How to measure a house for gutters
Gutters run along the eaves that drain, so the feet you need depend on the roof's shape and not the footprint. A gable roof usually has gutters on its two long sides. A hip roof usually has them on all four. If your house has an L shape or a garage, add those eaves yourself by measuring along the fascia, and enter the sizes so that the feet come out right.
Downspouts follow the roof they drain, not the gutter's length. Texas A&M gives one square inch of downspout for every 100 square feet of roof, so a 2 by 3 inch downspout serves 600 square feet and a 3 by 4 inch serves 1,200. It sizes for a heavy storm. Rainfall differs, and for engineered sizing SMACNA offers a tool that uses local rainfall. This Old House's pitch factors allow for a steep roof catching more rain.
The rates are one contractor's estimates, with no source named, so use them to check quotes. Height changes real prices, as a second or third story needs taller ladders or scaffolding, but no source we read gives a number, so it is not in this figure. We have also left out a regional factor, for the same reason.
A worked example
Here is a 50 by 30 foot house with a gable roof at a 6 to 8 pitch, in plain aluminum. These lines come from the same formula the calculator above runs.
50 by 30 ft house, gable roof, aluminum
- 50 + 50 = 100 ft of gutter
- 100 × 6 = 600, and 100 × 12 = 1200 in dollars
- 1500 × 1.1 = 1650 sq ft of roof
- 1650 ÷ 600 = 2.75, so 3 downspouts
With guards and removal of the old gutters, the same house comes to $1,200 to $2,900. If you are collecting the water, use the rainwater collection calculator, and the gutter cleaning calculator shows the yearly cost that guards are meant to reduce.
Installed gutter cost for 200 feet
These use the contractor's rates per foot. This Old House's totals for 200 feet, from Homewyse data, sit in these ranges for aluminum, at $1,535, and copper, at $5,749. Its $571 for vinyl sits below this range.
| Material | Per foot | 200 feet |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl | $4 to $8 | $800 to $1,600 |
| Aluminum | $6 to $12 | $1,200 to $2,400 |
| One-piece aluminum, made on site | $9 to $18 | $1,800 to $3,600 |
| Steel | $10 to $20 | $2,000 to $4,000 |
| Copper | $25 to $40 | $5,000 to $8,000 |
Mistakes when pricing gutters
- Comparing retail with installed. A store's price for a part is not an installed price.
- Treating downspouts as free. Inch Calculator says the count and length of them affect the price.
- Measuring the footprint. Only the eaves that drain get gutters, so measure those.
- Ignoring the slope. Texas A&M gives 1/16 inch per foot of length. Too little and water sits there.
- Leaving out access. A second story is a fall risk, and a quote should allow for how it will be reached.
Questions
How much do new gutters cost?
About $600 to $5,800 for a 2,000 square foot home on This Old House's figures, with material the main difference. For 100 feet of plain aluminum, a contractor's rates come to about $600 to $1,200. Removal, guards and access add to that.
How much do gutters cost per foot installed?
About $6 to $12 for aluminum and $9 to $18 for one-piece aluminum made on site, by one contractor. Vinyl runs $4 to $8, steel $10 to $20 and copper $25 to $40. Inch Calculator gives $8 to $18 for aluminum, so these differ by source.
Do I need 5 or 6 inch gutters?
At least 5 inches, by Texas A&M, which sizes for a heavy storm. Rainfall and roof size decide when 6 inches is worth it, and SMACNA's tool uses your local rainfall. A contractor's premium for 6 inch is about $2 to $4 a foot.
How many downspouts do I need?
One 2 by 3 inch downspout for every 600 square feet of roof, or one 3 by 4 inch for every 1,200, by Texas A&M. A 45 foot gutter is a question of the roof behind it, and we read a maker's 40 foot rule only as an excerpt.
How should gutters slope?
1/16 inch per foot of length, by Texas A&M. On a 40 foot run, that is 2.5 inches of fall from one end to the other. Check this on an old system before you blame its size for overflowing.
How much does it cost to remove old gutters?
About $1 to $2 per foot, plus disposal, by one contractor. On 100 feet that comes to about $100 to $200 before hauling. Check that a quote says who takes away the old gutters, as this line is easy to leave out.
This gutter price is a planning range from contractor and lead-generation pages, none of them a survey. It leaves out height and region, as no source we read gives a number for either. Second-story work is a fall risk and needs proper access. Ask a licensed, insured installer for a written quote that shows removal, disposal, downspouts and guards.
Sources and review
- Conveyance, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, no date shown, read November 2026.
- How to size gutters and downspouts, This Old House, 2026.
- Downspout and gutter sizing calculator, SMACNA, no date shown, read November 2026.
- Gutter installation cost, This Old House, 2026.
- Gutter installation cost pricing guide, Top Rated Gutters, 2026.
- Cost to install gutters, Inch Calculator, updated 2023, read November 2026.
Checked in November 2026. Spotted a wrong number? Report it and it goes in the corrections log.
How this is calculated
Every figure below is read from the code that produces the answer, so what is written here is what the calculator ran. The constants were last checked against their sources in November 2026.
