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Gutters & Downspouts: what to ask, what it costs, and one number to call

Updated June 2026 · By the Mobile Phonebook editorial team · How we research pricing

Quick answer: Call to get connected with a gutter company near you for cleaning, repair, or full replacement. Typical jobs run $120 – $4,000 depending on scope (full breakdown). One free call to (800) 555-0199 connects you with a local gutter company after you enter your ZIP.

One number for gutters & downspouts (800) 555-0199

Enter your ZIP when prompted · Availability varies by area · Calls are free to you; the independent provider who answers may pay us for the connection. How we make money.

Gutters and downspouts have one job: move rainwater off your roof and away from your foundation. When they're clogged, sagging, leaking at the seams, or pulling away from the fascia, water ends up in places you really don't want it. Your basement. Behind the siding. Under the foundation. You call this trade for routine cleaning, for repairs after a storm, or for full replacement once the system is past saving.

Calling gets you in front of someone who can actually look at your roofline and quote real numbers. It pays to be informed first, though, because gutter work spans everything from a $150 cleaning to a $20,000+ gutter-guard contract pitched in your living room. The gap between what most jobs cost and what high-pressure salespeople charge for them is wider in this trade than almost any other home service.

What should you have ready before you call?

What you actually need: cleaning, repair, full replacement, or you're exploring guards
One story or two, and roughly how many linear feet of gutter (pace off the house perimeter for a rough idea)
What's going wrong: overflowing, leaking at seams, sagging, detached sections, water in the basement
How much tree cover hangs over the roof, since that drives both cleaning frequency and whether guards make sense
Current material if you know it (aluminum, vinyl, steel, copper)
Whether downspouts drain away from the foundation or just dump at the base of the wall
Photos of problem areas from the ground, which saves everyone time on the call

What should you ask before hiring? The 9-question script

This is your script. Nobody expects you to be an expert. Sound like someone who asks the right questions, and anyone good will answer all of these without flinching.

What's your price per linear foot, and what does it include?

Per-foot is the standard unit in this trade, so this makes quotes comparable. A complete answer covers gutter, hangers, downspouts, haul-away of the old material, and sealing. Not just the gutter coil.

Are you installing seamless or sectional gutters?

Seamless is the professional standard, with fewer joints and fewer future leaks. Sectional from a pro installer at pro prices is a bad deal.

What gauge aluminum do you use?

0.032-inch is the heavier standard; 0.027 is the thin stuff that dents and sags sooner. A pro answers instantly. The difference in material cost is small. The difference in lifespan isn't.

How are you attaching the gutters, and how far apart are the hangers?

Hidden hangers screwed into the fascia roughly every 24 inches (closer in snow country) is the good answer. Spike-and-ferrule is dated and works loose over time.

Will you check the fascia boards for rot before installing?

New gutters screwed into rotten fascia fail fast. A good installer inspects and tells you about needed wood repair up front, not as a surprise charge on install day.

For guards: what happens when they eventually need maintenance, and is that covered?

No guard is truly maintenance-free. Debris piles on top, and pollen or shingle grit can clog micro-mesh. An honest company explains the upkeep; a sales-driven one swears it's 'never clean your gutters again.'

Is that price good next week, or only today?

The single best filter for guard sales pitches. Real prices survive a week of thinking. 'Today-only' pricing exists to stop you from getting a second quote.

What warranty comes with the work, and is it on materials, labor, or both?

Material warranties from the manufacturer can run decades, but the installer's labor and workmanship coverage is what handles leaks at seams and corners. Get both in writing.

Where will the downspouts discharge?

Gutters that dump water right at the foundation didn't fix anything. Good answers involve extensions, splash blocks, or tying into drainage. Several feet away from the house, at minimum.

How much do gutters & downspouts cost in 2026?

Gutter work is priced per linear foot for installation and per job for cleaning and repairs. These are broad 2026 national ranges; story height, roof pitch, and region move every number.

Typical job	National range	What moves the price
Gutter cleaning	$120 – $400	Two-story homes and heavy debris at the top of the range
Seamless aluminum, installed	$6 – $15 per linear foot	Second story, steep pitch, and many corners push it up
Seamless copper, installed	$25 – $50+ per linear foot	Premium material and specialized labor
Full replacement, typical home (150–200 ft, aluminum)	$1,200 – $4,000	A complete quote includes downspouts and haul-away
Downspout, installed	$5 – $12 per linear foot	Larger 3x4-inch downspouts cost a bit more and clog less
Gutter repair (reseal, rehang, replace section)	$150 – $600	Often a minimum service charge plus materials
Micro-mesh gutter guards (local installer)	$8 – $25 per linear foot	The same category national sales outfits pitch at $30–$60+/ft
Fascia/soffit wood repair	$8 – $25 per linear foot	Common add-on when old gutters hid rot

These are typical 2026 U.S. ranges for planning purposes; your market, season and job specifics can land outside them. Always get the price for your job confirmed on the call and in writing. Ranges compiled June 2026 from national cost data and industry sources (methodology).

When you don't need to call anyone

We get paid when you call, so take this section as seriously as we do. Sometimes the honest answer is that you can handle it yourself or fix it cheaper first:

Single-story house and solid ladder footing? Gutter cleaning is classic DIY. Scoop, flush with a hose, done, for the cost of gloves and a trash bag.
Overflow at one spot usually means a clogged downspout. Flush it from the bottom up with a hose, or run a drain snake through, before paying for a full service.
A sagging section often just needs new hangers, a few dollars each at any hardware store.
Hold off on gutter-guard systems priced in the thousands until you've priced basic screens. And know that no guard is truly maintenance-free, whatever the presentation says.
Two stories, steep roof, or power lines nearby? That's when paying someone is the smart math. Ladder falls cost more than any cleaning.

