Get matched with top gutter cleaning pros in Redford, MI

If you want to avoid burying your downspouts, several alternatives can help direct water away from your home's foundation. One option is to connect a rain barrel to your downspout. During a storm, the barrel collects water that you can later use for irrigating your lawn or garden. Another common solution is to install an above-ground downspout extension. This can be done in a couple of ways:

• Splash Guards: Placing a splash guard, available at most hardware stores, under your downspout can act as a simple funnel to direct water away from the house.

• Downspout Extensions: You can add an extension to the end of the downspout's elbow to carry water further into your yard. Some extensions are flexible, allowing you to maneuver them around landscaping.

These above-ground solutions are particularly useful if your home has a slab foundation that you cannot dig up. However, they have limitations. An extension may not move water as far from your home as an underground system. More importantly, if your yard slopes back toward your house, these methods will be ineffective, and burying your downspouts remains the best option to prevent potential flooding and water damage.

On a typical three-bedroom home, gutter cleaning takes about one hour. For larger homes, especially those with multiple stories, the job can take two to three hours. The time required may increase if the gutters need extensive cleaning, the roof is steep, the gutters are hard to reach, or if gutter guards need to be uninstalled and reinstalled.

While you can clean your gutters without geting on a ladder, you won't know just how well you're cleaning them without the use of a telescopic water pole. Some ways to clean gutters from the ground include using telescopic cleaning tools and a leaf blower extension, wet/dry vacuum extension, pressure washer, or garden hose with a curved end.

While both underground and above-ground downspout extensions are a step up from no downspout extensions, underground downspouts are better for those looking for a more discreet option. Underground downspouts are hidden away—out of sight, out of mind. You won't be bumping into the extended sections with your lawn mower, nor will you see the downspouts sticking out like a sore thumb.