Our own crew cleans gutters in Des Moines, flushes each outlet, flow-tests each run, hauls the leaves away, and sends you photos of every run before we leave. The price comes from your stories, your home's size and how much tree cover hangs over the roof, and the number we give you on the phone is the number on your invoice. Spring visits across Iowa run late May to June, and the fall visit lands in late October to November. We are glad to quote you by phone or text.
Quoted from stories, size and tree cover, over the phone, with nothing added once the crew is on the roof.
The price for our gutter cleaning services depends on stories, square footage and what is in the gutters. We quote it over the phone or by text from those three things, and that number is what we charge. Companies that price by length land in a similar place per linear foot, though we price by the job. What moves it on our jobs: a third story or a roof too steep to walk, a walk-out basement that puts the back run twenty-four feet up, gutters nobody has opened in years, and guards we have to lift and reseat. We flush every downspout, check the water flow and haul away the leaves and debris, and all of that is in the number already. Anything that changes the job is raised before work starts, never on the invoice.
Heavy buildup is the usual story. A run that has gone years without a clean holds packed leaves and grit, and that packed mass is what turns a quick job into a longer one. A gutter that is full of buildup will sag under its own weight and pull at the hangers, and when water can't get into the outlet it stops moving and backs up along the run. Clogged downspouts are the common culprit. A clog at the elbow is what we find far more often than at the straight runs, and a single blockage can send water away from the pipe and onto the foundation instead of away from your home. A twig or a wad of wet leaves can make a clog that stops the water flow in a rain gutter during heavy rainfall, and that is when a slow leak at a seam turns into rot in the fascia. A run we leave clean will still overflow if the slope is wrong, which is a different problem and a different price. We measure each run before we price it, so the number reflects the real lengths and the real condition, not a guess from the curb.
Our experience with Des Moines homes is the same across the neighborhoods we work in. Every estimate we give walks through the gutter cleaning process: what the crew will see on the roofline, how many runs there are, how many outlets need flushing, and whether the gutters and downspouts show signs of structural damage that we would photograph and report. We do not sell repairs from the ladder, because routine gutter maintenance costs less than the repair it prevents and is the step most people skip. Commercial properties follow the same logic on a per-building basis, and residential and commercial customers alike get the same photo-by-photo record of the work.
If you want a written estimate, ask for one and we will send it. Ready to get your gutters looked at? Call (866) 435-6328 or text a photo of the roofline and we will give you a number from what we see.
| One story | Two stories | Three stories or steep | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1,500 sq ft | from $150 | from $195 | from $255 |
| 1,500 to 2,500 sq ft | from $170 | from $225 | from $295 |
| Over 2,500 sq ft | from $200 | from $265 | from $345 |
For context, nationally: Angi 2026, US average $168, most $119 to $234, $0.95 to $2.25 per linear foot.
Downspouts flushed and flow-tested, debris hauled, photos of every run. The quote already has all of it in.
Our crew clears every gutter run by hand, not just the stretch you can see from the driveway. Roof valleys and the area above the gutter line are blown clear first, so the next rain does not refill what was just emptied. Every downspout is flushed with water and watched until it runs clear at the bottom; one that will not clear is worked from the top where it can be reached. Where a downspout feeds an underground drain line, the crew checks that water is leaving at the outlet and tells you if it is not; clearing a buried line is a separate job and is quoted before anyone touches it.
Debris goes into bags and leaves with the truck. It is not blown onto the lawn, the deck or next door. The ground is left as it was found.
Before the crew leaves you get photos of every run and every downspout, before and after, on your phone, whether or not you were home. Anything the crew sees that is not a cleaning problem, a hanger pulled loose, a seam dripping, a run sitting flat, is photographed and reported, not repaired and not sold on the spot.
What can change the number, and you hear it before work starts, never on the invoice: a third story or a roof too steep to walk; gutters that have not been touched in years; guards that have to come off and go back on.
Twice a year for most houses: once after the spring seed and pollen drop, once after the last leaves fall.
