New guttering, supplied and fitted in standard uPVC, typically costs £700–£1,300 for a small terrace, £900–£1,600 for an ordinary 3-bed semi, and £1,500–£2,500 for a larger detached house. Downpipes are usually priced in on top of that at around £35–£45 a metre. Go like-for-like in cast iron — the material most listed buildings and conservation areas expect — and the same job typically runs £4,000–£10,000 or more, largely because the material itself costs several times as much per metre and takes a specialist longer to fit.
Those are the headline numbers, but the more useful question is usually a different one: does the whole run need replacing, or would a repair to the cracked joint or the one perished length actually sort it? And if it has been left too long, what's it already done to the wall behind it? A gutter is a small, cheap thing to maintain and an expensive thing to have caused a problem with.
I'm a building surveyor, not a guttering contractor, so what follows is 2026 pricing cross-checked against current UK trade guides, what actually pushes the number up or down, and the damp connection that I'd want ruled in or out before anyone reaches for a full replacement quote.
The short answer
Figures below were checked on 9 August 2026 against 2026 cost guides from Checkatrade, MyJobQuote and a specialist gutter installation guide, cross-referenced against each other. As with most trades in this series, London and the South East — Dom’s patch included — commonly run 15–25% above the national figures quoted here.
| Job | Typical cost (2026) | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| uPVC replacement, 2–3 bed terrace | £700–£1,300 | Full gutter run (~26m), downpipes, brackets, standard access |
| uPVC replacement, 3-bed semi | £900–£1,600 | Larger run (~32m), downpipes, brackets and fixings |
| uPVC replacement, 4+ bed detached | £1,500–£2,500 | Larger run (~45m+), may need access on more elevations |
| Cast iron, like-for-like (period/listed) | £4,000–£10,000+ | Specialist supply and fit, heavier fixings, more on ornate profiles or hopper heads |
Those uPVC bands sit reasonably close together across the trade guides. Cast iron is the one figure where guides diverge more — some quote a per-metre rate that implies a much lower whole-house total than others — which in practice reflects how differently “cast iron guttering” jobs are specified: profile, whether it's ogee or half-round, how many hopper heads and angles, and how much scaffolding the property needs. Treat any single headline cast iron figure with some scepticism and ask for a written, itemised quote.
What drives the price
Material. uPVC runs roughly £30–£50 a metre supplied and fitted — consistent across the trade guides I checked. Aluminium sits above that, commonly £55–£120 a metre, seamless systems (extruded on-site with no joints to leak) at the top of that band. Cast iron is the most expensive material by some distance, typically £85–£200 a metre supplied and fitted, occasionally more on ornate or listed-building profiles, because it's heavier, needs stronger fixings, and the joints are traditionally caulked or bolted rather than simply clipped together.
Downpipes. Priced separately from the gutter run itself — typically £35–£45 a metre in uPVC, £120–£190 a metre in cast iron. A house with three or four downpipes rather than two adds up quickly, and it's an item some headline quotes leave vague until the written breakdown arrives.
Access. A ground-floor bay or a bungalow needs a ladder; a three-storey Victorian terrace needs scaffolding or a tower, typically £300–£800 per elevation, and that cost doesn't shrink just because the guttering itself is a modest job.
Fascia and soffit condition. If the timber or board behind the gutter is rotten — common where a gutter's been overflowing for a while — it needs replacing before the new guttering goes up, typically adding several hundred pounds. Since the access cost is being paid for either way, this is often the point where it makes sense to do fascia, soffit and guttering together rather than come back for a second job later.
Profile and matching. Ogee or moulded profiles cost more than plain half-round, and on a semi-detached or terrace, matching your neighbour's guttering — or a conservation area's expectations — can rule out the cheapest option regardless of what you'd otherwise choose.
Region. London and the South East commonly run 15–25% above the national figures quoted here, in line with most trades in this series.
Cast iron vs uPVC — and whether you actually need cast iron
For the great majority of houses, uPVC is the sensible choice. It doesn't rust, doesn't need painting, is far cheaper to buy and quicker to fit, and a good modern uPVC system will comfortably outlast the warranty on most other parts of the roof. The case against it is mostly aesthetic — it doesn't look right on every period property — and it can become brittle and discolour after several decades in strong sun, though that's a long way off being a practical concern for most buyers.