How the gutter business works

Gutter replacement is priced per linear foot, and material drives the rate. Aluminum is the workhorse. Most homes get seamless aluminum at roughly $6 to $15 per foot installed. Vinyl is cheaper but flimsier, mostly a DIY material. Steel and galvalume cost more, and copper is the luxury tier at several times the aluminum price. A typical house has 100 to 250 linear feet of gutter, so a full aluminum replacement usually lands somewhere between $1,000 and $4,000 including downspouts. Second stories, steep roofs, and lots of corners all push the per-foot rate up.

Seamless versus sectional matters more than most homeowners realize. Seamless gutters are roll-formed from a coil on a machine in the installer's truck and custom-cut to each run of your house, so the only joints are at corners and downspouts. Sectional gutters snap together from 10-foot pieces, and every seam is a future leak. Almost every professional installer runs seamless. Sectional is what you get from a big-box store, and if a 'pro' quotes it, ask why.

Now for the part of this industry where you need your guard up: gutter guards. The guards themselves are a legitimate product, and micro-mesh screens that keep debris out genuinely cut down on cleaning. The problem is the sales model some national outfits use. You get a two-hour in-home presentation, a scary pitch about foundation damage, and a 'today-only' price that starts at $30 to $60 per linear foot, then magically drops 40% when you hesitate. Quality micro-mesh guards installed by a local company typically run $8 to $25 per foot. Same product category, wildly different price. The difference is the sales commission and the ad budget.

The honest economics: a professional cleaning costs $150 to $400 once or twice a year. Guards costing $3,000 to $6,000 take a decade or more to pay for themselves in skipped cleanings, and most still need occasional maintenance. That doesn't make guards a bad buy. Ladders are dangerous, and heavy tree cover changes the math. It does mean nobody should ever pressure you to sign tonight. Any guard price that's only good 'today' is a price with thousands of dollars of negotiating room built in.

Red flags & good signs

Red flags

A 'today-only' gutter guard price that drops dramatically the moment you hesitate. The first number was never real.
A two-hour in-home presentation for what should be a tape measure and a 20-minute quote
Scare tactics about imminent foundation failure to rush you into a same-day signature
Quotes way above $25 per foot for standard guards, or way below $5 per foot for installed seamless gutter (both numbers hide something)
Refusing to break the quote into per-foot pricing so you can compare it to anyone else
Installing over rotten fascia without mentioning it, or finding 'surprise' rot only after tear-off with a big change order
Sectional gutters quoted at seamless prices

Good signs

Quotes in plain per-linear-foot terms with gauge, hanger type, and downspout count spelled out
They measure your actual roofline rather than quoting sight-unseen over the phone
Honest talk about whether guards even make sense for your tree cover, including 'you probably just need annual cleaning'
The price quoted today is the same price next week, in writing
Photos of their downspout-drainage solutions, and they ask where your water problems show up

Frequently asked questions

How much does gutter replacement cost?

For seamless aluminum, which is what most homes get, figure $6 to $15 per linear foot installed. A typical house with 150 to 200 feet of gutter lands between roughly $1,200 and $4,000 including downspouts. Two-story homes, steep roofs, and copper push it higher. Get the quote broken out per foot so you can compare companies.

Are gutter guards worth it?

Sometimes. If you're under heavy tree cover or can't safely deal with ladders, quality micro-mesh guards at $8 to $25 per foot from a local installer can be a reasonable buy. What's rarely worth it is the $30-to-$60-per-foot version sold through high-pressure in-home presentations. And since no guard is truly maintenance-free, budget for occasional upkeep either way.

How often should gutters be cleaned?

Twice a year is the standard advice: late fall after the leaves drop, and once in spring. Homes with little tree cover can often get away with once a year, while a house under pines or heavy canopy may need three or four visits. Overflowing during rain is the tell that you've waited too long.

What's the difference between seamless and sectional gutters?

Seamless gutters are formed on-site from a continuous coil and cut to the exact length of each run, with joints only at corners and outlets. Sectional gutters are 10-foot pieces joined with seams every few feet, and every seam is a future leak point. Professional installers almost universally do seamless. Sectional is the budget DIY route.

How long do gutters last?

Seamless aluminum typically goes 20 to 30 years with basic maintenance. Copper can last 50-plus. Vinyl draws the short straw at 10 to 20, less in harsh climates. What kills gutters early is neglect (standing water, ice loading, loose hangers) more than the material aging out.

Do clogged gutters really cause foundation damage?

Over time, yes. Water dumping at the base of your wall can saturate the soil, leak into basements, and contribute to settling. But it's a gradual problem, not the tonight-or-never emergency that guard salespeople pitch. Fixing it can be as cheap as a cleaning and $20 downspout extensions.

Can I just repair my gutters instead of replacing them?

Often, yes. Leaking seams can be resealed, sagging runs rehung, and single damaged sections swapped out, typically for $150 to $600. Replacement makes sense when aluminum is failing in multiple spots, the back edge has rusted or rotted, or repairs are becoming an annual event. A company that offers repairs at all is a good sign; some only sell replacement.

What size gutters do I need?

Five-inch K-style is the residential standard and handles most roofs fine. Six-inch makes sense for large or steep roofs that dump a lot of water, and it pairs with bigger 3x4-inch downspouts that clog less. The upcharge for six-inch is usually modest, so it's worth asking about if you've had overflow problems.

Related services

Ready? You know what to ask now.

One call, your ZIP code, and you're talking to a local gutter company.

(800) 555-0199

Calls are free to you; the independent provider who answers may pay us for the connection. How we make money.