The arithmetic
Range
Range = Linear feet × Rate + Extras
- Rate
- Installed dollars per foot for the material
Worked through: 100 × 6 = 600
Downspouts
Downspouts = Footprint × Pitch factor ÷ Area per downspout, rounded up
- Area per downspout
- 600 sq ft for 2 by 3 in, and 1,200 for 3 by 4 in
Worked through: 1500 × 1.1 ÷ 600 = 2.75
The constants, and where they come from
INSTALLED_PER_FOOT
Modelled from published dataInstalled dollars per linear foot, low and high, by material
- vinyl
- 4, 8
- aluminum
- 6, 12
- one-piece
- 9, 18
- steel
- 10, 20
- copper
- 25, 40
Applies to: One contractor's estimates for the United States, and not a survey
Source: Gutter installation cost pricing guide, Top Rated Gutters, published 2026-04, read 2026-11.
Also from: Gutter installation cost, This Old House, published 2026-10, read 2026-11.
Also from: Cost to install gutters, Inch Calculator, published 2023-09, read 2026-11.
Sources disagree on aluminum: $6 to $12 here, and $8 to $18 from Inch Calculator. This Old House prints a total for 200 feet of aluminum that works out to about $7.68 a foot.
SIX_INCH_PER_FOOT
Modelled from published dataAdded for 6 inch gutters, per linear foot
- 0
- 2
- 1
- 4
Applies to: One contractor's estimates for the United States, and not a survey
Source: Gutter installation cost pricing guide, Top Rated Gutters, published 2026-04, read 2026-11.
The page gives this premium, and also says $11 to $22 per foot in total for 6 inch gutters in its FAQ, which is roughly consistent with it.
GUARDS_PER_FOOT
Modelled from published dataAdded for gutter guards, per linear foot
- 0
- 5
- 1
- 15
Applies to: One contractor's estimates for the United States, and not a survey
Source: Gutter installation cost pricing guide, Top Rated Gutters, published 2026-04, read 2026-11.
A contractor's own estimate with no source named. Guards vary widely in type, so ask each bidder what kind the price is for.
REMOVAL_PER_FOOT
Modelled from published dataAdded to remove old gutters, per linear foot
- 0
- 1
- 1
- 2
Applies to: One contractor's estimates for the United States, and not a survey
Source: Gutter installation cost pricing guide, Top Rated Gutters, published 2026-04, read 2026-11.
The page says plus disposal, which this does not count, so check that a quote covers hauling away the old gutters.
EXTENSION_PER_DOWNSPOUT
Modelled from published dataAdded for a downspout extension, per downspout
- 0
- 15
- 1
- 50
Applies to: One contractor's estimates for the United States, and not a survey
Source: Gutter installation cost pricing guide, Top Rated Gutters, published 2026-04, read 2026-11.
A contractor's own estimate with no source named. Inch Calculator also says the count and length of downspouts affect the price.
ROOF_SQ_FT_PER_DOWNSPOUT
Published figureRoof area a downspout serves, by size, in square feet
- 2x3
- 600
- 3x4
- 1200
Applies to: Texas A&M's rule, sized to a heavy storm. Rainfall varies, and SMACNA's tool uses local rainfall
Source: Conveyance, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, no date on the page, read 2026-11.
Also from: Downspout and gutter sizing calculator, SMACNA, no date on the page, read 2026-11.
Texas A&M says 6 square inches serves 600 square feet and 12 serves 1,200. We read SMACNA's calculator page but not the manual behind it.
PITCH_FACTOR
Published range, narrowedMultiplier on the footprint for a steeper roof
- up-to-3
- 1
- 4-5
- 1.05
- 6-8
- 1.1
- 9-11
- 1.2
- 12-up
- 1.3
Applies to: One magazine's table, for sizing
Source: How to size gutters and downspouts, This Old House, published 2026-04, read 2026-11.
A steep roof catches more rain per foot of footprint. This Old House gives these factors, and we use them only for the downspout count here.
What the labels mean
- Modelled from published data:
- derived rather than measured, calibrated against the source named beside it.
- Published figure:
- taken directly from the source named beside it.
- Published range, narrowed:
- a source publishes a range and this calculator uses a representative value from it.
If a figure here looks wrong, it may be. Tell us what you found and we will check it against the source and publish a correction if it needs one. How constants are chosen and how often they are reviewed is set out in our methodology.
How to use the gutter installation cost calculator
- 1
Enter the house's length and width
- 2
Choose the roof shape, which sets the feet of gutter
- 3
Choose the pitch and the downspout size
- 4
Choose a material
- 5
Add any extras, and check a quote covers them
What this calculator assumes
Every estimate here rests on the assumptions below. Where your job differs from one of them, the figure will differ too.
- A gable roof has gutters on its two long sides, and a hip roof on all four
- Downspouts follow Texas A&M's rule by roof area, and rainfall varies
- No allowance for height, as no source gives a figure
- No regional factor, for the same reason
Pro tips
- Check a quote includes removal, downspouts, extensions and guards
- Ask for the gutter size and the downspout size in writing
- Compare at least two itemized local quotes