The quick answer#
Most homeowners pay $12 to $25 per linear foot for gutters installed in 2026. Aluminum, the usual choice, runs $10 to $20 per foot, vinyl $8 to $12, steel $10 to $35 and copper $25 to $40.
Aluminum, installed
$10–$20per linear ftVinyl, installed
$8–$12per linear ftCopper, installed
$25–$40per linear ftDownspouts, installed
$30–$75eachThose are HomeGuide's figures, for an average home of $2,200 to $5,000. The surveys spread wider than on most jobs: HomeAdvisor reports $4 to $40 per linear foot and This Old House $12 to $62, because a vinyl kit on a ranch and copper on a three-story house are both "new gutters". Most homes have 100 to 200 linear feet, roughly a tenth of the floor area. The gutter calculator counts the linear feet, downspouts and hangers for your house, and tells you whether it needs 5 or 6 inch.
Before you price anything
Find out how much gutter and how many downspouts you need
Enter the eave runs, the footprint and the roof pitch to get linear feet, downspouts, hangers, and whether to go 5 or 6 inch.
Cost by gutter material#
Aluminum covers most houses because it does not rust, comes in any color, and is formed into seamless runs on site. The other materials are either cheaper and shorter-lived, or heavier and longer-lived.
| Material | HomeGuide | Fixr | Lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | $10–$20 | $7–$13 | 20 to 30 years |
| Vinyl | $8–$12 | $5–$10 | 10 to 20 years |
| Steel | $10–$35 | $7–$12 | 20 to 50 years |
| Copper | $25–$40 | $18–$32 | 50 to 100 years |
| Zinc | $35–$45 | $16–$29 | 30 to 80 years and up |
| Wood | $25–$45 | $17–$31 | 15 to 50 years |
HomeGuide's column is its installed price per linear foot; Fixr's is the per foot range its whole-home installation totals are built from. Lifespans are HomeGuide's. The two surveys disagree most on the premium metals, so treat a zinc or copper quote as the place to get a third bid.
Vinyl is cheaper until it is not
Vinyl's lower price per foot buys a shorter life: 10 to 20 years against 20 to 30 for aluminum on HomeGuide's figures, and HomeGuide notes it can turn brittle in hard cold and fade in strong sun. HomeAdvisor notes vinyl is only sold as a sectional system, and every seam is a joint that can leak. Over the life of the house, aluminum usually costs less per year.
Cost by house size#
A house's gutter length follows its perimeter, and HomeGuide's rule of thumb is about a tenth of the floor area in linear feet. The figures below are for a single-story house with a simple roofline; a second story or a cut-up roof pushes each one up.
| House | Typical gutter | Installed |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | 130 linear ft | $1,600–$3,300 |
| 1,500 sq ft | 150 linear ft | $1,800–$3,800 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 180 linear ft | $2,200–$4,500 |
| 2,500 sq ft | 200 linear ft | $2,400–$5,000 |
| 3,000 sq ft | 220 linear ft | $2,600–$5,500 |
HomeGuide's figures. This Old House's run wider at the top, $2,303 to $12,067 for 200 linear feet on a 2,000 square foot house, because its range runs to copper and wood.
What moves the price#
Height#
A second story adds $1 to $3 or more per linear foot on HomeGuide's figures, for longer ladders or lifts, the safety setup, and longer downspouts. On 180 feet of gutter that is $180 to $540.
Seamless or sectional#
Seamless gutters are formed on site from a coil to the exact length of each run, so the only joints are at the corners. HomeGuide puts them at $3 to $5 or more per linear foot over sectional gutters. This Old House notes that sectional gutters are riveted and caulked at each seam, and those seams weaken as the caulk dries out, which is the usual reason seamless is worth the extra.
Size and style#
Most houses take 5 inch K-style gutters. Stepping up to 6 inch adds $1 to $2 per linear foot, and half-round adds the same on HomeGuide's figures. Whether you need 6 inch depends on the roof area draining to each downspout, the pitch and the longest run, which is what the gutter calculator checks.
Downspouts and drainage#
Downspouts are priced by the piece: $30 to $75 each installed on HomeGuide's figures, and splash blocks or extensions $10 to $50 more per downspout. A downspout that empties against the foundation sends water exactly where it does the most damage. If the yard holds water near the house even with working gutters, a French drain may be the next fix, and the French drain cost guide prices it.
Fascia and old gutters#
Gutters hang from the fascia board, and rotten fascia has to be replaced first, at $5 to $12 per linear foot on HomeGuide's figures. Removing old gutters adds $50 to $200 on HomeGuide's figures, $1 to $2 per linear foot on HomeAdvisor's, and $1.31 to $2.38 per foot on Fixr's.
