Categories for Guttering
January 10, 2020 2:38 pm
Published by Summit Cladding
The start of a new year can prompt many of us to think of renewal and improvement, or just doing something different — which is when Summit Cladding can offer some real choices. We were contacted by prospective clients, in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, who’d had a good hard look at the outside of their house and decided it was time for a makeover. The house was structurally sound, but the owners wanted our advice on how to improve its appearance and drainage efficiency using deep flow guttering. Building styles are just like all other passing trends that come in and out of fashion, and so it was with this property. The photographs taken before we undertook the work shows hanging tiles... View Article
October 23, 2019 12:03 pm
Published by Summit Cladding
If there’s one thing you can say with certainty about the Victorians it’s that they knew how to build houses. Good strong bricklaying with lovely thick woodwork around the roofline. But that means it’s quite a challenge to replace those old bargeboards while keeping the authentic Victorian look. Summit Cladding had been contacted by our client, Patricia, who was maintaining her sister’s property in Haringey, North London, which had been owned by the family for over 50 years. The house had served them well, but with Patricia’s sister due to return home after living in the Caribbean, it was time for a bit of a makeover. Fresh new look The paintwork on those Victorian bargeboards was in poor condition and... View Article
July 23, 2019 11:17 am
Published by Summit Cladding
Here’s a cautionary tale for anyone thinking of fitting seamless guttering on their house: make sure the fascia boards can take the weight! Seamless gutters can look great but supporting them properly is a challenging task. Summit Cladding was contacted by clients in Hadley Wood, who’d been living in their lovely home for over 20 years. They had a large extension built five years ago, when the seamless aluminium guttering was recommended by their builders. When we viewed the property, we saw that the single piece of guttering was over 12 metres long – or about 36 feet – and was hanging off the fascia board at one end, threatening to come right off. Summit’s solution The builders had also... View Article
March 25, 2019 12:12 pm
Published by Summit Cladding
Our latest client, Marco, called in Summit Cladding when he decided the front of his house was looking “tired” and in need of some tender loving care. Not only was the paintwork peeling away, but the gutters were constantly leaking – and just to make things worse Marco had been let down by decorators who were put off by the extent of the rotten timber. Time for action There comes a time in the life of every property when the timber degrades to such an extent that further painting is no longer economical. With Summit Cladding called in to rescue the situation, we erected scaffolding and stripped off all the original timber at the front of the house, checking that... View Article
February 13, 2019 10:32 am
Published by Summit Cladding
In the early days of motoring, the old joke was that you could have any colour of car that you wanted, as long as it was black. In the early days of pvc soffits and fascias, it was the other way round – the only colour you could get was white! But now the colour everyone wants is grey – light grey, dark grey – there’s a huge range of options available with guttering and downpipes to match. More up to date Summit Cladding was contacted by clients who live in Loughton, Essex, with beautiful views of the Forest. Their house was fitted with white pvc soffits and fascias in 1980, but they wanted something more up to date. They... View Article
February 2, 2019 10:47 am
Published by Summit Cladding
If you’re lying in bed and think you hear noises in the attic, then chances are you’ll have some unwelcome guests. That’s what happened to one of our clients in St Albans, who called on Summit Cladding for help. The client found birds nesting inside the roof after a section of timber bargeboard had fallen away. He hadn’t been able to maintain the boards properly because the pitched garage roof at the side of the house made access difficult. Not only the birds Summit Cladding is often called in by clients who notice that the roofline of their house is looking tired and worn, but they don’t realise how serious that can be – and we aren’t only talking about... View Article
July 3, 2018 4:19 pm
Published by Summit Cladding
Moving house is a big event in anyone’s life, so it’s understandable that homeowners want to put their own individual stamp on their new property. This was the case for Jackie and Paul, from Theydon Bois, Epping, who decided that the mahogany-stained fascia boards with mock Tudor beams had to go. It was a look that was very popular in the 1970s and 80s, but styles change with the times, and Summit Cladding was pleased to come up with some new ideas for Jackie and Paul. Popular new colour We suggested removing all the existing bargeboards, fascias and guttering and replacing them with new material in grey anthracite pvc. Grey is all the rage at the moment and it would... View Article
March 29, 2018 12:58 pm
Published by Summit Cladding
Here at Summit Cladding we are always happy to go the extra mile for our clients – even if it means trying something we’ve not done before. Tom and Nicole, from Barnet, North London, first approached us about replacing their guttering and fascias back in July 2017. But they also had other things on their minds as they were expecting their first child, so the work on their Victorian terrace home would have to wait! New fascias and guttering Fast forward nine months and Tom and Nicole are now the proud parents of Lily and – as the pictures show — the proud owners of a smart-looking house with brand new fascias and gutters. When we originally spoke to them... View Article
February 13, 2018 8:10 am
Published by Summit Cladding
If you’ve read our blog before, you might remember previous reports about the horror that is “finlock concrete guttering” — three words to strike fear into any householder! This system, which was popular with some builders in the 1960s, is where a concrete gutter is fixed to the top of the house wall, instead of a conventional gutter being attached to the end of the roof joists. And as sure as night follows day, the concrete eventually starts to break down and moisture leaks into the top of the cavity walls. Time to fix it! Katie and her partner, from Enfield, knew they had a problem with their finlock gutters and they’d tried to keep out the damp by getting... View Article
October 25, 2017 9:40 am
Published by Summit Cladding
When in doubt, call the professionals – especially when you can’t persuade the family to help! That’s what our client, Amaryllis, did when she wanted a makeover at her north London home. Amaryllis and her family have been in their home for about ten years and had previously had work done by a loft conversion company. However, the standard of work was very poor and we recommended stripping out much of the products and starting again. Our client approached us via our showroom in Crews Hill, Enfield, where she explained that her two sons were in the building trade. But despite countless attempts to persuade them to help her transform the property, she realised she was fighting a losing battle... View Article
