Last updated 18th July, 2025
Do you need gutter protection? Too many leaves?
This article discusses the main points about gutter covers. Whether you want plastic gutter guards, gutter mesh or want to know what the gutter guards installation fee would be. We've got you!
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The average cost for gutter guards installation is usually in the range of £200 to £350, depending upon the ease of access to the gutters and the type of guard you choose.
Gutter protection prices at the higher end of the range will often need scaffolding to access the roofline.
It can make sense to have other work on your roof completed at the same time.
For example, if your gutters themselves are getting old, you might want to budget for the gutter replacement cost at the same time. Replacing gutters and then installing gutter guards will be a more robust solution than just installing the gutter guards alone.
Similarly, adding the cost of soffits and fascias into your budget can save on future costs, especially if you need to hire scaffolding to get the work done.
Here are a few average costs for having gutter leaf guards fitted:
Guard Type | Scaffolding? | Avg. Cost | Duration |
---|---|---|---|
Hedgehog | No | £250 | 1/2 day |
Mesh | No | £200 | 1/2 day |
Hedgehog | Yes | £500 | 1 day |
Mesh | Yes | £450 | 1 day |
The cost of buying materials individually without installation is typically:
Material | Price per Metre |
---|---|
Plastic Mesh | £2 - £4 |
Aluminium Mesh | £4 - £8 |
Hedgehog | £4 - £7 |
Brush | £6 - £10 |
Cover | £5 - £10 |
Materials for guttering protection will usually come in packs of between 4 and 10 metres. This may mean you have some leftover.
Individual costs to install hedgehog leaf guards on the guttering of a 2-storey semi-detached house with easy access - Total Cost: £250
A pair of roofline workers will usually charge around £250 per day, and this type of job normally takes around half a day to complete.
In some cases, where the bottom few tiles need to be removed in order to install the leaf guards, it may take a full day to finish the job.
Bear in mind that roofline labour in London and the South East will be higher in price due to the higher cost of living in those areas. You're likely to get a cheaper quote if you live elsewhere in the UK.
If you need to hire roofers or have scaffolding erected for gutter guards installation, there are other jobs you may want to consider at the same time, such as:
Ensuring that your gutters are in good condition will help keep your home safe from water ingress.
On average, guttering repair costs are around £120 to £180, while gutter replacement costs are typically between £450 and £700.
Soffits and fascias are key components of your roofing structure, helping to keep water out of your home. If they become damaged, the moisture that enters the roof space could cause damage elsewhere or allow pests inside.
The typical cost of replacing soffits and fascias is between £1,000 and £1,500.
The build-up of moss on your roof can cause issues if it's left to grow for too long. If you're putting scaffolding up to address guttering issues, it's worth taking a look at the state of the roof and whether it needs cleaning.
Typically, the cost of roof moss removal is between £300 and £500.
Damaged or broken roof tiles can cause problems for your loft space, allowing water to enter your home or causing ventilation problems. By replacing single tiles or small groups of tiles, you may save money on a full replacement further down the line.
The cost of replacing roof tiles can start from around £75 if you already have scaffolding up to complete your gutter guards installation.
Clogged gutters are more than just a minor annoyance: overflowing water can cause serious damage to your property and be very expensive to fix. If your home suffers from blocked gutters even with regular cleaning, then it may be a good idea to fit gutter leaf guards to prevent debris from blocking the guttering system.
With leaf guards, you don’t have to clean the gutters nearly as much and still will not suffer from overflows and blockages, as the design keeps out leaves, debris, and birds etc, so your gutters rarely need cleaning.
There is no planning permission required to fit leaf guards, and they can be fitted by a competent DIY'er as long as they are confident working at height. The job involves dismantling the gutters to clean them and re-affixing them to allow a sufficient gap for the guard to be fitted. However, most prefer these systems to be professionally installed by experienced tradesmen with all the right safety equipment and insurance.
Fitting the wrong type of leaf guard can mean little to no improvement, so you have to choose the right system to keep out the type of debris causing problems. For example, if the main problem is pine needles blocking the gutters, then fitting a guard which allows pine needles to get through while stopping larger leaves is useless!
Also, care has to be taken when removing guttering from the fascia boards, as you can often find that on older guttering, leaks may start to appear as soon as the joints in the gutters are disturbed.
In addition, if the fascia boards are not in good shape, they may be damaged when removing the guttering brackets. In fact, it may be a good idea to routinely replace guttering along with fascia and soffit boards when fitting leaf guards as a general rule.
Badly sloping fascia boards (caused by subsidence or sloppy tradesmen), which run contrary to the run of the gutters, can cause problems when fitting leaf guards and will often need replacing in any case.
Badly installed bottom tiles and valleys can also cause problems, as can wrongly located downpipes, or not enough downpipes - all good reasons to get a professional roofer to inspect your property before fitting a leaf guard.