutters are clogged: the five-minute check
No ladder needed. Five things to look for from the ground — during rain and after it — that tell you whether your eavestroughs are doing their job.
The spring gutter checklist after an Ontario winter
Freeze-thaw is harder on eavestroughs than any leaf drop. Seven things to check once the snow is gone, and which ones mean calling someone.
Where should your downspouts actually drain?
The gutter's job ends where the downspout's begins. Extension length, splash pads, grading, and the discharge mistakes that quietly water a foundation.
Should you blow the leaves off your roof?
Debris on the roof is debris in your gutters next rain. When roof blow-off is worth $59, what valleys have to do with it, and why pressure washing is a mistake.
Gutter repair or replacement: how to tell which you need
Most 'shot' gutters need a repair, not a whole new system. The honest decision tree: what repairs solve, what they can't, and the signs a run is done.
What actually happens during a professional gutter cleaning
The full job, step by step: casing the roofline, hand-clearing, flushing every downspout, and the photo proof that ends the take-our-word era.
Maple keys, catkins, acorns: a GTA gutter debris field guide
Know your enemy. What each GTA tree actually drops, when it drops it, and what that means for how often your street needs its gutters cleared.
Pine needles and gutters: why conifer lots are different
Needles drop year-round, slip through most guards, and felt into a layer that sheds water while looking clean. What actually works on evergreen streets.
Fascia, soffit, eavestrough: know your roofline
The three parts of your roof edge, what each one does, how they fail together, and how naming the right one gets your problem fixed faster.
How to choose a gutter cleaning company (and the red flags)
Five questions that separate professionals from a guy with a ladder, why proof of work beats promises, and the quotes that should make you suspicious.
Why ravine and valley lots fill gutters faster
Backing onto a ravine is the best thing about your lot and the hardest thing about your gutters. The all-season debris problem and the rhythm that beats it.
Gutter guards in the GTA: worth it or not?
Guards cut debris but do not end maintenance. Here is what each type actually does under maple keys, pine needles, and a real GTA fall.
What clogged gutters actually do to your foundation
A blocked eavestrough is a foundation problem wearing a roof problem's clothes. The damage chain, the warning signs, and what a cleaning actually prevents.
When to clean your eavestroughs in Toronto
Timing beats effort. Here is when to clear your gutters in the GTA, why fall is a two-step job, and how to read your own roofline.