Some jobs look straightforward the moment you pull up. Big open grounds, plenty of room to set up, gutters you can see from the driveway. And then you get stuck in and realise there’s a lot more to it than met the eye. That’s exactly how this one went — a full day clearing gutters, valleys and blocked downpipes on a large lakeside property in Nottinghamshire, using my tracked cherry picker to reach the awkward bits a ladder never could.
If you’d rather watch it unfold than read about it, here’s the full video:
👉https://youtu.be/GrZrdLe5EAw
Give it a watch, then come back and I’ll talk you through how the day actually went — the good, the tricky, and the moment I knew someone in the comments would have something to say.
First Job of the Day: Getting Through the Gate
There’s nothing more troublesome to access than a gate that’s locked in your way — and that was the first obstacle before I’d even started. Once I was through, though, the site opened right up. Loads of space, firm ground, room to swing the boom wherever I needed it. For a cherry picker operator, that’s close to a dream setup. Most of the jobs I take on involve fighting for access; this one handed it to me on a plate, at least to begin with.
The brief was simple enough on paper: clear all the gutters, get everything cleaned out, get the water flowing properly again. Clogged guttering is one of those problems that quietly does damage for months before anyone notices — overflowing water running down the brickwork, damp creeping in, fascias rotting. Regular gutter clearance on a big property like this is far cheaper than the repairs that follow when it’s left.
Why a Tracked Cherry Picker Earns Its Keep
People often ask why I don’t just use ladders for gutter work. On a small terrace, fair enough. But on a sprawling property with raised roof sections, valleys and tight courtyards, a machine changes everything. My tracked cherry picker can cross soft ground, tuck into spaces a vehicle-mounted platform can’t, and put me safely at height for hours at a time.
That’s the real advantage of proper cherry picker access for working at height it’s not just about reach, it’s about doing the job safely and thoroughly instead of stretching off a ladder and rushing. And safety starts before the boom even goes up. My harness and ratchet straps on this job were supplied by Safehold UK, and when you’re strapped in all day, a comfortable, well-made harness is worth every penny.
Blocked Downpipes, Valleys and a Woodlouse or Two
Once I was up and working, the gutters told the usual story packed with debris, a fair bit of muck, and at least one downpipe blocked solid. There’s a small satisfaction in pulling a blockage clear and knowing you’ve genuinely fixed something rather than just tidied it.
I also found a little woodlouse habitat tucked in the guttering, and a few patches of bees on one section of the house that I gave a wide berth to. That’s part of the job people don’t think about you’re not just clearing leaves, you’re working around whatever’s decided to move in up there. I’ll always leave bees be and work round them rather than disturb them.
Then came the valleys. These are the channels where two pitched roof sections meet, and they’re magnets for debris. On this property there were several to clear, running between raised sections of roof.
The Bit the Comments Will Love: Stepping Out of the Basket
To clear one valley properly, I positioned the basket right into the channel and stepped out onto the valley itself. Now I know exactly what some of you are going to say. “You should never leave the basket.”
And in most situations, you’d be right. But this is what you can do when the job calls for it and it’s genuinely safe to do so: I had the basket blocking the only edge I could have gone over, raised roof sections either side of me, and a full and thorough risk assessment in place before I committed to it. No shortcut, no cowboy stuff a considered decision on the ground, which is exactly the kind of judgement that comes with experience rather than a rule book. If you’ve got thoughts on it, the comments are open. I’d genuinely rather have the debate than pretend the moment didn’t happen.
Want to see how I set that up? It’s worth watching that section in full:
👉 https://youtu.be/GrZrdLe5EAw
The Reach Mistake I’ll Happily Admit To
I got a bit ambitious with the reach of the machine and left a metre section just out of range. Which meant going down, resetting the machine, grabbing that last stretch, and coming back round. Annoying, and entirely my own doing but that’s the trade. You learn where the limits of your machine are by occasionally finding them the hard way.
By this point my basket was starting to resemble a wheelbarrow, so rather than faff about filling buckets and hauling them down, I tracked the machine round to the skip and tipped the basket straight in. Little decisions like that are where a one-man business lives or dies nobody’s paying you to do things twice, so you’re always weighing the fastest safe way to get it done.
Tight Courtyards and a Complicated Roof
The back of the property was a different animal entirely. I had to track the machine around the grounds and squeeze it into a tight little courtyard, then stretch the boom close to its limit just to reach the gutters. I wasn’t sure I’d reach them all sometimes you just do what you can and get as much as the machine will safely allow.
The roof itself was a complicated one, with plenty of valleys and sections to work through methodically. This is where a proper eye matters. When you’re up there every day, you start clocking the things a homeowner never sees and it’s why a professional roof survey and report is worth having before small problems turn into expensive roof repairs. Half the leaks I get called out to could’ve been caught early from a clear set of eyes at height.
Job Done Everything Flowing Nicely
By late afternoon it was all cleared out gutters clean, valleys clear, water flowing the way it should. Basket emptied one last time, machine back on the trailer, and home. A bigger and harder day than I’d anticipated from that first look at the gate, but a genuinely satisfying one.
That’s the honest reality of high-access work: no two jobs are the same, the access is never quite what you expect, and there’s real craft in getting a big property sorted safely and properly.
If your own gutters are overflowing, or you’ve got a roof or chimney you can’t get eyes on, that’s exactly the kind of work I do across Nottinghamshire from chimney maintenance and repair to roof cleaning and bird mesh installation to keep pests out of the roofline for good.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should gutters be cleaned on a large property?
For most homes, once or twice a year is enough ideally in late autumn once the leaves are down, and again in spring. Large properties with overhanging trees, valleys or multiple roof sections often need more frequent gutter clearance, as debris builds up faster and blockages cause overflow and damp if left.
Can a cherry picker access tight or awkward spaces?
Yes a tracked cherry picker is designed for exactly that. It can cross soft ground, fit through gateways and squeeze into tight courtyards where a vehicle-mounted platform simply can’t go, then extend the boom to reach gutters and roofs safely. That flexibility is the whole point of cherry picker access for working at height.
Why do gutter valleys get blocked so often?
Roof valleys are the channels where two pitched sections meet, so leaves, moss and debris naturally funnel into them and collect. Left unchecked, a blocked valley pushes water under the tiles and can lead to leaks, which is why they’re one of the first things I clear and check on any roof survey.
Is it safe to step out of a cherry picker basket?
As a general rule you stay in the basket but there are controlled situations where stepping out is done safely, with a thorough risk assessment, the basket positioned to block any fall edge, and stable footing either side. It’s a judgement call for an experienced operator, not something to do casually, and never without proper planning.
What damage can blocked gutters actually cause?
Overflowing gutters send water down the brickwork and into the fascias, causing damp, rot and staining over time and in cold weather, standing water can freeze and split the guttering. Clearing them regularly is far cheaper than the roof and gutter repairs that follow when they’re neglected.
Do you cover chimney work as well as gutters?
Yes — alongside gutter and roof work, I handle chimney maintenance and repair including repointing and flaunching, all reached safely by cherry picker. If you can’t get eyes on your chimney, it’s exactly the kind of high-access job the machine makes straightforward.
Enjoyed the read? Watch the full day unfold on the channel, drop a comment with your thoughts (especially on that basket debate), and follow along for more high-access roofing, gutter and chimney work.
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👕 My workwear is sponsored by Granite Workwear, and all of the clothing I’m wearing in the video can be purchased on their website: Workwear Clothing Supplier | Protective Safety Clothes
