If you’ve got a problem with the guttering in your home, you’re bound to be very aware of it every time it rains – and even when it’s stopped raining, but the rain keeps falling from your gutters.
When rainwater doesn’t properly run away, this can quickly become troublesome for the homeowner – as well as looking pretty unsightly, too.
With problems building up over time, you could end up with a whole raft of problems, from gutters that are full of dirt and other debris; gutters that have begun to sag or lean; poorly pitched gutters; missing sections or holes and leaks… to name a few problems.
If any of the above sounds like you, you might want to keep reading this article, as we’ll be covering how much it costs to replace and repair gutters and downpipes, what affects the cost of replacing gutters and downpipes, how to save money on new gutters, what’s involved in replacing gutters and downpipes and how to find and hire someone to fit your new gutters and downpipes.
So, if your gutters have seen better days and just aren’t up to the challenge of draining rainwater away, keep reading to find out how to get everything rectified in the most cost-effective way possible.
How Much Does It Cost to Replace or Repair Gutters and Downpipes?
Most drainage issues run the risk of becoming a far bigger problem than first anticipated. For instance, you might end with the rain forming damp in your home which will spread throughout your property over time if left untreated.
It pays to get guttering problems fixed as soon as possible, as in most cases, you’ll be saving money by addressing the problem before it becomes a much bigger, more expensive job.
Here are some estimated costs to replace UPVC gutters and downpipes by property size:
| JOB | ESTIMATED COST INCLUDING INSTALLATION | TIME REQUIRED |
|---|---|---|
| Replace UPVC gutters, terraced house | £400 to £550 | 2 to 4 hours |
| Replace UPVC gutters, semi-detached house | £550 to £700 | 3 to 5 hours |
| Replace UPVC gutters, detached house | £700 to £1,000 | 6 to 8 hours |
| Replace UPVC gutters, bungalow | £550 to £700 | 3 to 5 hours |
| Replace UPVC downpipe | £30 to £50 each | 1 hour |
| Replace gutter support brackets | £10 to £20 each | 1 hour |
| Install leaf guard over gutters | £20 to £30 per square metre | 1 hour |
| Install UPVC stop end | £10 to £20 each | 1 hour |
To replace UPVC gutters on a terraced home, you can look to pay around £400 to £500 for the cost of materials plus the installation, which will take between two and four hours. Similarly, to replace the gutters on a bungalow you can expect it to cost £550 to £700, and take a little longer at three to five hours.
For a slightly larger property, like a semi-detached house, the same job will cost you between £550 to £700, and take slightly longer at three to five hours.
Then, at the other end of the scale, a detached home will require the most work taking between six and eight hours, costing you between £700 and £1,000.
Downpipe replacement is fairly straightforward and cheap, at £30 to £50 each and taking roughly one hour to fit.
Gutter support brackets come in at £10 to £20 each, again taking an hour for fitting, and if you want leaf guards fitted over the gutters that’ll be £20 to £30 per square metre, taking another hour.
Finally, to install a UPVC stop end that’ll be £10 to £20, and take an hour to be fitted.
What Affects the Cost of Replacing Gutters and Downpipes?
As with most home renovations, there are quite a few factors that impact the price for and against your benefit. It’s good to get to know these before reaching out to dealers for quotes so you know exactly where you need to be wary of extra costs being added to your job.
The main factors impacting the price of gutter repair are:
Cleaning out Debris
This normally costs around £5 per metre of guttering. If your gutters are particularly clogged with debris, or if you have a lot of guttering (such as on a detached house versus a terraced house), you can expect this aspect of the job to quickly mount up in price.
You should also be aware that in London, costs are typically higher, while in the North of the UK it should be cheaper, as with most home renovation jobs.
Refitting or Replacing UPVC Guttering
An existing piece of UPVC guttering should cost around £33 per metre. If the gutter is cast iron, then you can expect the costs to rise to about £57 for the same size.
As before, the larger your property, or the more of its perimeter you’re responsible for, the higher your labour and material costs will be.
If it’s the downpipe that needs to be fixed or replaced, then the cost should be around £24 per metre for UPVC, and £75 per metre for cast iron.
Miscellaneous Add-ons
Other jobs that may be needed include replacing a gutter support bracket, around £14; fitting a new leaf guard, estimated £13; and fitting a new stop end, which is around £12.
It should be remembered that some jobs could involve a combination of these different tasks, so you may need all of or just some of these miscellaneous add-ons during your guttering project.
Replacing the Gutter Joint
If you need the gutter joint replaced – where two sections meet – that will cost you between £50 and £125. The cost will be about the same for the task of joining the downpipe to the gutter if it has broken away for some reason.
Accessibility and House Size
Difficult access and especially high roofs can lead to higher prices being quoted. This is why it’s important to explain the problem fully and allow the tradesmen the chance to come out to assess the job if needed.
As we’ve mentioned briefly, if your home is a multi-storey detached property, you’ll be paying more than someone in a terraced home, for example. The type of property you have will directly impact the price of your job, which is why it’s important to shop around for the best quote to ensure you’re not overpaying for your project.
Gutter Material
As with all construction jobs, the type of material you choose will impact your project’s fee one way or another.
If you’re ripping off your existing guttering and starting from scratch, you can choose the most cost-effective material for you – but if you’re replacing like-for-like on a higher spec property, you can’t escape the higher costs that come with some materials.
- UPVC is the cheapest option, coming in at between £5 to £10 per square metre
- Aluminium is another cheap option, at £15 to £25 per square metre
- Zinc is a mid-priced option, at between £20 to £30 per square metre
- Cast iron is somewhere in the middle, at between £20 to £35 per square metre
- Copper is the most expensive option, at between £30 to £40 per square metre.
