If there is one job most of us try to avoid when we’re looking at building and renovating it’s our guttering. 

That’s understandable – after all watching a small wheat crop wave lazily in the wind from the corner of your house when you can’t get the bean seed you planted last month to sprout can be really frustrating.  Especially when you know that you’ll be back up there in a month or two to do it all over again.

What you need to remember is your guttering provides a wonderful, moist, warm, fertilised (thank you birds), spot for growing.  The problem is of course that you do not want things growing there. We want a nice clean clear path for our water to flow through unimpeded to our tank.

Before you throw up your hands in despair though, there are a few things you can do to get on top of the problem. 

First of all – try to avoid overhanging trees.  If you’re building and still in the landscape planning stage – plan for your trees to be far enough out from the house to not be a problem. 

When we bought The Great Urban Ark it had five large silver birches up against the house. 

Three have now gone and the remaining two are on borrowed time – for as perfect as they are for the hammock, and as pretty as they are in early summer, they wreak unbelievable havoc with our guttering. 

Trust me – leaves are going to get in your guttering anyway so why make it easy for them?  You’ll either end up with smelly mush, blocked down pipes or a sudden seedling breaking itwas way through the plastic. 

If it’s too late and the trees are established, trim back all branches that overhang, or are too  close to the house. 

Even without a tree diligently filling your gutters, you will get all kinds of debris and if you are not careful you will find yourself with backed up  gutters overflowing, and eventually pulling loose.  From there you will be looking at Sunday morning arguments about who told what at the planning or buying stage. 

So starting at a drain outlet at the low end of a gutter, scoop out loose muck – not a very scientific term I know but an exceptionally accurate one. 

If you can do this safely when the muck is slightly damp and pliable, rather than dry, it will be easier.  But remember to be extra careful to not slip and watch for the edges of the pipes, roofing iron and nails. 

Even more important is a sturdy, stable ladder. You do not want to be the inspiration for another hair raising ACC ad on the telly. If you’re comfortable working from the rooftop and your roof has a very low pitch, this may be easier than working from a ladder.

However you should only do this under extremely safe conditions. Never work on the roof in wet, icy, or windy conditions. Wear non-slip shoes and never lean over the edge or work near power lines.

Next put your hose to good use – arm it with a high-pressure nozzle – and wash out each length of gutter, toward the down pipe. 

Now if you were really thinking – or your wife was – when you were building or renovating, you will have a system with your gutters and pipes that will enable you to capture this water so you can put it on the garden or the lawn later.

If water doesn’t drain freely through drainpipes, then you’ve left them longer than you intended  and you now need to flush them. 

If feeding the hose down the pipe only results in a face full of water, you might need to get a plumber’s auger (snake) to deal to it  

You may find, if you have left the cleaning for a long time, you may have to get the plumber himself to help.

Where guttering is concerned, prevention is most definitely better than cure. 

Installing  an inexpensive plastic mesh d into the gutter will allow the water to flow through while keeping it muck free.

As with anything around your home – if you are not sure, if it seems to difficult, or if it just looks too dangerous, get some expert advice.