The homeowner in North York noticed it first in the basement. A dark stain spreading across the drywall, low on the wall, near the corner. It showed up after heavy rain and dried between storms. She assumed a window seal. She was wrong.
When our technician Vitaly arrived at the bungalow on March 20, the first thing he checked was the eavestrough along the roofline. What he found explained everything - and none of it had to do with a window.
What the Roof Told Us Before We Touched the Gutters
The shingles along the front roofline were gone in two spots. Not wind damage. The edges were ragged and chewed, the asphalt granules scattered across the gutter trough below. Raccoons had been working this roof since the previous summer. By the time we arrived, they had opened a direct path from the shingle layer down to the fascia board.
The fascia was rotted through. Dark, soft wood sat exposed where the shingle overhang had been. Water had been pooling behind the gutter during every rain, soaking the wood, then finding its way down the exterior wall and into the basement corner.
Inside the Gutters: Months of Debris and a Raccoon Nest
The eavestroughs themselves were packed. Leaf debris from the fall had compressed into a wet mat across the full run of the front gutter. Mixed in with it: strips of insulation, dry grass, and compacted soil that raccoons had carried in to build a nest over the downspout opening.
The downspout was completely blocked. Water had nowhere to go during rain events except backward, over the back edge of the gutter and down the fascia - exactly where the wood was already failing.
The Gutter System Was Not Sealed
After clearing the debris, Vitaly ran water through the full system. Three joints leaked. The original silicone had dried and cracked - common on gutters that are five to ten years old and have never been resealed. The corner mitre was also pulling apart from the weight of the packed debris that had sat in it through winter.
Every joint that leaks sends water behind the gutter rather than through the downspout. Over a season, that water saturates the fascia, softens the wood, and creates the exact conditions raccoons need to get a grip and pull.
The cycle on this North York bungalow had been running for at least one full year before the basement wall showed it.
What We Did and What Still Needs to Happen
Vitaly completed a full eavestrough cleaning on the property: debris removed, downspout flushed, all joints inspected. The three failing joints were resealed with exterior-grade silicone. The corner mitre was refastened and sealed.
The homeowner also received a written note recommending two additional steps. First, a roofing company needs to replace the damaged shingles and the rotted fascia section - that work is outside our scope, but we confirmed a licensed roofer referral. Second, we recommended leaf guard installation on the front run to prevent debris accumulation and reduce the foothold raccoons have at the roofline.
If you have a similar situation in North York or elsewhere in the GTA, the place to start is a proper inspection. Water stains in a basement corner rarely begin at the basement. They begin at the roofline, work down the fascia, and arrive at the wall months later.
You can also visit our main gutter cleaning Toronto page or our downspout repair service page for more on what we cover.
Signs Your Eavestrough Needs Inspection Now
- Water stains on interior walls, especially basement corners
- Paint peeling on fascia boards or soffit
- Gutters visibly sagging or pulling away from the roofline
- Evidence of raccoons on the roof - scratching sounds, droppings, torn shingles
- Downspout not running during or after heavy rain
- Gutters overflowing at the sides rather than through the downspout
On a bungalow, the damage is often visible from the ground if you know where to look. On a two-storey home, it is not. An annual professional gutter cleaning in North York catches these problems before they reach the wall. We have served 450+ clients across the GTA with a 5.0 rating across 454 Google reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can raccoons actually damage my gutters and shingles?
Yes. Raccoons are strong enough to peel back shingles and bend aluminum eavestroughs. In Toronto and North York, raccoon roof damage is one of the more common causes of gutter failure we see. They typically target weak spots at the gutter edge where debris has softened the roofline, and they return to the same entry points each season.
My basement wall has a water stain. Could it be my gutters?
Frequently, yes. A blocked or leaking eavestrough sends water behind the gutter and down the exterior wall. Basement corner stains that appear after rain and dry between storms are a common sign of roofline water infiltration rather than a foundation crack. Start with a gutter inspection before calling a waterproofing company.
How often should gutters be cleaned in North York?
Twice a year is the standard for most North York properties: once in late spring after tree seeds and pollen, and once in late fall after leaf drop. Properties with mature trees overhead, or any history of raccoon activity, benefit from a third inspection in late summer. Toronto freeze-thaw cycles in winter amplify any blockage left in the system after fall.
Can you re-seal failing gutter joints during a cleaning visit?
Yes. After clearing the eavestrough, we inspect all joints and corners. Failing seals are resealed with exterior silicone on the same visit. If a mitre or section of gutter has physically separated from the fascia, we refasten and seal it. Joints that have failed beyond resealing are flagged in a written report with a repair recommendation.
Do you recommend leaf guards after raccoon damage?
In many cases, yes. A micro-mesh leaf guard removes the debris layer at the gutter edge that gives raccoons a grip on the roofline, and eliminates the wet organic material that softens fascia and shingles over time. We carry and install leaf guard systems as a separate service.
Will DT Cleaning also repair the roof if raccoons damaged the shingles?
Shingle replacement and fascia board repairs fall under roofing, not eavestrough cleaning. We do not perform those repairs, but we document what we find and can recommend licensed roofing contractors in the North York area. Our role is to restore the gutter system, reseal joints, flush downspouts, and flag structural damage that needs a roofer.
