By blogger Eavestrough & Downpipes 0 Comments

5 Basic Eavestroughing Accessories You Didn’t Know Existed

Eavestroughs are basic metal channels that are designed to catch rainwater runoffs from the roof. But this is not all there is with these troughs, or is it? Given the constant onslaught of ice, snow, pine needles, leaves and other debris that your eavestroughs must withstand, there is definitely more to them than meet the eye. But with several extra accessories, your eavestroughs will be less susceptible to clogs and more effective at diverting water away from your building’s foundation. These accessories include:

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Eavestrough Issues: Repairing Leaks, Holes And Rust

While steel and aluminum eavestroughs have a lifetime of up to 30 years, if neglected, they fast deteriorate. So the number of years your eavestroughs will last depends on how well you care for and maintain them. Eavestroughs maintenance does require climbing up to the roofline of your building using a ladder. For homeowners that aren’t afraid of height, eavestroughs cleaning is not a particularly challenging undertaking.

Thoroughly cleaning out dirt, debris, etc, and making certain rain water flows through your eavestroughs need only be done twice a year. If during your evaluation you encounter maintenance problems such as leaky joints, holes and rust, then here are several tips that might help you resolve them yourself.

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What Happens During A Biannual Gutter Inspection?

Gutters perform a critical task of diverting rain water away from a home’s foundation. However, they end up collecting lots of dead branches, leaves, dirt, and other debris. As such, it is advisable to inspect the gutters at least twice a year in order to make certain they are enduring the elements well, continuing to do their job and they are free of debris as well as dirt accumulation.

During a biannual inspection, ensure to have the gutters and eaves troughs thoroughly cleaned, the slope of the horizontal sections at the edge of the roof checked, and the drainage coming out of the downspouts examined. If you opt to carry out these undertakings yourself, then you must have tools such as garden hoses, ladders and gloves in your possession.

Make things easier by including several digging tools for removing stubborn debris from your gutters. A couple of buckets, one for carrying equipments and the other for holding dirt and leaves, are also recommended. A biannual gutter and eaves-trough inspection includes:

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The importance of cleaning your eavestroughs before winter to prevent ice damming

The importance of cleaning your eavestroughs before winter to prevent ice damming

Winter is a beautiful season, with snow-covered landscapes and cozy nights by the fire. However, it can also bring its fair share of headaches, especially when it comes to your home. One potential problem that homeowners should be aware of is ice damming, which can cause serious damage to your roof and home. One way to prevent ice damming is by cleaning eavestroughs in Toronto before winter sets in.

Eavestroughs, also known as gutters, are the channels that run along the edges of your roof and collect water from rain and melting snow. This water is then directed away from your home to prevent water damage and pooling. However, when eavestroughs become clogged with leaves, twigs, and other debris, they can no longer effectively collect and redirect water. This can lead to water pooling on your roof and eventually seeping into your home, causing damage to your ceiling, walls, and foundation.

Another problem that clogged eavestroughs can cause is ice damming. As snow melts on your roof, the water flows into your eavestroughs and is directed away from your home. However, if the eavestroughs are clogged, the water has nowhere to go and can freeze at the edge of your roof. This forms an ice dam, which can trap additional snowmelt and cause it to back up onto your roof. This can result in damage to your shingles and roofing materials, as well as leaks and water damage inside your home.

To prevent these problems, it’s important to clean your eavestroughs before winter sets in. This will ensure that they are free of debris and can effectively collect and redirect water away from your home. You can clean your eavestroughs yourself, or hire a professional to do it for you.

If you decide to clean your eavestroughs yourself, here are some tips to keep in mind:

  • Make sure to use a sturdy ladder that is properly positioned and secured.
  • Wear gloves to protect your hands from sharp debris.
  • Use a small shovel or trowel to scoop out leaves and other debris.
  • Use a hose to flush out the eavestroughs and check for any remaining debris.
  • If you have a lot of debris in your eavestroughs, you may want to use a tool specifically designed for cleaning gutters, such as a gutter scoop or gutter brush.