Guards#
Gutter guards cost $15 to $45 per linear foot installed on HomeGuide's figures, which can match or exceed the price of the gutters themselves. They cut down on cleaning rather than ending it.
Materials by component#
This Old House prices a typical 200 linear foot system both ways, material alone and installed, from the Homewyse contractor pricing guide. The gap between the two columns is the labor.
| Material | Materials | Installed |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl | $571 | $2,388 |
| Aluminum | $1,535 | $3,352 |
| Galvanized steel | $1,604 | $3,421 |
| Steel | $1,716 | $3,533 |
| Wood | $5,512 | $8,633 |
| Copper | $5,749 | $7,566 |
This Old House's figures, calculated from Homewyse. Its retail prices for the parts, from The Home Depot, run per unit: end caps $2 to $10, elbows $4 to $8, hangers and brackets $2 to $17, downspouts $4 to $21 and splash blocks $6 to $66.
The trough is only part of the parts list. The gutter calculator's example, a 40 by 30 foot house at a 6/12 pitch with two 40 foot eaves, needs 80 linear feet of 5 inch gutter, 3 downspouts and 42 hangers at 24 inch spacing, plus end caps, elbows and an outlet for each downspout. The downspout count comes from the roof's footprint, not its sloped area, and the pitch factor it uses is not the same number as the multiplier the roofing calculator applies to shingle area.
Replacing the roof too?
Squares and bundles for the roof above the gutters
Enter the footprint and pitch to get roof area, squares, shingle bundles and underlayment rolls.
DIY versus contractor#
On This Old House's 200 foot example, labor comes to $1,817 for every material except wood, more than the aluminum itself costs. That is the number you are deciding about.
| Approach | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|
| DIY, sectional, materials only | $1,535 | 2 to 3 weekends |
| Contractor, installed | $3,352 | A day |
| What you keep | $1,817 | — |
This Old House's figures for 200 linear feet. A DIY system is sectional, since seamless gutters are formed on site by a machine the installer brings.
Sectional vinyl or aluminum on a single-story house is reasonable DIY work. The slope is the skill: about 1/4 inch of fall for every 10 feet toward each downspout, enough to drain without being visible from the street. A second story is ladder work at height carrying 10 foot sections, and that is where most homeowners hand it over. Seamless is contractor-only by definition.
Do the roof first
New shingles and drip edge go on before the gutters, and a roofer working above new gutters tends to dent them. If a roof replacement is within a few years, the roof replacement cost guide prices it, and it makes sense to do both in one season.
Build the parts list
Linear feet, downspouts, hangers and end caps
Enter the eave runs and footprint to get the full count, and the size each run needs.
Checking a quote in two minutes#
Measure the eaves, count the downspouts, then hold the quote against the per foot range.
Take 180 feet of seamless aluminum on a single-story house with five downspouts. At $10 to $20 per foot, the gutter is $1,800 to $3,600, and HomeGuide's figure for the house size is $2,200 to $4,500. A quote of $3,200 is mid-range. A quote of $7,000 is nearly $39 a foot, so ask what is in it: guards at $15 to $45 a foot, new fascia, or a second story would each explain part of it.
The same test runs the other way. A quote well under the range usually means sectional rather than seamless, hangers spaced far apart, or downspouts that empty at the foundation. Ask every bidder for the gauge of the aluminum, the hanger spacing, and where each downspout discharges, and the cheap quotes tend to explain themselves. Run your eaves through the gutter calculator to check the downspout count and the size match.
Save the gutter cost chart#
Installed cost per linear foot and lifespan for six gutter materials. Save it and you can hold a gutter bid against it on the spot.
Save to PinterestOpens Pinterest with the chart and link ready to go.
Common questions#
How much do gutters cost for a 2,000 square foot house?#
HomeGuide puts a single-story 2,000 square foot house at about 180 linear feet of gutter and $2,200 to $4,500 installed. This Old House figures 200 linear feet and $2,303 to $12,067, with the top of that range in copper or wood. A second story adds $1 to $3 per linear foot.
Are seamless gutters worth the extra cost?#
Usually. Seamless gutters cost $3 to $5 more per linear foot than sectional on HomeGuide's figures, and they have joints only at the corners. Sectional gutters are riveted and caulked at every seam, and those seams are where leaks start as the caulk ages.
How much do downspouts cost?#
$30 to $75 each installed on HomeGuide's figures, plus $10 to $50 per downspout for a splash block or extension to carry the water away from the foundation. The gutter calculator allows one downspout per 35 feet of run at minimum, and more where the roof area draining to them calls for it.
Do I need 5 inch or 6 inch gutters?#
Most houses take 5 inch K-style gutters. A large roof area draining to each downspout, a steep pitch, or a long single run can call for 6 inch, which adds $1 to $2 per linear foot. The gutter calculator checks all three and says which one triggered the larger size.