How Much Do Seamless Gutters Cost?

Quality seamless gutters are essential to keeping your home safe from moisture infiltration. Moreover, there are a number of accessories you can add to improve the level protection your roof gets.

Installing seamless gutters costs $10-12 per linear foot, including all materials and professional labor.

If you are ready to replace your old gutters, contact your local gutter installers for FREE ESTIMATES!

How Much Are Seamless Gutters?

An average size home of 2,000 sq. ft. typically requires about 150-200 linear feet of vertical gutters, as well as downspouts to allow water to drain.

This puts the cost of new seamless gutters at $10-11 per linear foot for a one storie home, and $11-12 per linear foot for a two storie home (standard, white, seamless aluminum gutters).

Installing 150 linear feet of aluminum gutters costs $1,500 – 1,650 for a one storie house and $1,650 – 1,800 for a two-storie home. This price does not include any type of leaf protection, such as Leaf Guard.

Note, contractor labor rates vary greatly depending on your location. If you live in a high-income area, such as New York City, you will pay considerably more (about 7% higher than the national average).

On the other hand, if you live in a city like, Houston, Texas, you will pay much less, because contractor rates there are about 10 – 16% lower than the national average.

Use our Gutter Cost Calculator to estimate the cost of installing seamless gutters on your home.

Sectional vs Seamless Gutters

When looking at different gutter options and materials, the most important consideration is whether you want your gutters to be sectional or seamless.

Seamless Gutters

Seamless gutters are the best when it comes to durability and leak protection. Since there are no seams, there are also no places where water would be able to seep through the gutter.

Seams exists only at the corners – here they are carefully screwed together and sealed with silicone to prevent any leaks.

Essentially, seamless gutters consist of one giant strip of metal, which has been custom – made for your home.

This is accomplished by using a coiled metal and a gutter machine to extrude the gutter to the exact length of the run. Such customization comes with a much higher price tag, compared to sectional gutters.

Typically, professionally installed aluminum seamless gutters cost $10-12 per linear foot. So if you need to install 150 ln.ft. of gutters and downspouts, you will be spending about $1,500-1,800.

In terms of material options, most seamless gutters (roughly 80% of all installs) are made from aluminum.

These can also be painted to complement the color of your roof and siding. More expensive seamless gutters are made from either galvanized steel or copper.

Sectional gutters

Sectional gutters are manufactured in either 5, 10, or 15 foot sections. 10 foot gutters are the most common and popular.

Their biggest advantage is the low cost and the possibility of a DIY install. The obvious problem is that there are unavoidable seams in multiple areas, which makes the entire gutter system prone to leaks.

Sectional gutters come in the following materials: vinyl, wood and aluminum. Aluminum sectional gutters have about 25 different colors to choose from, which gives you a lot of design options for your home. Vinyl sectional gutters are usually white, beige or brown – but they are also the cheapest option.

DIY Seamless Gutters Installation Cost vs. Hiring a Contractor

PRO TIP – Hire a Gutter Installer! Getting a contractor to install seamless gutters is cheap enough that it actually makes sense NOT to do it yourself!

1) Most homeowners would install either vinyl or aluminum gutters that come from Home Depot / Lowe’s in 10′ sections. This will surely result in future leaks at seams (between every 10′ section).

2) Most homeowners do not have access to SEAMLESS gutters, or cannot transport them from local fabricator to their home. How would you transport a 40-50 feet long gutter section?

3) By doing it yourself you will save at most $500-600 on an average house, while going through a lot of trouble and health risks!

If you want to save on gutter installation cost, you can go the DIY route. In this case, materials will cost about $4-5 per foot. including all accessories, hardware and downspouts. This amounts to about $400 – 500 for 100 ln.ft. So you save at least $500 by doing the install yourself.

These prices are for vinyl Home Depot gutters. Also, similar products are available at Lowe’s and other home improvement stores. These stores don’t carry steel or aluminum gutters. This is because they are sold in 10 ft. sections, and 99% of homeowners would not be able to install them properly.

Nevertheless, it is possible to purchase seamless aluminum gutters. You would have to find a small local supplier or buy them from a local contractor, who owns a roll forming machine, and is willing to sell it direct.

The biggest downside to DYI gutter installation is that you would most likely only be able to work with sectional gutters.

These tend to leak a lot more and faster, compared to seamless ones. So while you will save initially, you also have to consider that you will have gutter repair costs in the future.

It is also possible that full replacement may become necessary as quickly as in 2-3 years.

Gutter Enhancement Costs

You may also need a professional to preform the following services:

– Replace rotted wood fascia board with 1 x 6 PVC Board: $13-14 per linear foot.. Wider fascia boards will cost slightly more.

– Gutter cleaning service: $100-150 for a one time service for a single storie home. $200-250 for a two-storie home.

In most regions, its recommended to clean gutters at least 3 times a year. Alternatively, you can get an inexpensive Lowes gutter cleaner for only around $18.

– Install Leaf Guard: $8 / ln.ft. for plastic Lows leaf guard sold at Home Depot and $12 / ln.ft. or more for professional (metal) leaf guards.

Gutter Materials Prices

Seamless rain gutters are available in a number of different materials. Keep in mind that you will also need to purchase downspout extensions.