Once your eavestroughs are clean, you can take additional steps to prevent ice damming. For example, you can insulate your attic to keep it warm, which will prevent snow from melting on your roof in the first place. You can also install heat tape or heated cables along the edges of your roof to melt any snow and ice that does form.

In conclusion, cleaning your eavestroughs before winter is important to prevent water damage and ice damming. This simple task can save you a lot of headaches and potential costly repairs in the long run. Make sure to clean your eavestroughs regularly and take additional steps to prevent ice damming, such as insulating your attic and using heat tape on your roof. By taking these precautions, you can protect your home and enjoy a worry-free winter season.

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Can Eavestroughs Cause Rooftop Ice Dams?

Before we get started, what is an ice dam? Well, it is the frozen ice that forms the length of the eaves of a house during the winter season. When ice dams get bigger, they impede the free flow of melting snow and rain water from the roof. The resultant water accumulation then forms a small lake at the rooftop, and thereafter starts to seep underneath the concrete, cedar, asphalt tiles.

Tackling a continuing ice dam issue is both a costly, dangerous and frustrating task. This is because rooftop ice causes water leaks and roofing damage. Accumulated ice is quite dangerous for people that find themselves unlucky enough to be standing under the roof when iceberg calves off of the main rooftop glacier and falls to the ground.

This is one of the main reasons people are always tearing off eaves-troughs in disgust. They actually do so thinking that they are the cause of the entire problem. Unfortunately, removing an eavestrough in Mississauga due to ice accumulation does not eliminate the problem as dangerous quantities of ice will still build up. The real cause of rooftop ice accumulation goes deeper and costs the homeowner more to rectify.

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How do ice dams form?

Ice dams form when warm roof surfaces forces the snow at the rooftop to melt, even when outdoor temperature is to some extent below the freezing point. The source of the heat warming the roof’s surfaces comes from inside the house. However, the eaves of the roof are basically colder as they do not have a warm source of heat from underneath. As a result, when the melted warm water hits the cold eaves, it instantly freezes to form what is commonly referred to as ice ridges. The ridges continue to build up, ending up trapping and freezing water from the roof on its way down to the ground. This leads to the formation of ice dams. The trapped water above the ice dams then slowly starts to seep beneath the shingles.

What are the best ways to remove ice dams from your eaves?

• Having heated eaves

All buildings in the colder regions of the country have high-resistance electrical heating systems in form of cables are specifically made for melting ice dams along the eaves. These cables are designed to zigzag the length of the eaves. These cables are connected to a home’s electrical mains and can be either switched on or off manually or by a thermostat. These cables are quite easy to install, even easier than eave’s membrane, and do not look as conspicuous, particularly against a tile or cedar roof. The main disadvantage with this type of a roof-heating system is that it consumes a lot of electric power, leading to increased energy bills.

• Impervious eaves

One of the best ways to solve ice dam issues at your home is to fasten continuos sheet of metal, asphalt or rubber roofing material above the lowest eight or ten courses of singles the length of the eaves. To properly shed water, a water-resistant material must be tucked beneath the topmost course of the shingles, but slightly above it. Although this fix will not stop the formation of ice dams, it will stop standing melted water from finding it ways in-between courses of shingles. Unfortunately, the additional waterproof coating is hard to hide, meaning that it is not ideal where aesthetics are a consideration.

• The cold roof

While this is the definitive solution to ice dam issues, it is the hardest to accomplish. Keeping the roof’s surface cold uniformly is easier said than done. Properly insulating the attic, and at the same time increasing ventilation forms the foundation to this solution. Apart from significantly reducing your heating expenses, this also lengthens the lifespan of the shingles.

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What You Should Do Before Covering Old Fascia And Soffit with Aluminum

Prior to covering old fascia and soffit directly with aluminum or vinyl, it is recommended that a full inspection be carried out so as to uncover rot and other damages. The commonest defects found during this kind of an inspection are normally associated with neglect or poor maintenance. Once the inspection is carried out and problems not found, the old fascia and soffit then can directly be covered with new aluminum or vinyl. But before doing this, there are a number of things that have to be taken into consideration. These include:

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Determining if there is an existing rot in the wood

The best way to determine the presence of rot in wooden fascia and soffits is to use a sharp probe, screwdriver or awl. If your preferred tool penetrates the wood with little or no resistance, then this means that the wood is already rotten. Covering rotten wood with aluminum or vinyl is not a good idea as the rot will simply continue to spread. The new material unfortunately might end up expediting the process by limiting air circulation. As a result, this kind of a rot may eventually spread to the roof framing beneath, something that will end up causing a more costly revamp. If any decay is found, the affected boards must immediately be removed and the framing underneath examined to see if it is still sound.

