Gutter cleaning is usually priced by the linear foot, as a flat price per home, or by the hour on messy jobs. Whichever way you quote, check it against the real cost of the job.
Start with the real cost of the job
Gutter cleaning is one person, one ladder and a bucket. But the price has to cover more than the time on the ladder. Add up every hour the crew spends on the job, from leaving the yard to getting back.
- Drive time there and back
- Ladder setup and every move along the house
- Scooping or blowing out the debris
- Flushing the downspouts and checking they run clear
- Bagging, hauling and dumping the debris
- Cleanup of the lawn, deck and walkways
Then count what each person costs per hour. That means wages plus payroll taxes, workers' compensation and insurance. It is not just the pay rate on the cheque. Add gloves, bags, fuel and a share of ladder and tool wear. What is left after all of that is your profit.
Per foot, per job or per hour?
Most gutter work is quoted by the linear foot or by the home. Each method has a weak spot.
- Per linear foot. Easy to explain and fair on big homes. It breaks down when two houses have the same length but one is three storeys on a sloping lot.
- Flat price per job. Quick for a standard home. Risky if you never measure and the house turns out bigger than it looked.
- Per hour. Safest for you on messy or unknown jobs. Customers often dislike open-ended bills, so give an estimate with a cap.
A strong setup uses a per-foot rate for the base, a height or access add-on on top, and a job minimum underneath. The minimum matters most on small houses, where driving and setup take as long as the cleaning.
What changes the price from house to house
- Height. Two storeys means a longer ladder, slower moves and more risk. Three storeys may need different gear or a different crew.
- Roof pitch and lot slope. A steep roof or a sloping yard makes the ladder harder to set safely.
- Condition. Gutters packed with moss and compacted needles take far longer than a light fall of leaves. Ask for photos, or look before you quote.
- Trees. Overhanging trees mean more debris now and faster refilling later.
- Downspouts. Clogged or underground-connected downspouts add time.
- Guards and covers. Covered gutters may need to come off and go back on.
- Disposal. Bagging and hauling debris costs time, and sometimes a dump fee.
Sanity-check your per-foot rate
Do this once for a typical house. Work out the real cost: crew hours times hourly cost per person, plus materials and fuel. Divide by one minus your target margin to get the price. Then divide that price by the feet of gutter. That is the per-foot rate you need on that kind of house.
Now compare it with the rate you quote today. If yours is lower, you give margin away on that house type. Repeat the check for a small house and for a big, tall one. You will often find one rate cannot fit both. Small homes need a higher rate per foot, and tall homes need an add-on.
Also time yourself. Write down the real on-site minutes on your next ten jobs and use that average, not your memory.
Mistakes that quietly cost you money
- Pricing from the street. If you do not measure or check the height, a run at the back of the house becomes unpaid work.
- Forgetting the downspouts. Flushing them is part of the job but rarely part of the quote.
- No job minimum. A short house at a per-foot rate can pay less than the drive.
- Ignoring disposal. Wet debris is heavy, bags run out and hauling takes time.
- Using the wage as your hourly cost. Taxes and insurance are real money that leaves your account.
- Not counting callbacks. A return trip for a missed spot or a clogged downspout is free labor you still pay for.
When to say no or raise the price
Some jobs are not worth taking at your normal rate.
- Three storeys or steep roofs when you are not equipped or insured for them. Say no, or refer it out.
- Gutters that are rotten, sagging or pulling off the fascia. Cleaning can make it worse. Quote a repair or decline.
- Heavy moss or years of buildup. Raise the price or quote by the hour.
- Wet or icy conditions. Reschedule. A fall costs far more than a postponed job.
- Far-away homes for a single clean. Add a travel charge or set a higher minimum.
Raise your prices when your calendar is full all season. A full calendar usually means the price is too low. Offer a lower repeat rate only if the repeat visit really is quicker.
Know which jobs earn their price
After a few weeks, compare your quoted hours with your actual hours by house type. Set the next quote from those numbers. CrewBrain tracks the real cost of each job so you can see which jobs earn their price.
Review your rates each season. Fuel, insurance and wages move, and a rate that worked last spring may be thin by fall.
A worked example: a two-storey home with about 180 feet of gutter
| Item | How it is worked out | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Labor | 2 people × 2 hours (including drive time) × $28 per hour | $112 |
| Materials | Supplies used on the job | $8 |
| Vehicle and fuel | Truck time and fuel for this job | $25 |
| Job costs | $145 | |
| Price at a 55% margin | $145 ÷ 0.45 | $322 |
| Left after job costs | $322 − $145 | $177 |
Where the price goes in this example
Every dollar of the price, split into the costs it covers and what is left over.
- Labor $112 (35%)
- Materials $8 (2%)
- Vehicle and fuel $25 (8%)
- Left after job costs $177 (55%)
The whole bar is the price the customer pays: $322. Illustrative numbers, built from the table above.
Hourly cost per person is the full cost of an hour, including payroll taxes and insurance, not just the wage, and drive time is counted as paid time. These numbers are an illustrative example of the method. They are not a price list, and not a promise of what your jobs will earn.
Try it with your own numbers
Job costs means crew time (with drive time), materials, vehicle and fuel. Hourly cost per person is the full cost of an hour, including payroll taxes and insurance, not just the wage. This is a simple calculator, not a quote.
Built for gutter cleaning: the gutter cleaning price calculator works from gutter on a single storey, gutter on two storeys or higher, downspouts to flush, with example speeds you can change to your crew’s.
Keep going
- CrewBrain for gutter cleaning companies: how the software handles quoting, scheduling and crew time for this trade.
- How to price a service job: the five-step method behind every page in this series.
- Job price calculator: the same calculator as above, on its own page.
- Price increase calculator: see how many customers you can lose before a raise stops paying.
- How to price house cleaning jobs
- How to price carpet cleaning jobs
- How to price landscaping jobs
- What is a good profit margin for a service business?
- How to estimate labor hours for a job
- How to quote a job professionally
- All pricing guides by trade
Questions owners ask
How much should I charge to clean gutters?
Work it out from your costs. Add crew hours, hourly cost per person, materials and fuel, then divide by one minus your target margin. Divide that price by the feet of gutter to get your per-foot rate, and never go below your job minimum.
Should I charge gutter cleaning by the foot or by the job?
Use a per-foot rate to build the base price, then adjust for height and condition. Quote a flat total to the customer, and keep a job minimum so small homes still cover the drive and setup.
How do I price a second-storey or three-storey gutter job?
Add a height add-on or time factor on top of the base rate. Higher work means slower ladder moves, more setup and more risk. If you lack the gear or insurance for it, decline.
Is it worth offering a repeat or annual gutter cleaning discount?
Only if the repeat visit is truly faster and cheaper for you. Check the actual hours on the second visit. If the time saved is real, share part of it. If not, keep the price.