Replace Eavestroughs With Your Ottawa Roof to Save Money

Replacing your eavestroughs at the same time as your roof is one of the smartest decisions an Ottawa homeowner can make, and it almost always saves money compared to doing the projects separately. The labour overlap between roofing and eavestrough work creates a natural cost advantage that disappears once the roofing crew leaves.

Why Bundling Saves Money in Ottawa

When a roofing crew replaces your roof, they typically remove or detach the existing eavestroughs to access the roof edge, install new drip edge flashing, and replace the ice-and-water shield membrane along the eaves. If the old eavestroughs go back on, the crew has to handle them carefully, which slows the roofing work. If new eavestroughs are being installed anyway, the roofer can focus on the roof without worrying about preserving old gutters, and the eavestrough installer arrives to a clean, properly prepared roof edge with a fresh drip edge already in place.

The cost savings come from several areas. First, you eliminate the separate mobilization fee for the eavestrough crew, which typically runs $200 to $400 in Ottawa. Second, the eavestrough installer does not need to work around existing roofing, and the drip edge is already installed correctly, saving about one to two hours of labour on a typical home. Third, if your fascia boards need repair or replacement, discovering that during a standalone eavestrough job means an unplanned additional cost, whereas during a roof replacement the fascia is already exposed and can be addressed efficiently.

For a typical Ottawa two-storey home, standalone eavestrough replacement costs $2,500 to $5,000 for seamless aluminum. When bundled with a roof replacement, many Ottawa contractors will offer a 10 to 20 percent discount on the eavestrough portion because of the reduced labour, bringing the eavestrough cost down to $2,000 to $4,200. On a full roof-plus-eavestrough project, that translates to savings of $400 to $800 or more.

Timing the project for Ottawa's prime roofing season from May through September gives you the widest selection of contractors and the best scheduling flexibility. Fall is the busiest season for eavestroughs alone, so bundling with a summer roof replacement avoids the fall rush entirely.

There are a few situations where you might not bundle the projects. If your roof is relatively new but your eavestroughs are failing, there is no reason to wait for a future roof replacement. If your eavestroughs are in good condition and your roof needs replacement, a careful roofing crew can detach and reinstall existing gutters. However, if your eavestroughs are more than 15 to 20 years old and you are replacing the roof, the smart move is to bundle both projects.

When getting quotes, ask your roofing contractor whether they do eavestrough work in-house or partner with an eavestrough sub-contractor. Some roofers include eavestroughs in their scope while others coordinate with a specialist. Either approach works as long as the eavestrough installer uses proper seamless roll-forming equipment and follows Ottawa-specific hanger spacing of 24 inches maximum. You can find roofing and eavestrough professionals through the Ottawa Construction Network directory at justynrookcontracting.com.