How does the rot come about?

Soffit and fascia damage is basically caused by intrusive water. This causes the wood to slowly by slowly rot. Here is how it happens.

• Ideally when rain comes, your roof acts as a perfect system to direct rain water from the top of the roof to the ground, and all this without water into the house. How does this happen? The rains hits the roof, or shingles, then goes down the slope and into the gutters, and then through the downspout to the ground safely away from the house.

Unfortunately, some residue is left on the edge of the shingles which eventually drips down and get behind the gutter and the rest on the soffit. With passage of time, this causes the soffit and fascia to develop wood rot. Newer homes use a drip edge to protect this from happening. The drip edge acts as an excellent barrier that redirects the stray drips of water into the gutter. So, drip edges are one of the best ways to maintaining your home. However, these edges are often damaged or missing on older homes.

• Holes in the box gutters. Different from regular gutters in that the flashing leads directly into the gutter, they easily develop holes that eventually lead to wood damage.

Examining the ventilation

If the existing wood is in good shape, then it is safe to cover it with aluminum or vinyl material. The original soffits might have vents cut into the surface to provide fresh air to the attic. These form an integral part of ventilation of the attic. Most vinyl and aluminum soffit material has integral venting built into the design, and hence making sure that the material underneath has sufficient circulation is something of a paramount importance. This not only improves the conditions in the attic, but it also reduces the likelihood of rot in old soffits. In simple terms, it is not necessary to remove the old soffits as long as they are in good shape and proper allowance is made for air circulation and ventilation.

All in all, if you spot damage to your soffit and fascia in Toronto, make sure to have the rotted portion removed before covering it with either vinyl or aluminum. Removing the rotted section early enough can save you a lot of hassles and money in the long run.

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Avoid Potential Dangers With These Gutter Cleaning Tips!

Although an essentially important task, gutter cleaning is a risky responsibility. From cutting your fingers on sharp pieces of metal to falling off the ladder, and not to mention bites from insects or fleeing animals you might encounter, cleaning the gutters present a long list of dangers for which you must be prepared for. Fortunately, odds are that you will get through your cleaning project without an incident. However, it is important to protect yourself against the many potential dangers. The top five dangers in this case include:

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• Dizziness or vertigo: A lot of people are suddenly overtaken by dizziness when working at high heights.

• Contact with electrical wiring: If you are not careful, you could end up accidentally hitting the overhead electrical wires with the ladder, or worst, grabbing overhead live wires while attempting to prevent a fall.

• Instability of the ladder being used: This is often caused by an insecure positioning on the gutter or due to placing the ladder on uneven ground. It could also be caused by improper positioning of the ladder against the walls.

• Inappropriate clothing: These kinds of clothing can catch on projections, causing the ladder and its users to topple sideways and fall.

• Poor maintenance of the ladder: An improperly maintained ladder is a dangerous tool to use when cleaning your gutter as it could easily break. A wobbly ladder also should not be used when cleaning the gutters as they are quite unsafe for use.

Safe gutter cleaning

If as a homeowner you knew the proper way to clean out your gutter, then you could be safe from the above mentioned gutter cleaning dangers. How so, you may ask. Well, read on to find out. There are a quite a number of gutter cleaning tips that can be opted for so as to always be on the safe side. The below listed gutter cleaning tips are some of the best among them.

Practice ladder safety

It is recommended that you make another person aware that you will be utilizing a ladder to work on your building’s gutter or roof for safety purposes. That being done, you should use a sturdy and safe ladder that is properly maintained. The preferable type of a ladder when it comes to cleaning your gutter is the type that has a small strong shelf that can be able to hold a 5-gallon or so bucket to collect the debris from the gutter. The bucket however needs to be firmly secured with a strong wire or rope. Before getting started, make sure to examine the ladder for loose parts, defects or dents.

