Gutter cleaning, repair and new gutters in Athens, IL

When to clean gutters in Athens

The first fall frost comes around October 19 in a typical year here, and the last spring frost around April 19 (median dates, NOAA normals). Plan the fall visit for after the frost, when the trees over the roof have finished dropping, and the spring visit for after the pollen and catkins.

When to clean gutters explains how the trees over a roof change the schedule.

Gutter and downspout size for Athens rain

What overwhelms a gutter is a burst, not a season. In Athens the five-minute rain expected about once in ten years falls at 7.70 inches an hour (NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 2). At that rate one 2-by-3-inch downspout drains about 940 square feet of roof and one 3-by-4-inch downspout about 1,870, by the rule in the Copper Development Association’s design handbook. Try your own roof in the gutter and downspout calculator, which starts from this figure.

The houses in Athens

Half the homes in Athens were built by 1982, 49% before 1980 (ACS 2020–2024). In a neighborhood that age, many houses are on their second set of gutters or due for one, and the fascia board behind them is worth checking at the same visit. On a house built before 1978, replacing more than 20 square feet of painted fascia or trim falls under the EPA’s lead-safe rule, so ask whether the crew is certified.

75% of households own their home, and 90% of homes are detached houses, 1% townhouses. Where an HOA governs the exterior, its rules on gutter color and style apply before any order is placed.

Hiring in Illinois

Before hiring in Athens, ask which Illinois license or registration the contractor holds and for a certificate of liability insurance. Hiring a gutter contractor