Gutter Installation Cost Calculator
By the linear foot, with the tear-off, the downspouts and the ladder height priced separately.
Start from the house, if you have not measured the run
Installed cost
$1,247.40
- Gutter — 80 lf at $9.00
- $720.00
- Downspouts — 42 lf at $7.00
- $294.00
- Tear-off and haul away
- $120.00
- Contingency (10%)
- $113.40
- All-in per linear foot
- $15.59/lf
Compare quotes on the all-in per-foot figure. A low rate with removal and downspouts billed separately is rarely the cheaper job.
Replacing the roof at the same time? Do both while the crew is up there →
How this is calculated
gutter = run × rate downspout = downspout feet × downspout rate guards = run × guard rate removal = run × tear-off rate access = all of the above × (story premium − 1) total = (that + fascia repair) × (1 + contingency%)
The access premium multiplies the work a ladder has to reach and nothing else. Twenty per cent for a second story and forty-five for a third is not a materials markup — the aluminum costs the same at any height. It is the extra setup, the staging, the slower pace and the insurance that comes with working at height, and it is why the same run of gutter is a different job on a ranch and on a three-story colonial.
Fascia repair sits outside that multiplier because it is carpentry priced on its own terms, usually by a different person on a different day. It is also the line most likely to appear after the quote is signed, because nobody can see the board until the old gutter comes off. A contractor who has already discussed it with you is quoting honestly; one who has not will raise it mid-job.
Cost by material for a 180 foot run
| Material | Rate | Single story | Two story | Life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vinyl K-style (sectional) | $4.50/lf | $1,452.00 | $1,742.40 | 10-15 years, less in hard sun or hard frost |
| Aluminum K-style (seamless) | $9.00/lf | $2,541.00 | $3,049.20 | 20-30 years |
| Aluminum half-round | $14.00/lf | $3,663.00 | $4,395.60 | 20-30 years |
| Galvanized steel | $13.00/lf | $3,531.00 | $4,237.20 | 20-25 years, less where it rusts |
| Zinc | $28.00/lf | $7,293.00 | $8,751.60 | 50+ years |
| Copper half-round | $34.00/lf | $8,745.00 | $10,494.00 | 50-100 years |
Figures include 60 feet of downspout, tear-off at $1.50 a foot and 10% contingency. Read the rate column against the life column rather than on its own: vinyl is genuinely cheap and genuinely needs replacing twice in the time aluminum lasts once, which makes it a false economy on a two-story house where most of the cost is the ladder rather than the material.
Copper is priced as architecture rather than as drainage. It costs three to four times aluminum, it outlasts the roof under it, and it is chosen on appearance — the patina — rather than on any arithmetic that ends in payback. If the numbers are what is deciding, the answer is seamless aluminum in almost every case.
What actually moves a gutter quote
| Factor | Effect | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hip versus gable roof | Up to twice the run | A hip roof drains on all four sides |
| Second story | +20% on the labour | Staging, slower pace, insurance |
| Gutter guards | +$5 to $10 per foot | Frequently as much as the gutter |
| Rotten fascia | +$8 to $15 per foot | Only visible after the tear-off |
| Seamless versus sectional | Similar material, fewer joints | Every joint is a future leak |
| Doing it with the roof | Saves one access setup | Drip edge and gutter apron are one detail |
The first row is the one to check before comparing any two quotes. Two contractors looking at the same house can be pricing eighty feet of difference if one has measured a hip roof properly and the other has assumed a gable, and no amount of arguing about materials will reconcile prices that are measuring different jobs.
Frequently asked questions
How much does gutter installation cost?
Seamless aluminum, the default across most of the US, runs $8 to $12 per linear foot installed, so a typical single-story house with 150 to 200 feet of run lands between $1,500 and $2,500 including downspouts. Vinyl is roughly half that and copper three to four times it. The run length matters less than people expect; the access, the tear-off and the guards are what move a quote.
How many linear feet of gutter does my house need?
On a gable roof, only the two eave sides carry gutters, so it is twice the length of the house. On a hip roof all four sides drain, so it is the full perimeter. That difference is often eighty feet on an ordinary house, which is why two quotes for the same square footage can be so far apart before anyone has argued about materials.
How many downspouts do I need?
One per thirty to forty feet of gutter, with a minimum of two on any run, and more where a long valley dumps a large roof area into one corner. Under-draining is the most common installation fault: the gutter overflows at the low end in heavy rain and the homeowner concludes the gutter is too small, when the real problem is that the water has nowhere to go quickly enough.
Is seamless gutter worth it over sectional?
Usually, yes. Sectional gutter is joined every ten feet and every joint is a future leak, while seamless is rolled on site in one continuous piece per run with joints only at the corners. The material cost is similar; you are paying for the machine coming to the house. On a single-story ranch with short straight runs the advantage narrows, but on anything longer it is the cheaper decision over ten years.
Are gutter guards worth the money?
They add $5 to $10 a foot, which is often as much as the gutter itself, and they reduce cleaning rather than eliminate it. The honest test is how many trees overhang the roof and how hard the gutters are to reach. Two mature trees over a three-story roof makes the case easily; an open lot with a one-story roof and a ladder in the garage does not.
Does the fascia need repairing at the same time?
Often, and it is worth knowing before the quote rather than after. Failed gutters push water back against the fascia board, and rot there is only visible once the old gutter comes off. A good contractor prices the tear-off, looks, and gives you a per-foot rate for replacement if it is needed. A contractor who has not mentioned fascia has either checked or is planning to raise it mid-job.
Should gutters be replaced with the roof?
If both are near the end of their life, yes — the crew is already up there, the drip edge and the gutter apron are installed as one detail, and doing them separately means paying twice for access and risking a new gutter being damaged during a tear-off. If the roof has years left, replacing gutters alone is straightforward and does not disturb the roofing.
Planning estimates built from typical installed price ranges, not quotes. Rates vary widely by region, by how much of the crew's day the job takes and by what the fascia looks like once the old gutter is off. Get the tear-off, the downspouts and any guards itemised so the per-foot figures you are comparing describe the same work.