Make use of a garden hose

The best type of garden hose to use for gutter cleaning undertakings is the type that comes with a pistol-grip trigger type of a spray nozzle, and for a good reason. This kind of a spray nozzle allows the user to adjust the water pressure to suit the immediate requirements with only one hand.

Ensure to protect your hands

Make sure to wear appropriate gloves to help protect your hands against rotting leaves and dirt debris that usually contains hidden bird and animal droppings that are ridden with disease causing bacteria. Apart from this, gloves are ideal for protecting against cuts from torn metal from the gutters. The most recommended types of gloves in this case are the thick, suede-made types as they are superior to rubber, cotton or thin leather varieties.

Wear appropriate eye protection

Protecting the eyes is mandatory as you never know what might fly out of the gutter when cleaning. A lot of people have been stung by wasps or bees or even knocked off the ladder by rats, birds and other animals leaving the downspouts at high speed once the cleaning undertaking commences.

Consider wearing rubber shoes

Because walking on a building’s roof is a necessary part of cleaning the gutters in Toronto, it is advisable to consider wearing rubber-soled. These types of shoes adhere best on the surface being worked on, preventing slip as well as fall incidents. And while at it, walking on the roofs should be done after the sun is well up in the sky as doing so in the morning is quite risky due to moisture.

Other gutter cleaning tips in a summary include:

• Being mindful of power line hazards

• Scheduling semiannual cleanings

• Ensure to power wash all debris off the roof first

• Be sure to use a quality gutter guard to eliminate the need for cleaning out the gutters

By blogger Eavestrough Repairs 0 Comments

Common Gutter Problems And Their Solutions

The thought of clogged, aging or warped gutters in Toronto often makes homeowners quite frustrated, especially when they are deluged with water whenever they walk underneath the eaves. Generally, there are four common problems with the gutters which you might be well aware of. Here is a brief guide on each of these problems and how you can tackle them.

The four most common problems include:

• Leaky gutter joints

• Bending or warping of old gutters

• Improper pitching

• Gutter clogging due to twigs, leaves and some other debris

If you can climb on your house roof, you may feel that you can fix the gutter problems at your own. The problem may look quite easy at the beginning but do not forget to read some do-it-yourself activity tips before you begin to sort out the problem. If you have never fixed such type of problems before, it is quite better if you seek professional help in this regard. Otherwise, you will be bringing more trouble along your way.

Leaky gutter joints

When it comes to dealing with leaky gutter joints, many people try to fix them on their own. The process is pretty simple. All you need to do is have to a tube of gutter sealant. However, you can only repair the joints when the weather is dry.

Simply apply a small amount of gutter sealant to the inside of the gutter. Let the sealant cure it for almost twenty four hours. In case the hole is big or you feel that the gutter has rusted through, you will have to purchase a patch kit from a nearby hardware store. The patch kits usually come with a screen that can easily fill the hole. Otherwise you may have to create your own patch from a metal flashing remnant.

The entire process will look to be easy for those who are DIY enthusiasts. For others, this may seem to be a highly technical type of work and therefore they will usually hire professional help for this.

Bending or warping of old gutters

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This is an inevitable problem that all homeowners experience. Over the period of time the hangers and hardware age and weather. Under such a situation, gutters tend to pull away from the house and sometimes become bogged down due to heavy debris.

In order to get this done yourself, you will have to install new gutter hangers and of course fasteners on warped or sagging sections. Hangers are quite inexpensive therefore will not cost you a fortune. Furthermore, the installation process is quite simple. You would also have to see whether the warped gutter is seated properly or not. In case it is not, you might have to replace some small sections of the gutter itself. It is a quite technical process and usually it is recommended to hire a professional person in this regard. There are some cases when a roofing contractor is also hired if seamless gutters are installed as they cannot be replaced by sections.