The material is one consideration, the next is the shape your gutter has.
Half-round is the most common shape you’ll find on UK homes, and it’s the cheapest option to replace or repair, making it a good cost-effective choice for homeowners at around £12 per section.
Square shaped gutters are usually around 25% more expensive than half-round variants at about £15 per section. They can add a more polished edge to a home and can attract home buyers as it’s something slightly more unusual to add to the curb appeal.
Then there is the Ogee guttering, which almost looks more like coving than it does guttering. This is around 50% more expensive than the half-round shape, at around £20 per section.
Depending on the look you’re going for, you can look to spend or save on this aspect, to either make your project more budget or more premium as your funds allow.
How Can I Save Money on New Gutters?
Costs can understandably quickly spiral when it comes to large jobs like replacing the guttering on your entire home. Here are some ways you can look to save money along the way:
Opt for Cost-effective Styles
We mentioned earlier how different styles and shapes of guttering can incur higher costs. If you’re replacing on your property and already have a cheaper style, then great – this will cost you less.
If you have an expensive style paired with expensive material and need to re-do your entire home, it might be an idea to look into cheaper alternative shapes to keep the costs down.
The style is usually just an aesthetic choice and doesn’t impact the efficacy of the guttering itself, so you won’t be missing out by choosing a half-round shape as opposed to an Ogee shape.
Choice of Material
UPVC is cheaper than copper or cast iron – so if you’re wanting to be cost-effective, choosing the cheaper material options is a great way to go without compromising on the effectiveness of your guttering.
So, if you’re building your home from scratch or looking to have the entirety of your guttering taken off, opt for cheaper materials to save money on repairs further down the line.
Look for Local Traders
As with all home renovations, local traders will be more cost-effective than larger, national companies.
When searching for traders, look for the smaller companies and let them know you’re reaching out for quotes from multiple traders at the same time. This will help to induce a competitive spirit as each contractor will want to win your business, and will bring their prices down to better the competition.
Clean the Gutters Yourself
Something that can drive costs up is the cleaning and maintaining of gutters over time. If you’re able to and feel safe doing so, cleaning them yourself can help to save you money.
This is especially useful if you’re in a single-storey home or a bungalow as the gutters will be easier to reach, meaning you can keep on top of their maintenance regularly without letting the build-up ever get too bad.
What’s Involved in Replacing Gutters and Downpipes?
The old guttering will be taken off – if it’s a cast-iron gutter, this will be heavy, so have caution when doing this.
It’s advisable to tie a rope around the sections of guttering as they’re removed to safely lower them to the ground once they’re off the property.
Adding in new guttering will involve the fitting of brackets, using builders rope to ensure the line slopes towards the outlet to ensure good water flow, and then adding in lengths of gutter along with the stop end across the perimeter of the property.
How Do I Find and Hire Someone to Fit New Gutters for Me?
The best way to go is to seek out word-of-mouth recommendations. This way, you’ll sidestep all the cowboy traders trying to lure you in with low prices, and benefit from choosing someone an acquaintance of yours will happily vouch for.
If your neighbours have just had their gutters done and you like the look of their results, ask for their trader’s name. If they were happy with the experience they will give it to you – else they’ll advise you to stay away from them if they’ve had a bad experience.
When this isn’t an option, you can always opt to use HouseholdQuotes to save you time on your search. Instead of hopping from one website to the next to compare prices, you can do it all from one simple search instead which will aim to save you time – and money, as comparing quotes can help to save you up to 40% on your project fees.
Ensuring the Professional Is the Best Fit
It’s best to give as many details as you can in the first instance when contacting potential traders. This will help to give them a fully rounded view of what you need and get the prices as accurate as possible.
As we’ve mentioned before, it’s always best to get a few quotes to allow you to compare prices. When doing so, be wary of any quotes that are much lower than the rest, as they’ll likely be coming from cowboy traders who just want your money and nothing else.
It’s best to always get a quote in written format whenever dealing with contractors. No matter how nice someone may be face-to-face, a verbal agreement isn’t binding, so always get prices and itemised lists written down to agree on.
You should ask for their experience, and if they’ve worked on property like yours before, and seek out any references or photographs of their past work to see if it’s the sort of thing you’re looking for.
Finally, making sure they have insurance in place will stop you from inadvertently dealing with a rogue trader. Avoid any trader who refuses to show you proof of insurance.
Final Checklist
If you want to give your guttering some much-needed attention, here’s our final checklist to make sure everything is in place:
- Clean your gutters: before you get anyone in, see if your gutters simply need a clean instead of any repairs or replacements as the debris could be causing the problem
- Identify problems: do you have standing water or damp inside your home? Is a gutter visibly broken or failed?
- Fully inform your contractor: let them know in as much detail as possible what the issue is to get an accurate quote
- Shop around: get quotes from at least three different contractors using HouseholdQuotes to help save you up to 40%.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Know if I Need to Replace My Gutters or Downpipes?
Are your gutters sagging or cracked in any place? Does water regularly overflow from them, or pool in a certain spot?
If you’ve started to see mould or damp appear inside your home, or if there’s any standing water outside, it’s a good idea to have your gutters given the once over to check for problems.
How Long Should Gutters Last?
Gutters can last for 30 years if well-maintained, making them a great investment in the longevity and functionality of your property.
Can You Repair a Gutter or Downpipe?
For minor imperfections, you may be able to use gutter sealant to seal up any cracks or leaking gutter joints. You can also use special tape to do the same thing, but for larger jobs, it’s best to get the professionals in to complete the job for you.
