Eavestrough (gutters) is priced from your house: the total length of trough along the roof edges, the number of downspouts, and how hard those runs are to reach. Because it's measured per linear foot of run plus per downspout, it's one of the easier exterior items to compare between quotes.
We don't publish a per-foot price. Our eavestrough work is priced by hand, off the runs and downspouts measured on your house, and written up as an itemized scope under one price you approve before we start. It's handled like a repair: usually no deposit, invoiced when the work is done, with a 1-year workmanship warranty on what we installed. To get your number, ask for a quote with the form at the bottom of this page.
The things below are what move that price, and they're the same things to check when you compare two quotes.
What moves the price
Six things, roughly in order of how much they matter.
- Linear feet of run. The base number, and the one thing every quote should agree on.
- Trough size. Standard 5-inch handles most Calgary houses. 6-inch is worth it on large or steep roofs that send a lot of water into a short run.
- Downspout count and placement. Undersizing here is a common design failure. A big roof drained through too few downspouts overflows in exactly the storm you needed it for.
- Height and access. Two-storey and three-storey runs take more time and equipment for the same product.
- Fascia condition. The fascia is the board along the roof edge that the eavestrough is fastened to. If it won't hold a fastener, it gets dealt with first, and that goes on the quote as its own line.
- Gutter guards, if you want them. On an open lot with few trees you may not need them.
Seamless versus sectional
Seamless eavestrough is formed on site from a coil of aluminum, so the only joints are at corners and downspout outlets. Sectional comes in pre-cut lengths joined every few feet. Seams are where gutters leak, and Calgary's freeze-thaw works on every one of them, so seamless is the default for good reason. If a quote is unusually cheap, check which one you're being offered.
Where the water goes, by Calgary rules
A downspout is only as good as where it ends. The City of Calgary's Stormwater Bylaw requires downspouts to end at least 2 metres from any sidewalk, road, pathway, lane or drainage facility, and the City's Guide to Lot Drainage recommends extending them at least 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 m) from the foundation, onto a splash pad or landscaping.
That affects the quote. Moving a downspout to a corner that drains well, or adding extensions so water clears the foundation, is part of the job and should be on the paper. How eavestroughs work covers sizing and drainage in detail.
How to compare two quotes
Put them side by side and check these before you look at the totals.
- The same linear footage, or close to it. A big difference means someone measured differently or left a run out.
- Trough size and material, written out: 5-inch or 6-inch, seamless aluminum or sectional.
- The number of downspouts and where they go.
- What happens to damaged fascia, and at what price.
- Removal and disposal of the old eavestrough.
- The workmanship warranty, stated separately from any product warranty.
Why it's worth doing with the roof
Eavestrough hangs off the fascia and tucks under the roof's drip edge (the metal strip along the roof edge), so the roofer and the gutter installer are working on the same eight inches of building. Sequenced badly, or split between two companies who never spoke, you get drip edge sitting outside the trough and water running behind it into the fascia. Doing both together avoids a second setup and removes the argument about whose fault the leak is.
How much does eavestrough cost in Calgary?
It's priced per linear foot of trough plus each downspout, then moved by trough size, height, access and the condition of the fascia behind it. We don't publish a per-foot price. Ask for a quote and you get one itemized price from the runs and downspouts measured on your house.
Are gutter guards worth it in Calgary?
On a treed lot, often yes. On an open prairie lot in Airdrie or Chestermere, usually not, because there's little to catch. They also aren't maintenance-free whatever the marketing says; fine debris and spruce needles defeat most designs.
5-inch or 6-inch?
5-inch handles most Calgary houses. 6-inch earns its cost on large roof areas, steep pitches, and any run where a lot of roof drains through a short length of trough. It's a capacity calculation.
My gutters are dented from hail. Claim or replace?
Possibly both. Either way, photograph them. IBHS lists dents on gutters and downspouts among the signs of hail, and they corroborate roof damage that's much harder to see. Get them into the claim scope.
How long should eavestrough last?
InterNACHI's life-expectancy guideline puts aluminum gutters and downspouts at 20 to 40 years or more with normal maintenance. Early failures usually trace back to ice load on fascia that was already going, or to fasteners driven into rotten wood.
Where the facts on this page come from. If a source has changed since we last checked, tell us and we'll fix the page.
- Stormwater Bylaw for homeowners · City of Calgary
- Guide to Lot Drainage · City of Calgary
- Is it hail damage? · Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
- InterNACHI's estimated life expectancy chart for homes · InterNACHI
- Hiring a contractor · Government of Alberta
- Tips for hiring a contractor · City of Calgary
