Lawn Mowing
Regular and one-off mowing, edging and blowing down for homes, rentals and commercial sites.
Learn more →The one job that pays for itself
Cairns gets serious rain. A single wet-season day here can deliver what some southern cities see in a month, and all of it hits the roof first. If the gutters are full, that water goes over the edge — down the wall, into the eaves, into the fascia, and often straight into a garden bed that then washes out.
Cleaning gutters before the wet is one of the few maintenance jobs where the cost is trivial next to what it prevents.
What blocks a gutter in the tropics
Not much of it is the classic autumn leaf drop. Around Cairns the usual culprits are palm fronds and the stiff flower spikes that come with them, mango leaf drop, raintree and poinciana litter, sea almond leaves near the beaches, and fine grit off older roof sheeting.
The humidity is what makes it worse. Litter that would dry out and blow away in a drier climate instead sits wet, breaks down and compacts into a sludge that holds water. That sludge is heavy, and it is what pulls gutter brackets loose over time.
What the visit covers
Litter and sludge are removed from the gutters by hand and bagged rather than flicked into the garden. Downpipes are flushed and checked for flow, because a clean gutter feeding a blocked downpipe still overflows in exactly the same spot. Where a downpipe will not clear, you are told what was found — underground stormwater blockages are a plumber's job, not a gardener's.
While up there, obvious problems get reported: rusted-through sections, loose brackets, gutters sitting flat or falling the wrong way, and anywhere litter is visibly getting under the roof sheet. Reporting is not repairing, and roof plumbing work is referred on.
The limits, stated plainly
Single-storey homes and roofs reachable safely from a ladder are standard. Two-storey work, steep pitches, fragile roof sheeting and anything needing a harness or an elevated work platform are quoted separately or referred to a contractor set up for height safety. Gutter guard supply and installation is a separate trade. Roof repairs, fascia replacement and stormwater plumbing are not part of this service.
Booking it sensibly
The obvious pairing is with tree and hedge work — there is not much point cleaning a gutter in the morning if the overhanging branches are being cut next month. Where a canopy sits over the roof, book the pruning work first. Bagged gutter litter can go out with the rest of your green waste, and most customers on a regular mowing round or garden maintenance visit simply add a pre-wet gutter clean to the October or November booking.
Quotes depend on roof size, height, access and how long it has been. The price guide explains how the same factors work for mowing, and the service areas page lists where the round goes.
More services
Explore our other services
Garden Maintenance
Weeding, mulching, bed tidying and clean-ups that keep a tropical garden from swallowing itself.
Learn more →Pruning and Hedge Trimming
Shaping hedges, screening plants and small trees so they stay dense instead of going woody.
Learn more →Weed Control
Spot spraying, hand weeding and knockdowns for paths, beds, fence lines and neglected lawns.
Learn more →Green Waste Removal
Loading and carting clippings, palm fronds and storm debris to a transfer station.
Learn more →Acreage Mowing and Slashing
Ride-on and slasher work for large blocks, paddocks, easements and vacant land.
Learn more →
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
When should gutters be cleaned in Cairns?
The important one is before the wet season, so October or November. A second clean part way through, around January or February, suits houses under mango, poinciana, raintree or palms, because those drop through the wet and refill a gutter quickly. Leaving it until the rain has started usually means dealing with overflow damage as well as leaves.
Why do gutters block so fast here?
Because of what grows overhead. Palm fronds and flower spikes, mango and raintree leaf drop, poinciana litter and sea almond leaves all shed heavily, and the material breaks down into a dense sludge in the humidity rather than drying out and blowing away. Add roof grit from an older roof and a gutter can pack solid within a season.
Do you clean two-storey and steep roofs?
Single-storey homes and anything reachable safely from a ladder are standard work. Two-storey, steep-pitched or fragile roofs need height safety equipment and a different setup, and they are quoted separately or referred on. Nobody should be leaning off a ladder over a second-storey gutter, and we would rather say no than have somebody fall.
Do you check the downpipes too?
Yes. Clearing the gutter and leaving a blocked downpipe achieves very little, because the water simply ponds and overflows in the same place. Downpipes are flushed and checked for flow, and if one is blocked underground or at a stormwater connection you will be told what was found. Underground stormwater repairs are a plumber's job.
Will you install gutter guard?
No. Supply and installation of gutter protection is a separate trade and a separate warranty, and a poorly fitted guard can trap litter on top and make the problem worse. What can be said honestly is that guard reduces frequency rather than removing the need, especially under palms, where flower spikes get through most mesh.
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