One roofer quotes $45 a metre. Another quotes $95 for what sounds like the same gutter. Before assuming one of them is padding the bill, check what each metre actually buys, because gutter replacement cost is quoted on different bases by different people, and the bases are rarely labelled.
The first figure may be the guttering itself, materials only. The second may include carrying it up, fitting it and taking the old length away. Whole-house totals look simpler, but they hide the same problem in reverse — downpipes sit inside one quote and arrive as an extra on the next.
This guide keeps the bases apart. It sets out what new guttering costs per metre and per house, which extras push a quote up, and how to tell whether your gutters need replacing at all.
The quick answer
Three honest answers exist, and they price three different things. hipages puts the guttering materials themselves at $30 to $160 per lineal metre, and its guide says plainly that installation is charged on top. What’s The Damage, a national cost guide whose prices include GST, prices gutter replacement as a job at $40 to $110 per metre. Manchester Roofing, one Brisbane business, publishes supply-and-install rates from $48 to $160 per metre for standard quad-profile guttering on a single-storey home.
Whole-house totals land in the low thousands on any reading. What’s The Damage puts a single-storey house, downpipes included, at $2,200 to $5,000. Manchester’s average-home range is $2,000 to $3,500.
Those numbers overlap without ever describing the same job. The rest of this guide keeps them separated, so a quote in your hand can be matched against the right one.
Gutter replacement cost per metre, by material
Nearly every confusing gutter quote comes from a materials-only figure being read as an installed one. The table keeps the bases in separate rows, each labelled with its source and scope.
| Basis | Material | Published figure | Source and scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Materials only, per lineal metre | PVC | $30–$35 | hipages guide — guttering only, installation extra |
| Materials only, per lineal metre | Zincalume | $30–$50 | hipages guide — guttering only, installation extra |
| Materials only, per lineal metre | Colour-coated zincalume | $45–$67 | hipages guide — guttering only, installation extra |
| Materials only, per lineal metre | Stainless steel | $85–$160 | hipages guide — guttering only, installation extra |
| Job rate, per metre | Typical work | $40–$110 | What’s The Damage — GST included, inclusions not itemised |
| Supply and install, per metre | Colorbond steel | $55–$95 | Manchester Roofing, Brisbane — quad profile, single-storey |
| Supply and install, per metre | Zincalume steel | $48–$75 | Manchester Roofing, Brisbane — quad profile, single-storey |
| Supply and install, per metre | Aluminium | $65–$110 | Manchester Roofing, Brisbane — quad profile, single-storey |
| Supply and install, per metre | Copper | $130–$160 | Manchester Roofing, Brisbane — quad profile, single-storey |
One warning belongs with this table. hipages’ own calculator page describes the same $30 to $160 band as an installed price, while its cost guide states the band covers materials only. The guide’s explicit statement is the careful reading — and the disagreement itself is the lesson. Whenever a per-metre figure is quoted loosely, ask which of the two it is before comparing it with anything.
Two gaps in the table are real gaps in the sources. hipages calls aluminium the most popular guttering choice, yet prices it nowhere — the only installed aluminium figure in the fetched guides is Manchester’s. And there is no Colorbond figure in hipages’ table at all. Its colour-coated zincalume row is the nearest line, materials only, under a different name.
Installation, where a source separates it, is hourly. hipages notes that tradies charge an installation fee, typically by the hour, without publishing a rate. Manchester publishes its labour at $60 to $80 per hour, varying by region and higher in major cities.
What a whole house costs
A whole-house figure is only as honest as its inclusions. The fetched guides agree on the broad territory — low thousands for a single-storey home — and differ on exactly what the money buys.
What’s The Damage gives the cleanest single row. Gutter replacement around a single-storey house, downpipes included, runs $2,200 to $5,000, with $3,500 typical. Its own worked example prices 45 metres of guttering alone at $1,800 to $4,950, straight from its per-metre rate.
Manchester’s whole-job framing assumes an average run of 35 to 45 metres. A complete replacement generally costs $2,000 to $3,500 for an average-sized home, and its Colorbond total includes downpipes and disposal of the old guttering.
hipages publishes job examples rather than a table. Guttering on a small home of 7 by 11 metres is given at $1,900. A smaller home is priced at $3,000 for guttering, or $4,300 for guttering and fascia together. Ninety metres of guttering and fascia in the Sydney area might cost $6,100. The guide does not itemise what sits inside those examples, so read them as published totals, not breakdowns.
hipages’ calculator page offers one more set of totals. A typical single-storey home runs $1,500 to $4,000 with downpipes, brackets, corners and labour inside the quote, while larger two-storey properties can exceed $5,000.
The extras that push a quote up
Downpipes are the first extra to check. Every fetched source prices them apart from the gutter run itself, and the two published rates differ. What’s The Damage puts downpipe replacement at $35 to $90 per metre. Manchester adds $35 to $55 per metre for supply and installation.
Fascia work is the second. Guttering fixes to the fascia board, and boards that have rotted behind an old gutter need attention before new guttering goes on. hipages prices guttering with fascia as a combined job in its examples, and Manchester prices fascia repairs at $75 to $125 per lineal metre where boards need replacing or reinforcing.
Gutter guards, where they are wanted, are a third line. Manchester prices them at $45 to $60 per lineal metre.
Access is the quiet multiplier. hipages names accessibility among its cost factors — multi-storey homes, sloping blocks and obstructions all add equipment, safety measures and labour. Two-storey work also carries working-at-heights requirements that single-storey work avoids.
Materials and profiles compared
Colour-coated zincalume and Colorbond are the same idea under two labels — a coated steel gutter in a colour finish. hipages uses the generic name in its materials table; Manchester prices the branded product, Colorbond steel, as the most common basis in its installed guide. When comparing quotes, make sure both sides are describing the same product before arguing about the number.
