The cost of NOT cleaning your gutters before winter

A full gutter cleaning in Utah County costs $199. A foundation repair from water damage costs between $3,000 and $15,000. An ice dam on your roof can run $2,500 and up. The math isn't subtle — and yet we get calls every February from homeowners who skipped fall.

What clogged gutters actually do in Utah winters

If your gutters are full of cottonwood seed, locust leaves, and pine needles going into November, here's exactly what happens:

Week 1–3: Water backup

First hard rain or snowmelt, the gutters can't drain. Water pools and overflows. It runs down siding, soaks into fascia board, and pools at the foundation.

First hard freeze: Ice dams

Clogged gutters freeze solid. When the sun warms the roof during the day, snow melts and runs down — but can't get past the ice in the gutter. The water backs up under the shingles and through to your attic.

Spring thaw: The real damage shows up

Stained ceilings, warped drywall, rotted fascia, saturated foundation. Sometimes mold. Sometimes a failed sub-slab that needs jacking. This is the call we get every March from people who thought fall cleaning was optional.

The honest math

You do not need to be a contractor to see where this goes. The cheapest insurance you'll ever buy is a $199 gutter cleaning in October.

What Utah specifically dumps in your gutters

Utah County has a seasonal pattern most homeowners underestimate:

• May–June: Cottonwood seed. Massive. Looks like snow. Fills gutters in one windy week in neighborhoods with mature cottonwoods (most of Orem, Provo, Lindon, Springville).
• July–August: Dust, pine needles (foothill properties), and early leaf drop from drought-stressed trees.
• September–October: Heavy leaf drop — cottonwood, locust, fruit trees, ornamentals. The big one.
• November–December: Last leaves, pine needles, and the start of ice accumulation.

If you live near the foothills (Alpine, Highland, east Orem, Provo's Indian Hills) or near mature cottonwoods, your gutters need two cleanings a year minimum — one in June after cottonwood seed, one in late October after leaf drop.

Why "I'll do it myself" usually doesn't happen

We're not trying to talk you out of doing your own gutters. Lots of homeowners do, and it works fine. But here's what we see in practice:

October and November are cold, windy, and busy. The ladder work gets pushed to "next weekend." Next weekend it snows. Then it's December, the roof is iced, and it's not safe to get up there. Come spring, you're dealing with damage that costs 30x what the cleaning would have.

If you know you're going to do it yourself and actually will — great, save the $199. If there's any chance it'll slip, book the cleaning in September and never think about it again.