Two visits a year is the usual pattern, spring and fall. Across Iowa, the spring visit lands in late May to June, after the seed and pollen drop finishes. In Des Moines IA the fall visit usually falls in late October to November, after the last leaves are down and before the first hard freeze. In spring the elbows are packed with seed casings and pollen paste. In fall it is leaves matted wet in the trough, and on houses that skipped the fall visit we find runs that sagged under ice by March. Our freeze-belt customers rely on the fall clean most, because that is when an ice dam starts to form at the eave.
Under heavy tree cover on a mature landscape, we see customers on a clog-prone schedule of every three to four months, since needles, twigs and grit pack the outlets between visits. Few or no trees, once a year in late fall is usually enough. Gutters near a busy road or a construction site get the same closer schedule, because the grit settles fast. Guards cut the frequency, but we still clean the surface and check the drainage at each visit. Rainwater that cannot leave the gutter system will find another way out, especially after heavy rainfall, which is why we treat blockage as the thing to watch for, not the calendar alone.
On a roofline like yours, the first visit tells us which tier your lot actually needs, and the second visit confirms it. Ask us to clean your gutters at the spring or fall window and we will write down what we find. For a regular gutter cleaning service schedule, the estimate is the first step, and after that the debris removal and drainage check follow the season, so the whole thing is cleaning and maintenance on one schedule. Residential properties and commercial buildings alike run on this rhythm. If you are not sure which tier fits your house, call (866) 435-6328 and we will tell you what we see on the phone.
Water over the edge rots the board behind the gutter first. Everything after that is slow, and slow is what a policy excludes.
The three signs. Water pouring over the front edge in rain instead of out of the downspout. A run that sags, sits low or has pulled away from the fascia. Plants growing out of the trough. Any one of them means the gutter is full.
What happens next. Water that cannot drain sits in the trough and spills behind it. The fascia board rots, then the soffit. Water backs up under the first course of shingles and shows up as a ceiling stain. Siding stains and swells. Below, the overflow cuts a channel at the foundation and finds the basement. The wet debris itself weighs enough to pull the gutter off the house. Standing water breeds mosquitoes; dry debris houses wasps. Where winters freeze, the trapped water becomes an ice dam at the eave and lifts the shingles from underneath.
Why your policy will not pay. Homeowners insurance generally does not cover water damage traced to clogged gutters. Carriers class gutter cleaning as routine maintenance, and damage from skipped maintenance as preventable neglect, which a standard policy excludes. A limb that tears a gutter off in a storm is sudden and accidental and is usually covered; a fascia board that rotted over two years is not. This is general information, not insurance advice; read your policy or ask your agent.
Guards stop leaves. They do not stop needles, seeds, grit or the paste they turn into. The job gets shorter, not gone.
Yes, guarded gutters still need cleaning, less often, and it is a different job: clearing what sits on top of the guard and checking that water is actually getting in, rather than scooping out the trough. Mesh and screen guards hold whole leaves off. Pine needles thread through, seed casings and pollen mat on top, roof grit settles underneath, and once that mat is wet, rain runs over it and off the front edge. The gutter is empty and the water never went in.
Guards earn their keep under big leafy trees and on roofs too high to want to climb. They do not end maintenance, whatever the installer said. Our crew lifts the panels, clears underneath, flushes the downspouts and reseats the guards; tell us what is on the house when you get the quote and it is priced as a guarded system, which usually runs shorter than an open one.
Under an hour on most houses. Nobody has to be there, and the photos arrive either way.
The crew calls the day before with an arrival window and again when they are on the way. This Old House puts a professional gutter cleaning at 30 minutes to an hour on a typical home; bigger houses, steep roofs and gutters left for years run longer. Nobody needs to be home for exterior work; the crew does not come inside. Before they arrive: side gate unlocked, cars off the driveway if runs face it, pets inside while ladders are up. Ladder stand-offs keep the ladder off the gutter lip and the siding. After: photos of every run and downspout before the truck leaves, and an invoice that matches the quote.
