Case Study:Extensive Gutter Maintenance and Repairs on Entire Housing Estate

Introduction

Our team were contacted to provide gutter maintenance and leak investigation works on a collection of 6 residential towers in Red Hill.

On this occasion, residents and the property manager had begun to notice the gutter overflowing with water when it rained. Some residents were also experiencing leaks within their property which suggested there were some issues with the roofing or guttering.

FirstPort is a residential property management service provider overseeing over 330,000 homes in England, Wales and Scotland. Spectrum has worked with them on many projects over the years.

The Logistics

We have completed several other maintenance works at Brockham Court over the years, like alterations to metal gates in the children's playground, window cleaning, roof repairs etc. But it had been quite some time since a gutter cleaning service had been scheduled.

This led to a severe amount of biological growth in some areas of the guttering, with blockages in almost all pipes. Due to the height of the tower blocks, accessing the guttering required specialist access solutions. The client had previously quoted for having the property scaffolded, an expensive and disruptive option. Although this would have allowed direct access to the guttering, scaffolding this property would have been incredibly expensive due to the scale of the project.

The scaffolding would have had to cover the entire property to reach the gutters, creating a lot of parking disruption for residents as well as the usual drawbacks like construction noise, needing to drill posts into walls and blocking out light for residents.

The client needed a contractor who could reach the 5-story high guttering without scaffolding. Scaffold-free access solutions are Spectrum's speciality.

Our Solution

Our solution was to use a multi-method access approach. For the lower levels of the property, up to 18 meters, we used Spectrum's patented modular pole system, which we designed in-house and have had 3D printed to serve our exact requirements.

We also used a 27-meter van-mounted cherry picker to access the property's roof and the higher guttering. All workers present on the project were qualified to operate and work from the cherry picker, which allowed us to keep our team small and efficient. 

By having a highly trained workforce, we also eliminated the need to hire 3rd party access contractors to provide and operate the cherry picker. This saved a significant portion of the project's budget while reducing the amount of labour coordination required by the project management.

The Project

When arriving on any site, our team always sign in and attends to any permits or permissions required for the project. This is when we will outline our plan for the day with the site manager, who can liaise directly with residents. Having a friendly rapport with the property manager from previous works meant they arranged for the car park to be cleared for us, without us requesting this. This meant we could work much quicker without having to navigate people's cars, a bonus for everyone.

We began by using our Gutter Vac system on the lower-level guttering to remove the bulk of the debris. Our team always use fixed cameras with the gutter vac system as this enables us to get a complete picture of the state of the gutter blockages. 

While working around the perimeter of the estate, we noticed several areas where the brackets holding the guttering up had become dislodged, cracked, or completely disconnected from the building. These defects were caused by the sheer weight of the debris and biological growth in the gutters. Some areas of the guttering had even grown thick strips of grass!

We repaired the gutters and brackets using the cherry picker to provide a stable platform for our team. We also needed the cherry picker to transport the additional plant matter we removed while attending to the gutter repairs. The repairs involved screwing in new brackets and attaching the gutters back into place, ensuring all pieces were aligned and could channel water to the downpipes.

Though guttering issues are common and a usual sign of wear and tear on a property, the severity of that damage could have been avoided if a regular cleaning schedule had been maintained. Planned preventative maintenance is better than an urgent call for help when it’s too late.

While using the cherry picker to repair the gutters, we also used it to access the roof and attend to the slipped and cracked roof tiles. There had been signs of water ingress inside the property, so we replaced all cracked tiles and realigned slipped tiles where appropriate. Misaligned slate tiles can happen over time, especially when the roof is not cleaned regularly. When moss and other debris are left on a roof for a long time, the weight and moisture built up will disrupt the positioning of the tiles.

After completing our gutter cleaning and roof tile replacement services, we carried out waterproofing tests. The team assessed every area across the roof, gutter and gulleys with a constant water flow from a hose. We made sure the water flowed in the correct direction and captured the results to include in the report for our client.

Challenges

The key challenge of this project was the height of the gutters. As high-level access solutions are our speciality, we quickly set the client's mind at ease, providing a solution that didn't require expensive scaffolding or the need for managing multiple contractors. Using our own van-mounted MEWP meant we could be flexible around people's parking spaces and requirements while eliminating the need for 3rd party contractors.

The majority of the gutter cleaning work was accessible by our poles, which reduced the amount of time we needed to use the MEWP and ultimately the project was completed far quicker than the client had anticipated.

Results

In just 3 days Spectrum cleaned the entire guttering system, fixed the leaks and replaced all the broken slate roof tiles. Reinstating and replacing the slate tiles meant there were no longer any water ingress spots causing the leaks within the property. The refreshed tiling now smoothly directs rain into the gutters.

Here is a summary of our process from start to finish:

• Conducted a pre-site assessment so we could devise our strategy for gutter cleaning and general repairs.
• We mobilised our team and prepared our cherry picker.
• We cleaned the gutter on ground level using specialist patented Spectrum equipment before cleaning the roof gutters using the MEWP.
• We water-tested all areas of the property to ensure there were no leaks and the water ran off the roof as it should.
• Provided a detailed report of the works carried out over the past 3 days.

All the blocks now have fully operational gutter systems, ready for the next downpour. The water running off the reinstated slate tiles will now be directed down the downpipes and safely into the drainage systems, rather than spilling over the roofline goods. There are no more 'mini lawns' growing in the guttering, which although charming to look at, were causing a lot of damage.

Thanks to our unique in-house skills, we offered a comprehensive service without involving more sub-contractors.

Now with a fully functioning roof and drainage system, our client was satisfied with our gutter cleaning and roof tile replacement services. They also had a photo log and record of the investigation for future reference.

If you need roof tile repair or gutter cleaning services in London, feel free to get in touch.