Your Roof Quote Should Say What Happens to the Gutters

Your roofing estimate may describe every shingle and vent while saying almost nothing about the gutters. That omission matters. Gutters can block access to the roof edge, hide damaged fascia, and interfere with the metal that directs water into the trough. If one roofer plans to leave them in place and another plans to remove them, their prices do not cover the same work.

The question is not simply whether you want new gutters. The immediate question is what must happen to the existing system so the roof edge can be rebuilt correctly. The answer may be leave them, temporarily remove and reset them, or replace them. Your written estimate should choose one and explain why.

Cost and estimates

Start by finding every reference to gutters, fascia, drip edge, and apron flashing in the roofing proposal. These parts meet at the eave. A price for shingles alone does not explain how that edge will be handled.

Leaving sound gutters in place is often the least expensive approach. It can work when the gutter hangs low enough for the crew to remove the old edge metal, inspect the roof deck, and install the specified replacement metal without forcing it behind a tight gutter. The crew still needs room to remove nails and roofing debris without bending the trough.

Removal and reset is different work. The gutter is detached before roofing begins, stored during the project, and installed again after the roof edge is complete. The price should account for labor, new hangers or fasteners where required, realignment, and sealing at existing joints. A reset is not a promise that an old gutter will return to new condition. Thin aluminum can bend during removal, and old sealant may release when a sectional joint is moved.

Replacement adds materials, fabrication, outlets, downspouts, elbows, and disposal of the old system. It may also expose fascia repair that could not be measured from the ground. If a roofing bid includes new gutters, the proposal should state the trough size, downspout size, material, color, outlet locations, and where each downspout will discharge.

Do not let a single line reading "gutters as needed" carry all of this work. That phrase does not establish whether removal is included, whether damaged sections will be replaced, or how added work will be priced.

Why the roof edge changes the answer

A gutter is attached near the lower edge of the roof, but it is not the roof edge. The roofing assembly still needs decking, underlayment, starter shingles, shingles, and metal configured to move water away from wood and into the gutter. Existing gutters sometimes make those parts hard to inspect or install.

Ice damming makes the eave especially important around St. Louis. Snow can melt over a warmer section of roof and refreeze near the colder edge. Water can then move beneath shingles. The estimate should identify the eave membrane included in the proposed assembly and explain whether the gutter must come off to install the edge correctly.

The local freeze thaw cycle also works on loose fasteners, open joints, and wet fascia. Water enters a small opening, freezes, expands, and leaves a larger path for the next storm. Resetting a gutter against soft wood does not correct that problem. The fascia must be sound enough to hold the fasteners and a gutter full of water.

Hail can complicate the decision without making it automatic. A dented gutter may still drain. A trough that is twisted, separated at a seam, or pulling away from the fascia may not. Ask for close photographs instead of treating every mark as a reason to replace the entire system.

What it costs

There is no useful flat gutter number without measurements. A contractor needs the linear feet of trough, the number of inside and outside corners, the height of the eaves, the number of stories, and the downspout layout. A straight ranch and a two story house with several roof returns may have similar roof areas but very different gutter labor.

The estimate should separate roofing work from gutter work. This lets you see whether the quoted amount covers a complete new system, selected replacements, or removal and reset only. It also prevents a low roofing number from gaining an artificial advantage by leaving the roof edge unresolved.

Several details commonly move the gutter portion of the price:

• Height and access: Second story eaves take more setup and labor than gutters reached from a one story roofline.
• Corners and short runs: Each corner, outlet, end cap, and transition requires fabrication and sealing. A broken roofline costs more per foot than one long run.
• Five inch or six inch trough: The larger profile uses more material. It may be appropriate where a large roof plane sends water to one short section, but size alone does not fix a poor outlet layout.
• Downspouts: More outlets and larger downspouts increase the material count. They can also reduce overflow during a hard St. Louis rain.
• Fascia condition: Rotten or split wood must be replaced before it can hold new hangers. The proposal should give a unit price or another written method for approving that work.
• Guards: Existing guards may need separate removal and reinstallation. Some cannot be reused after they are bent or after the roof edge changes.

Ask whether the gutter price includes hauling away the old metal. Also ask whether painting exposed replacement fascia is included. Carpentry and painting are separate operations even when the affected board sits directly behind the gutter.

When keeping the gutters makes sense

Existing gutters may stay when they are securely fastened, correctly pitched, large enough for the contributing roof area, and positioned so the roof edge can be completed. Look for standing water, stained fascia, low spots, open miters, loose spikes, and water marks behind the trough.

A sound seamless run should not be discarded merely because the roof is being replaced. Keeping it may be the practical choice if access is adequate and the downspouts already move water away from the foundation. The proposal still needs to assign responsibility for accidental damage during tear off.

Age alone does not settle the question, but movement does. If the gutter rocks when lightly handled, hangs from decayed wood, or has been repeatedly patched at the same joint, paying to reset it can turn into paying twice. Removal exposes weaknesses that were held together by their existing position.

When replacement belongs in the roof scope

Replacement deserves consideration when the existing trough blocks proper edge work, has lost its pitch, is undersized for a concentrated roof area, or cannot be removed intact. It can also make sense when fascia repairs will require most of the system to come down anyway.

Watch upper roof downspouts closely. An upper downspout that empties directly onto shingles concentrates water and can wear the lower roof. The new scope may need to route that water into a lower gutter instead. That change requires more than replacing the trough along the eave.

Water overshooting the gutter does not always mean the trough is too small. A steep roof, a short valley, or an inside corner can send a concentrated stream past the edge. The proposed correction might be a larger outlet, a revised downspout layout, or a properly placed diverter. Ask the bidder to identify the cause before pricing the cure.

What to ask

1. Are the existing gutters staying on the house during tear off? If so, ask how the crew will remove and replace the roof edge metal without damaging the trough.
2. If they come down, is reset labor included? Confirm whether the price includes new hangers, joint sealing, and realignment.
3. What happens if an old gutter cannot be reused? Get the replacement price or unit rate in writing before work begins.
4. Who repairs damaged fascia? Ask for the material, measurement method, and price used for concealed wood replacement.
5. Are gutter guards included? Removal, storage, reinstallation, and replacement are four different scopes.
6. Where will the downspouts end? The answer should identify extensions, underground connections, or discharge points. Water should not simply be moved from the roof to the foundation wall.
7. Does the municipality require anything additional? Permit practices vary among the municipal desks across St. Louis County. The contractor should verify the requirements for the project address.

Before signing, have the bidder mark the gutter decision directly on the proposal. "Remain in place," "remove and reset," or "replace" is clear. A blank line is not. Keys Roofing can inspect the roof edge, photograph the existing condition, and provide a written scope with measurements. To schedule that visit, call (314) 220-2333.