What you can do yourself
We make our money when you hire a contractor, so take this as read: these guides tell you which gutter jobs are genuinely worth a Saturday and which ones are not, without pretending everything needs a professional.
Read this before you get on a ladder
Gutter work is the most common reason Canadians climb a ladder, and falls from ladders cause more serious home-maintenance injuries than anything else. None of the money saved below is worth a broken back.
- Set the base one foot out for every four feet of height. Steeper than that and it slides out from under you; shallower and it tips backwards.
- Extend the ladder at least three rungs above the gutter and tie it off, or have someone foot it. Never rest a ladder on the gutter itself — aluminium will fold.
- Keep your hips between the rails. Reaching sideways past the rails is what puts people on the ground; move the ladder instead, however tedious that gets.
- Stay off it in wind, rain, or on wet grass. A ladder on soft ground sinks unevenly as you climb.
- Standing on the top two rungs is how most ladder falls happen. If you cannot reach from the third rung down, the ladder is too short.
Worth doing yourself
Real savings, ordinary tools, and no specialist equipment. Most homeowners can do all of these.
- Moderate2–4 hr
How to clean your gutters
The one gutter job most homeowners genuinely should do themselves. Twice a year, about two hours, and it prevents most of the expensive problems further down this list.
Saves roughly $90 over hiring it out
Read the guide - Moderate45–120 min
How to seal a leaking gutter joint
A twenty-dollar tube of sealant and an hour usually fixes a drip that would otherwise rot the fascia behind it. The trick is entirely in the preparation.
Saves roughly $105 over hiring it out
Read the guide - Easy15–60 min
How to unclog a downspout
Fifteen minutes with a hose usually does it. The order you work in matters more than the tools.
Saves roughly $65 over hiring it out
Read the guide - Easy30–90 min
How to add downspout extensions
The cheapest fix for a damp basement, and the one most often skipped. No ladder, no skill, about an hour.
Saves roughly $30 over hiring it out
Read the guide
Depends on your house
Straightforward on a bungalow, a different proposition on a steep two-storey. The guides say where the line is.
- Moderate1–3 hr
How to fix a sagging gutter
Often yes, and it is usually hangers rather than the gutter. But a sag caused by rotten fascia is a different job entirely, and doing the easy version on rotten wood wastes the afternoon.
Saves roughly $120 over hiring it out
Read the guide - Moderate2–5 hr
How to fit gutter guards
The drop-in and clip-in types are a genuine DIY afternoon. The ones that tuck under the shingles are not, and fitting those wrong voids roof warranties.
Saves roughly $200 over hiring it out
Read the guide
Better to hire out
We still explain how these work, so you know what you are paying for and can tell a good quote from a bad one.
- Not a DIY job8–24 hr
Should you install your own gutters?
Honestly: usually not, and not for the reason you would expect. The obstacle is seamless gutter being formed on site from a machine that costs more than the job.
Read the guide - Hard1–8 hr
What to do about ice dams
The important thing first: ice dams are not a gutter problem. Almost everything sold as a gutter fix for them treats the symptom, and the ones involving a hammer cause real damage.
Read the guide