Gutter cleaning, repair and new gutters in Solomons, MD

When to clean gutters in Solomons

The first fall frost comes around November 26 in a typical year here, and the last spring frost around March 22 (median dates, NOAA normals). Booking the fall cleaning after the first frost, once the trees over the roof are bare, catches the season’s drop in one visit; the spring cleaning comes after the pollen and catkins are down.

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

Gutter and downspout size for Solomons rain

What overwhelms a gutter is a burst, not a season. In Solomons the five-minute rain expected about once in ten years falls at 6.97 inches an hour (NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 2). At that rate one 2-by-3-inch downspout drains about 1,030 square feet of roof and one 3-by-4-inch downspout about 2,070, 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 Solomons

Half the homes in Solomons were built by 1999, 11% before 1980 (ACS 2020–2024). In a neighborhood that young, many houses still have the gutters the builder put up, and the usual call is a cleaning, a leak or guards rather than a full replacement.

69% of households own their home, and 27% of homes are detached houses, 35% townhouses. In a townhouse or HOA community, check who owns the gutters and what colors are allowed before booking.

Hiring in Maryland

Maryland requires a Maryland Home Improvement Commission license for home improvement work of any amount, gutters included, and a contractor may not take a deposit of more than one third of the contract price (Business Regulation § 8-617). Look the license up before signing, and keep the deposit to one third or less.

Source: Maryland Business Regulation § 8-101. Look-up: Maryland Home Improvement Commission, public query.