Send us a photo or a short video in the rain. You hear what it is before anyone talks about money.
Still overflowing. A gutter that is clean and still sheets water over the edge in rain has a slope, capacity or downspout-size problem, not a debris problem. If that happens after a cleaning, send us a photo or a short video of it in the rain and we tell you what it actually is; we do not sell a second cleaning for a slope problem.
The number. The price quoted on the phone is the price on the invoice. If the crew finds something that changes the job, you hear it and agree to it before they start, never after.
Your house. Stand-offs on every ladder so nothing rests on the gutter lip, and screens and downspout extensions go back where they were.
Payment. The balance is charged when the job is finished and the photos are on your phone. Some dates take a small booking fee to hold the slot, and you hear about it before you book.
The whole city and the towns around it, booked by phone or text from the nearest crew.
Our crew does Des Moines gutter cleaning, and the work runs across Des Moines, including the older blocks near downtown and the newer streets on the edges of town. We cover every neighborhood from the nearest base. Booking works the way a homeowner would expect. You call or text, we ask about stories, size and tree cover, and if it is easy we ask for a photo of the house front so we are not guessing from the sidewalk. We call before we come, and nobody needs to be home for the work itself. Other gutter services, if the house needs them, are quoted separately from the cleaning.
Our calendar fills in two busy windows for cleanings: late May through June, and late October through November. If you want a slot in either window, book early. Outside those windows there is usually room, and we will tell you the earliest date we can reach when you call. Our customers in the surrounding areas of the metro often schedule with us because the crew is already close, and that is a reason to keep the route tight rather than a promise of anything faster.
Whether you are a single-family homeowner or a property manager with a row of units, we want the gutters cleared properly and the house in good shape afterward. Residential properties and multi-unit buildings get the same careful clean. Clearing the runs is how we protect your home from water damage at the foundation, the fascia and the soffit, and that is what the work is for. Keep your gutters clear between visits and the foundation has less to worry about. Call (866) 435-6328 or text a photo of the house, and we will get you on the calendar.
We price a two-story house from its stories, its size and what is in the gutters, and we give you that number by phone or text. We do not give a figure until we know those three things, and the number we give is the number we charge.
Across Iowa the spring window runs late May to June, and in Des Moines the fall window falls in late October to November. If you wait past the first hard freeze, the fall clean gets harder, because ice sets into the runs and the sag starts.
Often, yes. The wettest months here are May, June and July, so a run that was clear in spring can back up after a storm. Send us a note and we will tell you whether the gutters need a clean or just a check.
Most slots come up within the week, and we confirm the date when you call. If a same-day window opens, we will tell you on the phone, and the price does not change.
No. Our crew works outside and does not come inside. Leave the side gate unlocked and keep pets in while the ladders are up, and we will send you photos of every run before the truck leaves.
We set ladder stand-offs so nothing rests on the gutter lip, and the leaves go into bags, not onto the lawn or the landscape beds. The yard is left as clean as the crew found it.
Yes, we flush each downspout and check that the water is leaving at the outlet. Clearing a buried drain line is a separate job, and we price it before anyone touches it.
No. We still clear the surface and reseat the panels on a guarded gutter system. Gutter guards keep out the leaves, but the needles, seed casings and grit settle on top, so the run still needs a visit.
A gutter that is clean and still sheets water over the edge, or shows a leak at a seam, has a slope or downspout-size problem, not a debris problem. Send us a photo or a short video in the rain and we will tell you what it is, and we will not sell you a second cleaning for it.
The number we give you is the number we charge. If the crew finds something that changes the job, you hear about it and agree to it before work starts.
Gutter cleaning is one specific job: the runs, the outlets and the leaves, not the house itself. It is one of the cleaning services that protects the foundation from water, and it is priced on its own.
The crew calls the day before with an arrival window, clears every run by hand, flushes each downspout, and bags the leaves. You get photos of every run before the truck leaves, and the invoice matches what we told you.
Stories, size and a photo of the front by text. That is a real number, not an appointment.
