Seasonal clearing, downspout checks and repairs, including copper eavestroughs on heritage homes, scheduled so water leaves the house the way it should.
When an eavestrough overflows, water runs down the wall, behind the brick and along the foundation. In winter it can freeze at the eaves and form an ice dam that pushes water under the roof covering. In spring it can end up in the basement. A blocked eavestrough is a small problem that leads to large ones.
On a big house with several roof levels, mature trees and long downspout runs, the work is also not a quick job. It needs the right access, the right trade and the right time of year.
Clearing the eavestrough is only half of it. Your Home Manager also checks where the downspouts discharge and how the ground slopes away from the house. Water that lands beside the foundation can find its way into the basement, so this work connects directly to flooding prevention. It also connects to the roof: if the edge of the roof is wet, rotting or showing ice damage, the trade will tell us, and we can bring in the roofer.
Many heritage homes in Toronto have copper or built-in gutters that are part of the architecture. They need a trade that knows how to solder, line and repair them without changing the look of the house. Where a heritage conservation district applies, we check what approvals are needed before work starts.
Eavestrough work is booked on your Annual Home Care Plan, so it happens at the right time without you having to remember. Your Home Manager keeps a record of what was done and what was found. See how this fits with the rest of the house on our preventative maintenance page.
Larger troughs, leaf guards, downspout extensions and heat cable at the eaves are common upgrades, and your Home Manager plans them wherever the old system falls short.
Members buy a minimum of 60 hours of Home Manager time at $121 an hour, with no monthly fees, and unused hours never expire. The eavestrough work itself is billed through Zebrano as it is done, and the price depends on the height of the house, the length of the runs and the material.
At least twice a year: in late fall once the leaves are down, and again in spring. Houses under mature trees, common in Rosedale, Forest Hill and Lawrence Park, often need a third cleaning.
Water spills down the walls and pools against the foundation. That can mean basement leaks, damaged brick and mortar, rotting fascia and soffits, and ice dams and icicles in winter.
Yes. The City requires downspouts to be disconnected from the sewer system, with the water directed onto your property and away from the house and your neighbours. Exemptions are possible only where disconnection is hazardous or not technically feasible. Disconnection is also a condition of the City's basement flooding subsidy.
They reduce cleaning but do not end it: seeds, needles and fine debris still collect, and some guards make cleaning harder when it is needed. They help most under heavy tree cover. We look at the roof and the trees before recommending them.
Seamless aluminium is the most common and least costly. Copper costs more but can last for generations and suits slate and heritage roofs. On an older house, matching what is already there often matters most.
There are no monthly fees. Members buy a minimum of 60 hours of Home Manager time at $121 an hour, and unused hours never expire. Trade and maintenance work is billed through Zebrano as it is done, on the same invoice, because every home's needs are different.
Eavestroughs are booked on your Annual Home Care Plan and checked by the same Home Manager who watches your roof and basement, so a small clog is not left to become a large repair.
Zebrano - Luxury Home Management. We look after Toronto homes: maintenance, trades, small renovations, refreshes and emergencies. In business since 2001.