Take the Old Gutters Down on Paper Before the New Ones Go Up

Before a new gutter run goes up, the old one has to come off, and that step is often missing from a quote. A line that reads "replace gutters and downspouts" can mean the crew takes the old run down, hauls it away, and hangs new sections. It can also mean they set new hangers over the old ones and leave the tired trough in place. Those are different jobs with different prices, and two quotes that look alike on the first page may describe either one. This page is for the homeowner who has an old aluminum or vinyl run in front of them and needs to know what removal should include before signing anything.

Gutters and guards

Most St. Louis gutter runs are joined at the seams with sealant and held to the fascia with spikes, ferrules or hidden hangers. When the run comes off, those fasteners come out with it, and the fascia behind them shows what years of water did. Look at the board after the first section lifts. Bubbled paint under the trough, a dark line along the top edge, or nail heads that have backed out of the wood all mean the board is holding water. A board like that will not hold a new hanger, and a hanger driven into it will pull out in the first heavy rain.

Downspouts need the same attention. The elbows at the top and bottom are often crimped or riveted, and pulling one apart can crack the old finish or bend the straps. At the bottom, the downspout may run into a buried extension or an underground line that surfaces near the foundation. If the crew disconnects a downspout and finds a drain pipe, that pipe is now open to the soil, and the quote should say who caps it or reconnects it. A separate written line for each downspout disconnect is worth asking for.

Gutter guards add one more step. If the old run had guards clipped or screwed to the trough, they have to come off before the trough does. Clips that have been in place for several years often snap rather than release, so the crew should expect to replace some of them. Guards that are pried off rather than unclipped can bend the trough, which is a reason to settle the removal method in writing before the crew starts. Ask whether the old guard hardware goes in the haul-away or stays with the house.

Timing matters as well. Late October in St. Louis is leaf season, and the trough is often full of wet debris. Clean the run before removal so the debris does not spill onto the lawn, the shrubs or the crew's ladder feet. Once the run is down, the open fascia is exposed to rain until the new gutter is hung, so removal and install should be scheduled together, not a week apart. Waiting until a February thaw to pull the run means the freeze-thaw cycle has already loosened whatever is left in the fascia. A run that sits open through a cold rain can soak the fascia and the top of the wall below it.

What it costs

A gutter replacement quote should break out removal as its own line. Tear-off labor, disposal or haul-away, fascia repair, hanger replacement, downspout elbows and end caps are separate items, and a homeowner comparing two bids needs to see which ones are included. A quote that lumps the whole job into one number makes it hard to tell whether the old run was removed at all, or whether the fascia repair was left out until it turned up on the day.

Old aluminum is scrap, and some contractors credit its value against the job while others keep it. Neither practice is wrong by itself, but the quote should say which one applies. If the crew keeps the scrap, the removal price should reflect the work of loading it. If the scrap is credited, the credit should appear as a line, not as a vague reduction in the total. Ask for the number and the method, then compare the bids on the same terms.

Fascia repair is where a gutter quote often changes after the work starts. A soft board found during removal is a repair, and its price should be a unit rate written before the job begins, such as a rate per linear foot of board replaced. If the quote has no rate for fascia, the homeowner is agreeing to pay whatever the crew decides on the day. Settle the rate first, so the decision on the day is about whether the board is soft, not about what it costs.

What to ask

Put these questions to any gutter contractor before you choose one. Ask Keys Roofing the same questions you would ask anyone else.

1. Is removal of the old gutters, downspouts and guard hardware in the price, or is it an add-on?
2. Who hauls the old aluminum away, and who keeps any scrap value?
3. If the fascia is soft once the old run is off, what is the unit price for replacing the board, and who approves the repair before it starts?
4. Where will the new hangers be fastened, and will they go into solid wood or into a board you have checked?
5. Where will the old sections and debris stage while the crew works, and how are the lawn, beds and driveway protected?
6. If a downspout ends in a buried line, who caps or reconnects it, and is that in the quote?
7. Who walks the yard after the job and picks up loose fasteners, sealant tubes and pieces of trough?

Get the answers as line items on the written proposal. A proposal that says only "remove and replace existing gutters" does not describe the work in enough detail, and a homeowner should not sign it until the removal and disposal are spelled out. If you want to talk through a removal and replacement scope for your house, call Keys Roofing at (314) 220-2333.