Cast iron earns its considerably higher price in narrower circumstances: a listed building, where the local conservation officer may require it as a condition of consent; a property in a conservation area where an Article 4 direction restricts permitted development and expects matching materials; or simply where an owner wants the look and the genuine 80-plus-year lifespan cast iron can offer, provided it's kept painted. That maintenance point matters — cast iron needs periodic repainting to stop it rusting, which uPVC never does, and that's a real ongoing cost most quotes for the initial installation don't mention.
If you're not in a listed building or a conservation area with a material restriction, I wouldn't spend the extra several thousand pounds on cast iron purely for appearance. A well-chosen uPVC ogee profile gets close enough to the traditional look for most buyers and surveyors alike, at a fraction of the cost and none of the repainting.
The damp link most quotes don't mention
A gutter's job is simple — get rainwater off the roof and away from the walls — and when it stops doing that job, the water doesn't go away, it goes into the building instead. A blocked gutter overflows down the face of the wall on every downpour; a cracked joint or a corroded cast iron section leaks in exactly the same spot every time it rains; a downpipe discharging against the base of a wall instead of into a proper gulley keeps that patch of brickwork permanently wet. All three saturate the wall from outside, and given enough time and enough rain, that shows up as a damp patch inside — on a chimney breast, above a window, at the top of a wall — that tends to darken during or just after rain.
I've covered this in more detail, including how it commonly gets misdiagnosed as rising damp when the real cause is sitting in plain sight outside, in my rising damp treatment cost guide. The point worth making here is the other direction: a full gutter replacement is sometimes the actual fix for a damp problem a homeowner has been quoted several hundred pounds to treat from the inside, and it's usually the cheaper of the two jobs by some margin.
None of which means every house needs new guttering. A gutter that's basically sound, just blocked with a season's leaves, needs clearing, not replacing — a job that costs a fraction of a full replacement and is worth doing every autumn regardless. It's specifically the guttering that's cracked, sagging, misaligned at the joints, or corroded through in places that's actually causing the problem, and that distinction is exactly what I'd expect a proper inspection to establish before anyone reaches for a full-replacement quote.
What I'd watch for in a quote
- Downpipes and all fixings priced in, not just the visible gutter run, so the figure you're comparing is genuinely like-for-like.
- Fascia and soffit condition mentioned, since a quote that ignores rotten timber behind the gutter is quietly deferring a cost, not avoiding it.
- The exact profile and material specified, particularly if you're trying to match an existing system or a neighbour's.
- Access and scaffolding costs itemised separately, so you can see what you'd save by combining this job with other roofline work.
- A guarantee on the installation, not just the manufacturer's warranty on the guttering itself.
Questions I get asked
How much does it cost to replace guttering on a 3-bed semi in 2026? A full uPVC gutter and downpipe replacement on an ordinary 3-bed semi typically costs £900–£1,600 in 2026, supplied and fitted. Cast iron on the same house typically runs £5,000–£9,000 or more once downpipes and specialist fitting are included. London and the South East commonly trend 15–25% above these figures.
Is cast iron guttering worth the extra cost over uPVC? For most houses, no — uPVC is cheaper, needs no maintenance and does the job perfectly well. Cast iron earns its premium on a listed building or in a conservation area where matching the original profile may genuinely be required, or where you want a system that will still be working in eighty years and don't mind repainting it periodically. It is rarely worth it on an ordinary modern or unlisted house purely for looks.
Can blocked or leaking gutters cause damp inside my house? Yes, and it is one of the more common causes of penetrating damp I find on survey. Water overflowing a blocked gutter, or leaking from a cracked joint, runs straight down the face of the wall and saturates it, eventually showing as a damp patch inside that tends to worsen during or just after rain. It gets misread as rising damp fairly often, because both can leave a similar-looking stain.
Do I need to replace the whole gutter run, or can sections be repaired? If the guttering is generally sound and the problem is a cracked joint, a loose bracket or one perished length, a section repair is usually cheaper and perfectly sensible. Full replacement earns its keep once the brackets are failing generally, the profile is discontinued, or the fascia behind it needs attention anyway, since scaffolding or a tower is being paid for either way.
If a survey has flagged tired guttering, or you've spotted a damp patch and aren't sure whether it's coming from the roofline or somewhere else entirely, that's exactly what my building survey work is for. Call 07946 618203 or get in touch and I'll give you a straight read on what's actually going on before you pay for a fix that might not be the right one.
Small print. This guide is general information, not advice on a specific property, and it doesn’t replace a proper inspection and quote for your own home. Prices were researched and correct to the best of my knowledge on 9 August 2026; costs move and vary by region and property. Always get at least three written quotes.