Gutter Guard Installation Cost

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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gutter leaf guards

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How Much Do Gutter Guards Cost to Install?

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.

Gutter Guard Installation Prices

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


Gutter Guard Price List

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.

Cost Breakdown

Individual costs to install hedgehog leaf guards on the guttering of a 2-storey semi-detached house with easy access - Total Cost: £250

40 %

Materials
£100

60 %

Tradesmen
£150

0 %

Scaffolding
£0

What Are the Labour Costs for Gutter Guards Installation?

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.

Additional Gutter Guard Installations Costs

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:

Gutter Repair or Replacement

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 Replacement

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.

Roof Moss Removal

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.

Replace Roof Tiles

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.

Why Is Guttering Protection Important?

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.

How Are Gutter Guards Installed?

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.

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FAQs

Prices will obviously vary depending on the property and the type of leaf guard required, but for a typical 3-bed semi-detached home, the price will be around £200 to £350. There are two main types of leaf or gutter guard sold in the UK, the Gutter Hedgehog, which is a brush-like device that sits inside the guttering and is very easy to install, and gutter mesh which can often be found in local garden centres and DIY stores. The DIY mesh type is quite flimsy, but it does keep out leaves and other large debris and is cheaper than the hedgehog design.
If you hire a professional to fit leaf or gutter guards then the first thing they will do is unblock the guttering and rainwater downpipes, then check the underground drains. After clearing the gutters out and making sure drains are clear, the existing gutters are checked for leaks and replaced as necessary. Finally, the gutter guard is fitted using clips to hold it in place (the hedgehog type is inserted into the gutter and held in place using coated garden wire).
It depends on the property, but as a rule, it will take two men around half a day to clear out the gutters and install the Hedgehog type guard, but the mesh type may take slightly longer. This is assuming you are using the mesh or hedgehog type leaf guards, neither of which requires roof ties to be moved or adjusted for the installation.

If you choose a system that requires the bottom rows of roof tiles to be removed and refitted, then this will greatly increase costs with additional labour and likely some replacement roof tiles too. There is a poly-net type leaf guard which is becoming more popular and is easy to install with no clips or fixings required. However, this is not suitable for areas where pine needles or other smaller debris are the main culprits.
No, but they do greatly reduce the maintenance required. Gutter leaf guards will keep out most but not all of the leaves and debris, so your gutters will still need to be cleaned occasionally.
Fitting leaf guards entails removing and cleaning the existing gutters thoroughly, and then fixing the guards onto the gutter, then re-fixing the protected guttering back on the fascia boards.
There are a number of leaf guard systems on sale in the UK, most are designed for standard sized guttering which is 4.5 inches wide (112mm to 114mm), however some manufacturers do sell a domestic guttering which is only 100mm wide so you need to double check the leaf guard system will fit. Also, most domestic leaf guard systems will be too small for industrial size 6-inch gutters found on some commercial properties.
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