Improper pitching of gutters

This problem usually occurs when gutters are pitched improperly or are hastily installed. You can easily check whether your gutters are properly installed or not. Simply go to your roof and see whether they are pitched downward. The gutters need to be pitched at least quarter inch for every ten feet of gutter length. In order to adjust the gutter pitch, you will have to either re-hang the affected sections or bend the hangers a little so that the water flow is accommodated.

In case you have seamless gutters in your home, then they cannot be adjusted easily. You will have to seek professional assistance in this regard and get the matter sorted out. However, you will have to ensure that you are hiring a reputable one for this project. There is no harm in doing a little survey and discussing costs and repair strategies with different experts. After a detail discussion, you will be in a better position to make a right decision.

Gutter clogging due to twigs, leaves and some other debris

Rocks, dirt and plant matter happen to be the main reasons for gutter clogging. They prevent rain water to ruff off flow freely. If you keep on ignoring this problem, the debris will turn into sludge which will later weather the gutters and lead to eventual breakdown. There are times when this issue makes the gutters to weigh down and pull it away from the fascia.

The clogging issue can easily be sorted out if you inspect your gutters thoroughly on regular basis. It does not matter whether you have metal gutters or vinyl gutters. They need your attention. You must remove the clogged areas by simply removing debris with a work glove. To improve the flow, you can clean the gutters with a garden hose. For long term protection, you may have to invest in gutter leaf guards.

By blogger Eavestrough & Downpipes 0 Comments

Ave You Ever Think Of Your Gutters As Your Rainwater Management System?

You may not have considered your guttering a being an important part of water management system, but in fact they are. While the calculations of how to construct your rainfall guttering system will involve some math, the calculations are reasonably simple but need to be carried out carefully. Once you have finished working out what you need, you can go out to purchase your supplies in order to install efficient gutters in Toronto. Organization and planning are really essential to make sure that you do a good job. Read this guide carefully to help you complete a fully effective installation.

Gutters, downpipes and drains

Essentially your gutters are the front line of your water defense system, they need to gather the rainfall from the roof of your home or your outbuildings and efficiently channel the rainfall to the downpipes. From the downpipes, you need to decide if you want to channel water into your fresh water reservoir for use in your garden for irrigation. Once the reservoirs are full, the excess water needs to be channeled into the drains to get it clear from your property quickly and efficiently.

If your drainage system is inadequate for the job, you are at severe risk of flooding. It is impossible, particularly with global warming, to predict the severity of an extreme thunderstorm and the rain that it could bring. But the key design objective is to ensure that your guttering can deal with the majority of rainfall, should there be a cloud burst your secondary system of drainage ditches and run off slopes will channel the excess away from your home and reduce the risk of your home flooding.

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Time to get out your calculator

Well, let’s get started. Here is how you need to organize yourself:

1) Get local information about how much annual rainfall you are going to have to deal with, this information is quite easy to get from your local weather station.

2) Understand what the peak rainfall incidents could be. The worst storms or downfalls, how much rain dropped over what period and which months of the year?

3) Calculate the effective roof area (m2) that you are going to have to deal with. This is essential as it will tell you how many liters you will have to drain during a severe downfall.

4) Once you have worked this out, it is time to get designing:

• Choose a gutter with the right flow capacity, measured in liters per second

• Decide on the positioning of the downpipes, by number and position to get the water out of the gutters quickly and efficiently

• You will need to use the local rainfall information that you have gathered to deal with the two minute crisis. Met offices in Canada and around the world report that exceptional rainfall normally lasts for no longer than 2 minutes. These exceptional rainfall bursts will occur in a 1, 5, 50 and 500 year sequence. Understand the numbers that you need to deal with and plan accordingly.

5) The good advice is that your primary gutter and drainage system should be able to deal with one year incidents. Your plan should be to drain off facilities that you have constructed should be able to deal with exceptional rainfall when your gutters and drains are overwhelmed.

How much rainfall in Canada should you expect to deal with?

A minimum design requirement should be as follows; an intensity of 75mm/hour per m2 results in a flow rate of 0.022 liter per second. So clearly you need to calculate the totally square meters of your roof and how many gutters you plan to install with drain pipes to channel the water away. Next you need to consider the pitch of your roof. Essentially the higher the pitch of your roof the faster the water will run into the gutters. Keep this in mind; a roof pitch of just 10° will deliver water far slower than a roof pitch of 45°.

