Nothing, for a while — and then quite a lot, all at once. Blocked gutters are one of the cheapest problems to prevent and one of the most expensive to ignore.
TL;DR
Blocked gutters overflow, and the water goes where it shouldn’t: rotting fascias and soffits, staining and saturating walls, breaching into ceilings, and pooling at foundations. Repairs run to hundreds or thousands; a vacuum clear costs from €65. See gutter cleaning costs.
A real Dublin City Cleaning job — gutter vacuuming in progress.
The Damage Timeline
First year: debris settles, water starts tracking over the back edge in heavy rain. Years two to three: constant damp rots timber fascias, green algae spreads across the roofline, and downpipes block solid. Beyond that: water finds its way into wall cavities and ceilings, and in older Dublin terraces with parapet gutters the first visible sign is often a stained bedroom ceiling.
Why It Goes Unnoticed
You can’t see inside a gutter from the ground, and most people only look up when something drips. That’s why we photograph what comes out and camera-check runs on request — you see exactly what state your roofline is in.
The goal — a clear gutter and clean fascia line, photographed after a recent job.
What Clearing Them Actually Looks Like
When we clear a blocked run, it is done from the ground with a gutter vacuum — no ladders against your fascia, no mess dropped on the driveway. We photograph inside the gutter before and after, so you see the grass, moss and compacted silt that came out. Most homes that looked “fine from the street” are the ones with the worst photos.
The Cheap Fix
A yearly vacuum clear from €65, done from the ground, across 42 Dublin areas. Get a free quote.