Gutter Repair vs. Replacement in St. Louis: How to Decide
Every gutter company has a bias. Some sell replacements because the ticket is bigger; some patch anything because the truck is already there. Here is a simple rule, with the St. Louis prices behind it, so you can check the answer you're given.
The rule
Repair if the gutter is aluminum or copper, the metal is sound, and the problems are in one or two places. Replace if the system is sectional (a seam every ten feet), galvanized steel that's rusting through, or more than a third of the runs need work. Between those, look at age: aluminum hung before about 2000 in St. Louis has been through 25 freeze-thaw winters and a lot of hail, and the fascia behind it is usually the deciding factor.
That's it. Everything below is the reasoning.
Material decides most of it
Aluminum. The default since the 1970s. Doesn't rust, dents in hail, and the sealed corners fail every 10–12 years. Seamless aluminum in good shape is almost always worth repairing. Sectional aluminum — the ten-foot lengths with slip joints — is a different animal: every joint is a leak in waiting, and after twenty St. Louis winters most of them are weeping. Patching four seams this year and four next year adds up to a replacement without the new metal.
Galvanized steel. Common on 1950s–70s ranches in Florissant, Affton and Lemay. Steel rusts from the inside where water sits, and by the time you see brown streaks under the gutter the bottom has pinholes. Sealing pinholes buys a season. When steel starts showing rust through the paint, it's done.
Copper. The city's 1900s–1950s brick homes, and the older streets of Kirkwood and Webster Groves. Copper doesn't rust and a hundred-year-old half-round is usually sound metal with failed solder joints and rusted steel brackets. Copper is almost always a repair. Replacing it with aluminum K-style costs more than fixing it and takes something off the house. The copper and half-round page covers what's involved.
Vinyl. Rare here for a reason. It gets brittle in cold, sags in heat, and the snap-together joints let go. Replace when it fails.
The fraction-failing test
Walk the house after a rain and count. A corner dripping at the front, a downspout elbow that's separated at the back: two problems on a 180-foot system, repair. Water over the edge on three of four sides, spike hangers backed out on every run, fascia soft under two corners: that's most of the system, and you're better off with new metal on new hangers.
St. Louis prices on each side
| Repair | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Reseal a corner or end cap | $150 – $250 |
| Re-hang and re-pitch a run (per 20 ft) | $150 – $300 |
| Replace a downspout, upsized to 3x4 | $120 – $220 |
| Replace a 10–20 ft section | $200 – $450 |
| Solder a copper seam or outlet | $150 – $300 |
| Fascia board, per foot | $8 – $20 |
| Replacement | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Seamless 5-inch aluminum, 160 ft ranch | $1,600 – $2,200 |
| Seamless 6-inch aluminum, 220 ft two-story | $2,700 – $3,900 |
| Aluminum half-round, 130 ft city brick | $1,600 – $2,600 |
| Copper half-round | $35 – $60 per foot |
The crossover is around $800–$1,000 of repairs on a single-story home. If the repair list on your estimate reaches that, ask what the same company would charge to replace, and ask what's left of the old system's life afterward. The full tables are on the cost page.
The fascia changes the answer
The board behind the gutter is what the hangers hold. On a 1970s split-level in Ballwin that has overflowed at one corner for a decade, the fascia there is soft, and a re-hang won't hold. If the soft wood is one corner, replace the board and repair the gutter. If it's soft under every run, the old gutter is coming down anyway to fix the wood, and once it's down the labor to put new seamless up is barely more than re-hanging the old.
Two cases from the same street
A 1965 ranch in Florissant, galvanized steel gutters, rust bleeding through at three seams, downspouts flattened by the mower. Replacement: 150 feet of seamless 5-inch aluminum with 3x4 downspouts, about $1,700, one day. A repair list on that house would have been $600 and the rust would have come through somewhere else by spring.
Next door, a 1998 seamless aluminum system, one corner weeping on the south side, a downspout elbow separated by ice. Repair: $320, a morning. That system has fifteen years in it.
The middle path: replace one side
You don't always have to choose between a patch and a whole new system. On many houses one side takes the beating — the back of a two-story with a big roof, the north side that holds ice, or the run under the sycamore. Replacing just that side in seamless aluminum, with a bigger downspout, and repairing the rest can be the best value. The catch is matching. Ask whether the new metal will match the old in size, profile and color, and how the new and old runs will be joined at the corner. A well-made joint is fine; a mismatched one leaks and looks patched.
A ten-minute self-check
Before anyone comes out, go round the house with a notepad and a screwdriver on a dry day.
- Count the seams. If you see a joint every ten feet on most runs, it's sectional.
- Look under the gutter. Brown streaks or bubbling paint on steel means rust. Dark streaks under aluminum corners mean failed sealant.
- Press the fascia. Push the screwdriver gently into the board below each corner. If it sinks in, the wood is soft.
- Sight down each run. A dip in the middle means hangers have let go.
- Follow each downspout to the ground. Crushed, disconnected or dumping at the wall?
Mark each problem on a quick sketch of the house. Two or three marks: repair. Marks on every side: start pricing replacement.
Mistakes that cost money either way
- Repairing a system that's already done. Paying for a reseal on rusting steel buys a few months.
- Replacing a system that only needed a downspout. Overflow on one run is often a capacity fix, not a replacement.
- Ignoring the fascia. Any plan that hangs gutters on soft wood fails early.
- Leaving the water at the wall. Repair or replace, the job isn't done until each downspout drains away from the basement.
- Deciding in a rush after a storm. Secure the loose piece, move the water, then take a week to get written prices.
What to ask the person quoting you
- Is this sectional or seamless, and what's the material?
- How many separate problems did you find, and where?
- Is the fascia sound everywhere, and did you check it with a screwdriver?
- If we repair, what's your best guess at what fails next and when?
A company that answers all four honestly will sometimes talk you out of the bigger job. That's the one to hire. Typical repair jobs are on the gutter repair page, and gutter replacement in St. Louis covers the other side of the decision.
Common questions
How long do aluminum gutters last in St. Louis?
Seamless aluminum often lasts around twenty years here, sometimes more on a sheltered house and less under heavy trees. Sealed corners usually need attention every ten to twelve years along the way. The hangers and the fascia behind them often decide the end of the system before the metal does.
Is it worth repairing gutters if I plan to sell soon?
Usually yes, if the repair is small. A leaking corner, a sagging run or a downspout dumping at the wall can show up on a home inspection and raise questions about the basement. A tidy repair with a receipt is often cheaper than negotiating over it later.
Can mismatched old and new gutters be painted to match?
Aluminum can be painted with the right primer and exterior paint, and it can help a partial replacement blend in. Painted gutters need touch-ups over time, though. Matching the factory color on the new runs is usually simpler, so ask the contractor what colors they can get first.
Need gutter work in St. Louis?
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