It usually starts small. Water spilling over the front of the gutter in a downpour. A rust streak creeping down the brickwork. A joint that has been siliconed three times and still weeps. Then comes the real question: patch it again, or replace the lot? And close behind that one, what does gutter replacement cost? We get asked this a lot across Melbourne's north, so here is a plain explanation of how a gutter quote is built, what moves the price, and when you don't need new gutters at all.
Why this post has no price list in it
We don't publish prices, and that isn't us being cagey. Gutters are priced by the lineal metre, so the first number anyone needs is how many metres your house actually has. After that, the price depends on things nobody can see from a street photo: the state of the timber behind the gutter, how high the eaves sit, how many corners and outlets there are, and whether the downpipes drain properly. Our inspections and quotes are free, so the honest way to get a figure is to measure it.
What we can do is explain the pieces. Once you know them, a quote stops looking like a random number.
A gutter quote is really four or five jobs
When we replace the gutters on a brick veneer in Reservoir or a bungalow in Preston, the work usually breaks down like this:
- Removal of the old gutters, and getting them off site.
- The fascia check. The fascia is the board the gutter is fixed to. If it has rotted, it gets repaired or covered first.
- New gutter lengths in Colorbond, cut to size and hung at the right fall (the slight slope that carries water to the outlets).
- Corners, stop ends and outlets, where rushed installs tend to leak first.
- Downpipes, replaced or reconnected so the new gutter actually drains.
Two quotes for the same house can be a long way apart simply because one includes the fascia work and downpipes and the other quietly doesn't. That is the first thing we would check on any quote you are holding.
Five things that push the price up or down
Metres, corners and outlets
Length is the base of every gutter quote. A simple rectangular single-storey house has four straight runs. An L-shaped hip roof with an extension or two out the back can have twice the corners and several more outlets, and each of those takes time to form and seal properly.
Height and access
Single-storey eaves reached from a ladder are the cheaper end. A second storey, a sloping block, or a house built hard against the side fence means scaffold or edge protection. That is the genuine cost of working safely at height, not padding.
What is hiding behind the old gutter
This one surprises people. On plenty of older homes in Coburg, Northcote, Thornbury and Ivanhoe, years of overflow have soaked the timber fascia, and nobody knows until the old gutter comes off. New brackets need something solid to screw into, so rotten fascia has to be dealt with first. A good quote says what happens if rot turns up and how it will be charged, rather than leaving it as a surprise on the day.
The gutter profile
Most houses we see have quad gutters, the squared-off profile with a decorative front. Half round is common on period homes. Then there are box gutters, the internal channels tucked between roof sections on many Victorian terraces around Brunswick. They are a different job altogether. Because they sit inside the roof line, a failure sends water straight into the house, so they need more careful waterproofing and are usually priced on their own.
What else gets bundled in
Gutter guard, new downpipes, fascia covers, a valley repair while the access is set up. None of it is compulsory, but all of it changes the total, so compare quotes that cover the same list.
Plenty of tired gutters only need a repair
Not every leaking gutter needs replacing, and we would rather tell you that than sell you a job you don't need. A single leaking joint, one rusted section, a run that has sagged because a bracket let go, or a downpipe choked with leaves: these are usually repairs. A reseal, a new length or re-hanging the gutter at the correct fall can buy years.
Replacement starts to make sense when the rust is spread along the run rather than in one spot, when patched holes keep reopening, when the gutter has dropped out of fall so water sits in it, or when it is simply too small for the roof above. That last one is common on older homes here. An undersized gutter overflows in a heavy summer storm even when it is spotless, and no amount of cleaning fixes that.
We quote both ends of that spectrum. You can see everything we do, from resealing a joint to full gutter replacement and downpipe work, on our service page. When we inspect, we tell you which camp your gutters are in and why.
New gutters last decades, if the fall is right
New Colorbond gutters, properly installed at the correct fall, should last 30 to 40 years. "Properly installed" is doing a lot of work in that sentence. A gutter with too little fall holds water after every shower, and standing water is what rusts a gutter from the inside. Getting the fall right, sealing joints and outlets well, and sizing the gutter to the roof are what separate a gutter that lasts decades from one that starts rusting early.
This is also where cheaper quotes sometimes find their savings. Fewer brackets, lazy fall, silicone slapped over a poorly cut corner. From the footpath on day one, it all looks the same.
Big trees wear gutters out faster
A lot of Melbourne's north sits under serious street trees: elms, oaks, plane trees and liquid ambars through the inner north, gums and natives out towards Eltham. A gutter that is constantly packed with wet leaves rusts faster and overflows more often, and that overflow is what rots the fascia. If you are replacing gutters under big trees, it is the right moment to think about guard, because fitting it to a brand new gutter is simpler than adding it later. Our guide on whether gutter guard is worth the money covers which mesh suits which trees and the bushfire angle for treed blocks.
Overflowing gutters are also a sneaky cause of leaks inside. Water backs up under the roof edge and turns up as a ceiling stain well away from the gutter, which is why tracing a winter roof leak so often ends at a blocked or failed gutter.
How to compare gutter quotes fairly
With two or three quotes in hand, check each one for the same things:
- Priced per metre, or one lump sum with no detail?
- Removal and disposal of the old gutters included?
- What happens, and what it costs, if rotten fascia is found
- Downpipes included, or gutters only?
- Material and profile, and whether the colour matches your roof and fascia
- Did someone actually come and look, or is it a guess from a photo?
The lowest figure is only the best value if it covers the same work. A quote that leaves out downpipes, disposal or fascia repairs will always look better on paper, and the missing items tend to reappear later as extras.
If the roof needs work too, do it in one visit
If your roof is also due for attention, whether that is a restoration, repointing or a new roof, it often makes sense to replace the gutters at the same time. The access is already set up, the colours can be matched in one go, and you are not paying for two lots of setup. We will mention it if we see it, and we will tell you just as plainly when your gutters have years left in them.
Want to know what your gutters actually need? We will come out, measure up, check the fascia and downpipes, and give you a free quote with an honest call on repair versus replacement. Book your free gutter quote or call (03) 9498 1000. We work right across the northern suburbs, from Preston and Coburg to Craigieburn and Eltham.