New gutters cost $12 to $25 a linear foot installed, which works out to $2,200–$5,000 on a typical house. It is a small job next to a roof or a kitchen, and it protects more of the house than either.
Gutters are the thing nobody thinks about until water is in the basement. What they actually do is move roof water away from the foundation — which is why failed gutters show up as wet basements, cracked footings, rotted fascia and ruined landscaping, all of which cost far more than the gutters did.
Cost per linear foot by material
| Material | Installed, per linear foot | Lifespan |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl / PVC | $8 – $12 | 10 – 20 years |
| Aluminium | $10 – $20 | 20 – 30 years |
| Steel | $10 – $35 | 20 – 50 years |
| Copper | $25 – $40 | 50 – 100 years |
| Wood | $25 – $45 | 15 – 50 years |
| Zinc | $35 – $45 | 30 – 80+ years |
Aluminium is the sensible default for almost every house: it does not rust, it is light enough to hang easily, it comes in colours, and 20–30 years is a reasonable life for a component that costs a few thousand dollars.
Vinyl is cheaper and it is a false economy on most homes. It gets brittle in cold, sags between hangers in heat, and 10–20 years is optimistic in a climate with real winters. On a small single-storey house in a mild climate it is defensible. Elsewhere, the $2–$8 a foot you save buys you the same job again a decade early.
Copper and zinc are architectural choices. They last essentially forever and cost accordingly. If you are looking purely at cost per year they are not unreasonable — but they only make sense on a house whose look justifies them.
Seamless vs sectional
Seamless gutters cost $3–$5+ more per linear foot. On 150 feet of gutter that is $450–$750, and it is usually worth paying.
Sectional gutters are joined every few feet, and every joint is a place that eventually leaks — sealant fails, the sections move with temperature, and you end up with drips down the fascia exactly where you did not want water. Seamless runs are formed on site in one continuous length per side, so the only joints are at the corners and outlets.
Sectional makes sense for a DIY install or a very small run. For a professional job on a whole house, the upgrade removes the most common failure point in the system.
What is not in the per-foot price
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Downspouts | $30 – $75 each, installed |
| Gutter guards | $15 – $45 per linear foot |
| Removing old gutters | $50 – $200 |
| Fascia board replacement | $5 – $12 per linear foot |
| Fascia plus soffits | $9 – $34 per linear foot |
Rotted fascia is the surprise. Gutters hang off the fascia board, and gutters that failed years ago have usually been soaking it the whole time. Nobody can see how bad it is until the old gutters come down — and at $5–$12 a foot, replacing fascia along one side of a house is a meaningful addition to a $3,000 job. If your old gutters leaked, budget for it rather than hoping.
Gutter guards deserve scrutiny. At $15–$45 a linear foot they can cost more than the gutters themselves — 150 feet of mid-range guards is $3,000, on a $3,000 gutter job. They genuinely reduce cleaning under heavy leaf fall, and no guard eliminates maintenance. Under a large deciduous tree they earn their keep. On a house with no trees near the roof they are an expensive answer to a problem you do not have.
The part that decides whether it works
Two details matter more than the material, and neither shows up as a line item:
- Enough downspouts, in the right places. A long run with one downspout overflows in heavy rain no matter how good the gutter is. Roughly one every 30–40 feet is a reasonable guide; more on steep roofs that shed water fast.
- Where the water actually goes. A downspout that discharges against the foundation has moved the problem four feet, not solved it. Extensions or buried drainage carrying water several feet away is the entire point of the system.
If you have a damp basement, check this before you spend anything on waterproofing. A surprising share of basement moisture is roof water being dumped at the foundation by a downspout that ends in a splash block.
The bottom line
Budget $12–$25 per linear foot, or $2,200–$5,000 for a typical house. Choose seamless aluminium unless you have a specific reason to go elsewhere, and hold back something for fascia repair if the old gutters were leaking.
Skip the guards unless you actually have trees over the roof. Spend that money on more downspouts and on getting the water properly away from the house instead — that is the part doing the work.
If the roof is being done at the same time, our roof replacement guide covers that job, and siding costs are here — doing all three together saves on scaffolding and access.
If water is still reaching the basement after the gutters are sorted, the next line is a sump pump.
Masonry above the roofline ages the same way. Here is what chimney repair costs in 2026.
Working out your own number? Our free renovation cost calculator gives you the range for your size and area in about ten seconds.