So the smaller your roof horizontal roof area and the greater the roof pitch will increase the amount of water that you will need to deal with during a severe downpour. A good piece of advice from the experts in gutter installation is to really concentrate on the positioning of your downpipes.

Looking at this in more detail you should plan to install downpipe drains before the flow of water hits a gutter angle, either right angle or less acute. The reason for this is quite obvious, but worth repeating. Water can barrel along a longer gutter run. When it hits the angle it will wash over the guttering and waterfall to the ground below. By installing drain pipes before the gutter corners, the risk of this happening is considerably reduced and the potential for flooding or water damage to your walls and floors will be considerably reduced accordingly.

By blogger Soffit & Fascia 0 Comments

Want To Do A Full Makeover For Your Soffit And Fascia?

The time has come to come to get to work on your roof and roof fittings. When you do this job, it is really important to do the best work possible to ensure that you will not need to return in future years and have to do it all over again. Follow this guide that uses advice from the experts to do a really good job that will impress you, your family and your neighbors:

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Step 1

Set up your ladders and scaffolding so you have good access to the roof edges of the tiles. By using a working platform that allows you to move along the edge of your roof, you will make your work that much easier. Once this is set up and you have checked that it is stable you are ready to begin. The first thing to do is to remove all the gutters, set them to one side or dispose of those that need replacement. Now carefully slide back the first row of tiles, so that you can have easy access to your work area.

Step 2

Now if you are working on soffit and fascia in Toronto, study the trim back and cut away any damaged felt that you may find. Carefully prepare replacement felt and inspect any of the roof tiles as you have your work platform set up, so you can see any signs of damage more easily from this close position. Double check the roof dimensions so that your replacement fascia and soffits fitting will be able to be installed without any problems.

Step 3

Having removed the tiles and the guttering, it is time now to check out the rafter feet very carefully. If there is any sign of deterioration or rotting you will need to cut back until you find the healthy wood of the rafters. Now you can prepare and install the rafter feet that you have cut to measure.

Once you are completely satisfied that you have identified and cut out all the damaged rafters and fitted the replacements, you can now turn your attention to the soffit boards. Make sure that you fix the soffit board tight against the brickwork. This is important as it provides a clean and sturdy edge if it is well fitted. The soffit should sit snuggly against the brick work.

Step 4

Having installed the soffits, you are recommended to install the latest design that has the ventilation slits to allow humidity and heat to escape from the roof area; you are ready to prepare the fascia boards. The experts recommend that you fix the fascia boards using double head nails made of stainless steel.

The reason why stainless steel nails are important is that they are resistant to rusting and so will not mark your fascia. This means that you can rest assured that no rust marks will blot your fascia boards in the months and even years after you have completed the installation. The recommendation from the experts is that you double nail to each rafter to ensure that the fascia is really well locked down.

Step 5

With your fascia and soffits completed, it is now time to turn your attention to your rainwater system. You will have a wide range of styles, colors and materials to choose from, so take your time to decide on which style works best for you. One of the most important aspects that you need to plan for is the fall factor from the gutters to the drains, this is important as gutters must allow the water to flow like a river to your drain or drains. If your roof has a slight tilt this will be easier, but in all cases you need to make sure that the rainwater can be carried away rapidly and efficiently by making sure that you have installed the gutters with an incline to carry the water away.

Step 6

Now is the moment to install the eaves protector to complement the rain water system that you have completed. The eaves protector has a really important job to play, as its name suggests, it is there to protect the eaves and it consists of the latest material that you will use instead of old style felt. The key difference is that it does not deteriorate or perish like felt. Another advantage of this material is that it allows the roof to breathe and comes with flexible combs that act as a rodent guard. It is also really effective at keeping birds out too as well as other unwanted pests.

Step 7

Your installation is now complete and the roof tiles can carefully be replaced in their original position. Clean the surfaces and clear away any waste construction material. Now it is time to dismantle your working scaffold towers and walkways and make sure any damage to the garden or house surrounds is made good. Well, the project is complete and you can give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done!