Urgent gutter problem

aka_Ciaran

Hi all - I have a house in northside Dublin dating from the 60s. It still has the original gutters which my neighbour tells me are asbestos, which is twice as heavy as cast iron. Just recently one or more of the brackets over my front door seem to have loosened or broken, so now part of the guttering has come away from the fascia (or whatever the thing is that it's attached to).

My neighbour said that his recently detached from the side of his house altogether and crashed onto the footpath, but luckily no-one was injured. So now I'm worried that mine could come away as well and if so potentially fall on someone standing at the front door. I rang the insurance company and their assessor is calling me back within 24 hours.

So I really don't know what to do next; I think I have to wait for the insurance assessor to view the problem first so they can assess it. After that I'm not sure if I should repair the existing gutter or replace them all. There are so many stories about dodgy guttering installers and I have no clue which companies are reputable and which aren't.

Anyone know a person who would repair old guttering? Any ideas or advice much appreciated.

PeteHeat

Hi,

Asbestos gutters are about the same weight as cast iron, not unusual to find the brackets failing as most were galvanised steel that said its usually the screws that give way.

Wait for the loss adjuster you may get one who is inexperienced however if he knows anything he will not allow a claim as it amounts to wear and tear / maintenance.

He will further difficulty in allowing a claim as we have not recently had any reason for gutters to fall that could be classed as insurable risk.

Calling them means that you are now aware of the problem and the potential for further damage or injury being caused, this puts you in a grey area because maintenance and upkeep of the property is your responsibility.

The fact that the gutters are asbestos means they must be treated as hazardous waste and disposed of in a safe manner, although some cowboys appear to have methods of disposal that are not exactly up to today's standards.

You should have the facia checked for rot, if it's being replaced ensure the felt along the eaves is replaced (if applicable), check the soffit and treat the rafter ends while exposed.

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aka_Ciaran

Thanks for that Pete. I have no clue about who to get to replace gutters or what I need to watch out for. Some questions:

- Can anyone recommend a good guttering company on the northside of Dublin?
- Would a good company replace facia / soffits if they need replacing, and also replace the felt along the eaves and treat the rafter ends as Pete suggests?
- What kind of price (ballpark) can I expect to pay for a standard 3 bed semi?


TIA

PeteHeat

Hi,

I think you might do better going with a small builder than most of the so called gutter specialists, the reason being you need the skills of a good carpenter to fit the new facia even using the pvc finish a good timber backing board is the best way to go.

If you are replacing a verge facia you may need to have two courses of tiles removed so they can make good any timbers in the gable ladder then replace everything when the facia is finished including bedding the tiles back on a new undercloaking slate.

It has been a while since I did such a job so any figures I have would be well out of date and may be steering you wrong.

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