Gutter replacement and repairs on the Northern Beaches

Guttering and downpipe work

Gutters carry the water from the whole roof to a handful of downpipes. When they rust through, sag or block, water runs down the walls, into the eaves, or back into the roof. On the Beaches, wet gum leaves and salt air are the two things that wear them out.

Gutter replacement

When steel gutters are rusting through along much of their length, they’re replaced along the run. New Colorbond or Zincalume gutters go up on new brackets, set to fall towards the downpipes so water doesn’t sit in them. Gutters are priced per metre: one Sydney contractor says full replacement “is quoted per linear metre after measuring on site”.

Gutter repairs

A leaking joint, a sagging length, a loose bracket or one rusted section can often be repaired on its own, if the rest of the run is sound. A Sydney contractor publishes $300 to $1,200 for sectional repairs.

Downpipes

A blocked downpipe turns a working gutter into an overflowing one. Downpipes block with leaves at the outlet, split at the joins, and rust at the base. Where one is too small or too far from the end of a long gutter, an extra outlet and downpipe can help.

Box gutters

A box gutter sits inside the roof line rather than hanging off the edge: between two roofs, behind a parapet wall, or along a terrace or block of flats. When a box gutter blocks or rusts through, the water goes into the building, not over the side. When one is repaired or rebuilt, ask about the outlets and overflows as well as the gutter itself.

Fascia

The fascia is the board along the roof edge that the gutters hang from. Timber fascia rots where gutters have overflowed for years, and it needs replacing before new gutters go on. Some homes have the timber covered or replaced with steel fascia at the same time.

Leaf litter, overflow and gutter guard

NSW SES advice is to “Clear your gutters, downpipes and drains regularly to prevent leaves and debris build-up”, because “Blockages can trap water and cause it to overflow under the eaves into your roof cavity.” That’s how a blocked gutter turns into a stained ceiling.

Metal mesh gutter guard keeps most leaves out. Among its tips to prepare a home for bush fire, the NSW RFS lists “Clean your gutters of leaves and twigs” and “Install metal gutter guards”. Guard isn’t set-and-forget, though: Lysaght’s installation manual includes the “Removal of leaves and other debris from gutters, downpipes, leaf-guards” in a roof’s regular maintenance.

Salt air and the underside of the gutter

Rain washes salt off the top of a roof, but not off the sheltered parts. BlueScope’s maintenance bulletin (TB-4) says regular cleaning of coated steel “in unwashed areas is required”, naming “fascia, wall cladding under eaves, garage doors, and the underside of eave gutters” among them. It says to wash “six monthly as a minimum, or three monthly in locations such as coastal areas where marine salt spray is prevalent”.

The steel grade matters too. BlueScope’s distances from the surf for Colorbond, Colorbond Ultra and stainless steel are in our guide to Colorbond, Ultra or Zincalume near the coast.

Gutter replacement prices

We found no Northern Beaches business that publishes gutter prices, so these are published Sydney figures. The roofer prices your gutters once they’ve measured them and seen the access.

Published gutter prices

Checked 1 October 2026; none says whether GST is included. The replacement band is a Western Sydney contractor’s (23 July 2026), which says gutters are priced per metre but publishes no per-metre rate. We found no Northern Beaches business that publishes a per-metre gutter price.

For a per-metre figure, the nearest we found is hipages’ national guide. It’s for the guttering itself, so installation, brackets, downpipes and taking the old gutters away are on top:

Guttering materials only, per metre

A national trades marketplace’s guide (updated 6 January 2026), checked 1 October 2026. It says “the above costs only cover the guttering materials themselves”, so installation is on top. It also gives a Sydney case: “90 metres of guttering and fascia might cost $6,100” (by our arithmetic, $6,100 ÷ 90 = $67.78 a metre). GST isn’t stated.

A second storey, a steep block, box gutters, rotten fascia, new downpipes or gutter guard all add to the total. If the roof itself is being replaced, ask for the gutters to be priced with it: see roof replacement.

Who can do gutter work

In NSW, gutters and downpipes are roof plumbing. NSW Fair Trading’s licence page says: “Roof plumbing is any work involved in fixing, installing, renovating, altering, repairing and maintaining guttering, downpipes, roof flashing and roof coverings on any building or structure.”

You must hold a contractor licence to “carry out, advertise or contract for” work over $5,000 in labour and materials, including GST, and over $5,000 the contract has to be in writing with the licence holder’s name and number. Check any licence on the Service NSW licence register.

If you clean your own gutters, the SES points to SafeWork NSW’s pocket guide to ladder safety. On a two-storey house, or a roof you’d have to walk on, we’d rather you left it.

What to have ready

• Single or two storey, and roughly how long the gutters are, or the size of the house
• What’s wrong: rust, leaks at joins, sagging, overflowing, a blocked downpipe or a box gutter
• Whether the fascia is timber or steel, and any rot you can see
• Whether you want gutter guard, and how many trees overhang the roof
• Roughly how far the house is from the surf, and whether the eaves are fibro
• Photos from the ground

Common questions