Aluminum Seamless Gutters

Aluminum gutters are the most popular and cost-effective. In fact, the account for over 90% of all professional installs. The biggest advantage is that these gutters will not rust! Moreover, they are lightweight and highly efficient at carrying water away from your house.

Coil stock is available in a range of thicknesses, including .032, .027, and .025 inches. It is recommended to choose the thickest 0.032 material, as its a lot more durable.

Also, be sure to get primary as opposed to secondary aluminum. It costs a little more, but offers more uniform consistency. Secondary aluminum is made from recycled aluminum scraps, and is typically not as strong and consistent.

The average installation cost for aluminum seamless gutters is $10-11 per ln.ft. installed for a one storie home, and about $11-12 per ln.ft. for a two storie home.

Galvanized Steel Gutters

Residential galvanized steel gutters are also a popular choice, although not as commonly chosen as aluminum seamless gutters.

Gutter pros indicate that there is no benefit to using this metal in residential application, because savings on material would be minimal, while wear on the roll forming machines would be excessive.

Additionally, steel can rust, and because gutters are always subjected to standing water, its not recommended to use this material. There are much better options, such as: zinc or copper, and of course aluminum.

If you still want to purchase steel gutters, you should know that prices vary greatly and you need to get a quote from your local sheet metal shop.

However, expect to pay at least $60-70 for a 10 ft section of seamless steel gutters.

A 10 ft. downspout will run you another $40-50. All accessories are also very expensive. With such pricing, it doesn’t make sense to buy steel, because zinc costs almost the same.

Copper Gutters

This is a premium metal that offers superior durability and longevity. However, most homeowners choose copper for its unique and beautiful look.

Over time, it develops a greenish patina, which many people greatly enjoy. Most copper gutters are installed on upscale brick mansions with slate roofs, or modern custom-built homes. You will rarely find them on a ranch or cape home.

The average price of copper gutters is around $25 – 30 per ln.ft. installed.

Cost of Seamless Gutter Accessories

There are a number of useful accessories you may want to purchase to enhance the performance and longevity of your new gutters.

Leaf guards: a mesh, perforated or solid guard that prevents leaves and other junk from clogging your gutters. There are numerous gutter guards available, but its better to select one that will not rust and corrode over time.

They can be made of metal or plastic, and can be purchased in 4 or 10 ft. sections from a multitude of suppliers. There are over 50 Home Depot gutter guards options to choose from, made from various materials.

There are even products with an integrated leaf guard. However, they are expensive to install and can have pretty serious maintenance issues.

Costs range from $40 (DIY installation) to $3,500 (professional installation)

Downspout screens: redirect the flow of debris away from the downspout opening. This budget-friendly screen can be purchased for only about $15 each.

Downspout strainer: an aluminum “basket” that is inserted into the gutter outlet (drain) and prevents debris from clogging the drain. You can buy it for around $6 each.

Heat tape: if you live in a region with cold winters and snow, you will need to deal with leaks caused by ice dams. You can prevent these issues by running a heat tape cable through your gutters and downspouts. When you activate the cable, it will melt the ice and the water will naturally drain away.

Heat tape can be purchased for about $79 / 120 ft. cable

Wire mesh screens: install these on top of your gutters to prevent any insects/pest from entering inside and jeopardizing the integrity of the entire system.

You can buy these for as low as a $1.5/ln. ft.

Cleaner attachment: instead of hiring a pro to clean your gutters, you can save a lot of money by doing it yourself, using a special cleaner attachment. It easily fits into a pressure washer and can be used to clean gutters right from the ground.

There are different attachment options available, starting at $22.

Seamless Gutters Installation Tips

You should get multiple quotes from local installers – at least 3.

Select a pro you are most comfortable with or a mid-range price. Its best to work with an owner operated company – even if others offer a lower price. Trust is a big issue when hiring contractors.

Bottom line – it’s pretty hard to screw up a gutter install, but it is possible. Here is what you need to know:

It’s important that your contractor installs gutters with proper slope. If drains are above the low point of your gutters, water will stand, and eventually you will get a small garden growing in there.

Usually long runs of gutters have two downspouts on each end, and center slightly raised compared to the edges (even 0.5″ to 1″ difference is enough for water to drain properly).

You should replace any rotted fascia boards (wood behind your gutters), as these are your nailing surface and must be in good condition to hold gutters in place.

Use concealed hangers with screws to attach your gutters and NOT long aluminum nails. Nails tend to come out, as they split the wood, when installed. Also, nails cannot be re-adjusted vertically.

Why Choose Seamless Gutters For Your Home?

The biggest benefit of seamless gutters is that they come as one giant strip, without any gaps or seams.

Consequently, seamless gutters can only leak in 3-4 spots – end caps, drain outlets or corners. The good news is that seamless gutters usually don’t leak for a long time, if ever.

By comparison, sectional gutters usually leak at every joint. Since sections are 10 ft long, you can get 5 or more leaks on a single run.

Moreover, professional installation is fast and easy. A contractor comes in, measures your roof and determines the length of strip required. He then produces gutters on site, by running aluminum coil through a roll forming machine, making the exact length you need.

Once a gutter is made, end caps and drain outlets are installed on the ground, hangers are placed inside the gutter 24 inches apart. Two installers lift the gutter section up and attach it to the roof fascia. Once it is installed, downspouts are added as needed.

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