New Jersey's tree-lined streets are a big part of their charm, and every fall those trees drop their leaves straight into your gutters. By November, many gutters are holding a packed layer of wet leaves, seed pods, and shingle granules that stops water from reaching the downspouts.
In the winter that blockage becomes a real problem. Snow on the roof melts from the heat escaping through the attic, runs down to the cold roof edge, and refreezes. When the gutter is already full, the ice has nowhere to go, so it builds into a ridge along the eaves. Water melting above that ridge backs up under the shingles and into the house. That's an ice dam.
Clogged gutters cause trouble in the other three seasons too. Overflowing water runs down the face of the siding, soaks the fascia boards until they rot, and dumps right next to the foundation, which is how a lot of damp basements start. The weight of wet debris also pulls gutters away from the house, leaving sagging runs that never drain properly again.
The fix is simple: clean the gutters after the leaves drop, make sure the downspouts actually drain, and repair any sections that sag or leak at the seams. If your gutters overflow every heavy rain even after cleaning, they may be undersized or pitched wrong, which is worth an inspection.
Our gutter cleaning special is $159, regularly $299. We clear the gutters, check that the downspouts flow, and point out any loose hangers, sagging runs, or leaking seams we find while we're up there.