Zincalume is the version without the colour coat, carrying a zinc-aluminium coating for corrosion resistance. It is the cheapest metal in both fetched tables — $30 to $50 a metre in materials from hipages, $48 to $75 installed on Manchester’s basis.
Aluminium is light, resists rust and corrosion, and suits coastal homes particularly well, at a price above the steel options. PVC sits at the bottom of the materials table and snaps together in lengths, but it can turn brittle over time and may not suit bushfire-prone areas. Stainless steel is the premium metal, priced for decades of service with minimal maintenance. Copper costs the most upfront, develops a patina, and can last 50 years or more.
Profile choice changes cost less than material does, and no fetched source prices profiles separately. The box profile is the most common shape on Australian homes, handles heavy rainfall well and is usually the most cost-effective to install. Half-round guttering sits on brackets below the roofline, holds less water than a box profile and costs a little more to form. Quad is the standard profile Manchester’s installed table is priced on — worth knowing when a quote is compared against it.
Clean, repair or replace?
Replacement has clear signs, and the fetched guides list much the same ones. Cracks and splits that are starting to leak. Peeling paint or rust, which tells you water is not being drained properly. Gutters sagging or pulling away from the fascia. Overflow during moderate rain. Pooling water or mildew near the foundations, and soil erosion or water stains around them.
Manchester adds an age marker to the list. In its guide, gutters older than 15 to 25 years typically need replacement, especially in harsh or coastal climates. That is one business’s rule of thumb, offered as a prompt to inspect rather than a deadline.
The honest complication is that two of the loudest signs — overflow and sagging — can be caused by a blockage or loose brackets rather than failed guttering. So the order of operations matters. A gutter that overflows may only need a clean and a check, and our gutter cleaning guide covers that side properly before any replacement money is spent.
Where the problem is one isolated fault, or water has already got in behind the gutter and done damage, the job is a repair with its own pricing — our roof leak repair cost guide prices that work. Replacement earns its money when the damage runs across the system, or the material itself has failed — rusted through, cracked in several places, or simply worn out.
Replacing gutters during a re-roof
One timing decision can change what gutter replacement costs you. What’s The Damage notes that gutter replacement is often combined with re-roofing, and the logic is access — the scaffold is already up, the roof edge is already exposed, and nobody pays for the same setup twice.
If a full re-roof is anywhere in your near future, price the gutters as part of that job rather than as a standalone one. Our roof replacement cost guide covers what the whole roof costs, with guttering handled in that context.
Getting quotes
Get at least three quotes, and insist each one is itemised. A detailed quote breaks down materials, labour, downpipes and extras like gutter guards as separate lines — and names its basis for the per-metre rate, materials only or installed, in writing.
Check the installer as well as the price. In most states, installers need specific qualifications or licensing depending on the job’s value, so ask for proof, and verify the installer is licensed and fully insured and working within local building codes. Warranties should be stated in writing too, for both the product and the workmanship, along with whether GST is included. What’s The Damage’s prices include GST; the other fetched guides do not state a position, so the question is worth asking outright.
Permits are rarely part of this job. Like-for-like gutter replacement on a residential property generally needs no planning permission, with heritage-listed areas and specific council rules the exceptions — check with your council if either might apply.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to replace gutters around a house?
It depends on which basis the quote uses. Materials alone run $30 to $160 per lineal metre in hipages’ guide. What’s The Damage prices the job at $40 to $110 per metre with GST included, and a whole single-storey house, downpipes included, at $2,200 to $5,000. Manchester Roofing’s installed average-home range is $2,000 to $3,500.
What do new gutters and downpipes cost around a single-storey house in Australia?
What’s The Damage puts the whole job at $2,200 to $5,000, downpipes included, with $3,500 typical. hipages’ calculator gives a wider single-storey total of $1,500 to $4,000 with downpipes, brackets, corners and labour inside the quote. Downpipes priced separately run $35 to $90 per metre on What’s The Damage’s rate.
How much do new gutters cost per metre?
Three answers, one per basis. Materials only, $30 to $160 per lineal metre depending on the metal (hipages). As a job rate, $40 to $110 per metre (What’s The Damage). Supplied and installed on a single-storey home, $48 to $160 per metre depending on material, from Zincalume at the bottom to copper at the top (Manchester Roofing).
What does gutter replacement Brisbane cost usually include?
Manchester Roofing is a Brisbane business, and its standard figures assume a single-storey home with a run of 35 to 45 metres of quad-profile guttering. Its Colorbond total of $2,200 to $3,500 includes downpipes and disposal of the old guttering. Fascia repairs and gutter guards sit outside that total, priced per metre as extras.
Do I need a planning permit to replace gutters?
In most cases, no. hipages’ service page states that replacing gutters on a residential property generally needs no planning permission when the replacement is like for like. Heritage-listed areas and specific council rules are the exceptions, so check with your council if either applies to your home.
Can you replace gutters yourself?
The work involves heights and heavy lengths of material, and the risks are the reason professionals carry the job. hipages points to trained safety protocols, liability insurance and warranties on materials and workmanship as what a professional brings. Manchester adds the practical catch — DIY gutter work can leave you with voided warranties and no insurance cover if something goes wrong.
Before you compare quotes
Every figure in this guide is real, and no two of them price quite the same thing. That is not a flaw in the numbers. It is the shape of this market, where a metre of guttering can mean a length of metal on a rack or a finished, warranted run fixed to your fascia.
So before comparing any two totals, get each quote to name its basis — per metre or per house, materials only or installed, downpipes in or out. On a gutter quote, that one clarification is worth more than any single figure here.
