Linear feet and material set the base number. What moves it is everything the gutter attaches to — and on a house that has had ice dams or long-term overflow, that is often the real work.
Base cost is linear feet times material. What changes it is the number of downspouts, the height and access, whether the fascia behind the old gutter is sound, and whether the work is being done alongside a re-roof, which is the cheapest time to do it. Gutter guards are a separate decision and are worth it under trees — but not as an ice dam fix.
We do not publish a blanket gutter price. The spread is real, and the thing that moves it most — the condition of the fascia behind the old gutter — is not knowable from a phone call.
What we will do is give you an itemised number in writing after looking at the property, with the code-driven lines named so you can see which are requirements and which are choices. It is free and it is yours to keep whoever does the work.
Linear feet, measured around the eaves, and material — aluminium is the Minnesota default, steel costs more and dents less, copper is a different category entirely.
Downspout count and routing. More downspouts cost more and drain better, and where they discharge matters: a downspout that dumps against the foundation is a basement problem waiting to happen, so extensions or buried drains may be in scope.
Height and access. A two-storey run or a steep site means staging and slower work. Corners and transitions add fittings and labour on the same footage.
Fascia condition, which is the one that is hard to see from the ground and easy to underestimate.
Because the gutter hangs off it, and the fascia behind an old gutter is exactly where water has been going if the gutter overflowed, pitched wrong, or filled with ice each winter.
You generally find out when the old gutter comes off. Soft or rotten fascia has to be replaced before the new gutter goes up, because fasteners will not hold in it and the new gutter will pull away.
Ask for a stated price per foot of fascia replacement on the quote. A gutter price with no fascia line is a number that can move after the old gutters are down.
Usually yes, and it is a real saving rather than an upsell. On most re-roofs the gutters come off or get worked around anyway, because the drip edge and ice barrier run behind and over the back of them. Doing both together means one mobilisation and one set of staging.
It is also the only moment the drip edge detail gets set correctly against new gutters. A gutter reset slightly high or low after a re-roof sends water behind it instead of into it, and that is a slow fascia-rot problem that takes years to surface.
If the roof is a hail claim, check whether the gutters are in the scope. They are frequently damaged and frequently omitted. What counts as functional damage.
Under trees, yes. They keep leaves and needles out of the trough and cut how often somebody is on a ladder, and the marginal cost of fitting them during a gutter installation is lower than doing it later.
What they will not do is stop ice dams, whatever the winter advertising says. The Minnesota Department of Commerce states that ice dams are not caused by gutter problems at all — they are caused by warm air leaking into the attic. We will fit guards and we think they earn their keep; we will not sell them to you as an ice dam cure.
Minnesota Department of Commerce: “Ice dams are not caused by roofing, ventilation or gutter problems, as often believed. The real problem is a home that is leaking warm air.” Source: MN Dept. of Commerce, Minnesota Energy Tips
This page quotes Minnesota statutes and the adopted Minnesota building code and links to the official text of each so you can read it yourself. It is general information from a licensed contractor, not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for reading your own policy. Statutes and codes are amended; the linked sources are authoritative, this page is not. Last reviewed 2026-10-27.
Straight answers to the questions Minnesota homeowners ask before they call anyone.
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Read the guide →Costs, materials, timelines, financing, and how we work — across roofing, siding, windows, and gutters.
Read the FAQ →We’ll walk it, photograph it, and give you a written scope that says exactly what is required and why. Retail or insurance.
We’ll walk the roof, photograph what we find, and hand you a written scope that names the code requirement behind every line. Yours to keep, whoever does the work.
We measure the work by how it holds up — and by what clients say once we're gone.