How much to charge for gutter installation
Gutters are quoted per linear foot, with downspouts, corners and fascia repair as the lines that decide whether the job was worth doing.
Below: the published wage for this work, why your billing rate has to be well above it, how this job is actually priced, and what moves the number. Put your own rate into the generator and you get a real itemized estimate built on it.
Generate this estimate now
Describe the job in plain words. No email needed to see your first estimate — about fifteen seconds for a small job, a little longer for a big one.
What you get — see the format first
A complete estimate you can send to the customer, built from the rate you enter:
| Description | Qty | Unit | Unit price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor — itemized by task | hrs | hour | your rate | — |
| Materials — with your markup applied | qty | ea / sq ft | cost + markup | — |
| Permits, disposal, access | — | — | — | — |
Plus a plain-English scope summary, assumptions (what had to be guessed), exclusions (what you are not doing — the section that prevents most change-order arguments), and a validity period. Printable, or send the link.
Every figure comes from the rate and markup you supply. We never fill in a market price for you.
How gutter installation is priced
The run is priced per linear foot for a given size and material, and downspouts are priced per unit including elbows and the run to grade. Corners, miters and end caps are separate because each is a fabricated joint. Removal and disposal of the old gutter is its own line, and any rotted fascia discovered behind it is genuinely unknown work until the old gutter comes down — so it is quoted as an allowance or an hourly rate rather than guessed.
What the labor actually costs
$23.84/hour — US median wage for general maintenance and repair workers, May 2025 ($49,590/year).
That is a wage, not your billing rate. It excludes payroll burden, insurance, the hours you spend driving and quoting, overhead and profit. Billing at or near it means working the job for free once those land — which is where underpricing starts. What your multiplier should be depends on your business, so put the rate you actually bill into the generator and every line prices from your number.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook — national median, May 2025. Wages vary widely by metro.
What moves the number
- Linear feet of run, plus the number of inside and outside corners
- Gutter size and material — 5 inch aluminium versus 6 inch versus copper
- Seamless on-site forming versus sectional, and whether a brake can reach the site
- Number of downspouts and where the water has to be taken to
- Storey height and roof pitch, which set ladder or staging time
- Condition of the fascia behind the old gutter, invisible until removal
- Gutter guards, which are usually a separate per-foot product decision
How gutter installation gets underpriced
- Pricing per foot and giving away the corners, miters and end caps
- Forgetting the downspout run to grade, underground tie-ins or splash blocks
- No allowance for rotted fascia or the drip edge that should have been there
- Quoting from the ground without seeing the roof edge condition
- Bundling old gutter removal and disposal into the per-foot rate
Related guides
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How to estimate
How to write a contractor estimate · Estimate vs quote vs bid — and which one you should send · What to include in a contractor estimate · How to price a job as a contractor · Should you charge for estimates? · How to follow up on an estimate · How to handle change orders · Estimate vs invoice: what's the difference? · How to raise your prices as a contractor