Gutters are extremely important to the longevity of a home. Even the most sturdy brick homes can quickly be reduced to rubble if there isn’t a proper water removal system in place around the house. Most home owners understand how damaging water can be but the idea of installing gutters yourself can be a daunting task.
Types of gutter systems for residential homes and very rough estimates of gutter installation costs
Gutter Materials
Residential gutters are made from various metals, including:
Aluminum
- Most widely used material
- Lightweight and easy to install for DIYers
- Won’t rust
- .032- or .027-gauge thickness recommended for long-lasting duty in regions with snow
- Comes in various colors and can be painted
Cost of materials if you DIY: $2 to 3 per linear foot (6-inch K-style) including downspouts
Cost of pro install (materials and labor): $4 to $9 per linear foot
Copper
- Exceptional beauty
- Won’t rust
- No need to paint; will develop a patina over time
- Needs pro installation; seams and joints must be welded
- Used primarily on high-end residences and historic restorations
- Pricey
Cost of pro install (materials and labor): $12 to $25 per linear foot (6-inch K-style)
Seamless Aluminum
Seamless (or continuous) gutters are made at the job site. A truck with a spool of flat aluminum pulls up to your home, and the fabricator uses a gutter-forming machine to custom make whatever gutter length is required. There’s no hauling of long gutters. About 70% of all gutter installations are the seamless type.
Installing seamless gutters:
- Eliminates many seams and reduces chances of leaks
- Costs slightly more than regular aluminum gutters
Cost of pro install (fabrication and materials): $5 to $11 per linear foot (6-inch K-style)
Steel
- Strong
- Galvanized steel resists rust but longevity is an issue; may start to rust after 5 to 10 years
- Many color options; can be painted
- Heavy and not recommended for DIY
- Can be pricey
Cost of DIY materials, including downspouts: $4 to $6 per linear foot (6-inch K-style)
Cost of pro install (materials and labor): $8 to $10 per linear foot
Vinyl
- Lightweight and inexpensive; good for DIYers
- Not many colors to choose from
- Color susceptible to fading from UV sunlight
- May crack in severe cold
- Won’t support ladders placed against them
Cost of DIY materials, including downspouts: $1 to $2 per linear foot (6-inch K-style)
Cost of pro install (materials and labor): $3 to $5 per linear foot
Zinc
- Durable and long-lasting
- No need to paint; will develop a patina over time
- Needs pro installation; seams and joints must be welded
- Used primarily on high-end residences and historic restorations
- Expensive
Cost of pro install (materials and labor): $10 to $24 per linear foot, 6-inch half-round (K-style not available in zinc)
Downspouts
Downspouts come as either round or square, in widths from 3 to 6 inches. The most common sizes are rectangular:
- 2 inches by 3 inches
- 3 inches by 4 inches
Decorative varieties, such as spiral shapes, are available.
The size and number of downspouts you’ll need depends on the capacity of your system.
Rule of thumb: You need one downspout for about every 30 to 40 linear feet of gutter. To increase the capacity of your gutter system, add more downspouts.
How Much Gutter Do You Need?
Figuring gutters sizes and capacities is a complex brain-freeze equation involving the size and slope of your roof and the average maximum rainfall your area can expect. We recommend leaving the calculations to your gutter installation professional.
For the most part, you won’t go wrong with a 5-inch, K-style gutter. “A 5-inch gutter is pretty standard and will handle rainfall just about anywhere in the country,” says Bill Sheetz, owner of Lake Cook Exteriors in Palatine, Ill. He uses them on “almost all our installations.” And he specs oversized (3-inch-by-4-inch) downspouts to ensure good drainage.
Sheetz says a 6-inch gutter has almost twice the capacity of a 5-inch, but cautions that in cold climates, larger gutters run the risk of getting weighted down with ice that could damage the gutter system. Moving to a 6-inch gutter increases costs by about 25%.
K&P Gutter Installation Pros
K&P is dedicated to offering competitive pricing and high quality work for both gutter installation, maintenance and repair. Choose K&p to be your gutter installation specialist!