Should I replace my gutters when I replace my roof?

Last Updated: October 23, 2026

Why a new roof is the natural time for new gutters

A roof replacement and a gutter replacement meet at the same few inches of the house: the eave, where shingles, drip edge, fascia and gutter all come together. Gutters of Kent handles gutter replacement across Kent and South King County, with the work done by licensed and insured contractors. Roof repair and replacement are not offered, so this guide covers the gutter side of a re-roof and how it fits around the roofer’s work.

The timing lines up for three reasons. The gutters usually come off or get disturbed anyway, because tearing off shingles and fitting new drip edge happens right at the gutter line. The fascia is exposed, which is the only time the board behind the gutter can be checked along its whole length. And the new roof edge is the reference line a gutter should be hung from, so hanging the gutter after the edge is finished lets it be set at the right height and pitch. Replacing gutters a few years after a roof, by contrast, means working against a finished edge and possibly disturbing the new drip edge.

The right order of work

Sequencing matters more than which company goes first on the calendar. A typical order:

1. Old gutters come down, before the tear-off, so they are not damaged if they are to be reused and the fascia is open.
2. The fascia is checked and repaired. Soft, split or rotted boards are fixed now, while nothing is in the way. Gutter and fascia repair explains how damage is assessed.
3. The roofer installs drip edge and the new roof. At the eave, the drip edge sets where water leaves the roof.
4. New gutters go up last, hung on hidden hangers into the sound fascia, positioned so the drip edge drops into the trough and pitched toward each outlet.
5. Downspouts are reconnected and the discharge checked, so the new roof’s water goes somewhere safe.

The mistake to avoid is the reverse: gutters hung first, roof edge finished over or behind them. Then the drip edge may end up behind the back of the gutter instead of inside it, and water that clings to the roof edge runs down the fascia. The guide to drip edge and gutter apron covers this interface in detail, and water behind gutters covers the symptom.

When the old gutters can be reused

Sound gutters do not have to be replaced just because the roof is. They are worth keeping only if every one of these holds:

• They are in good condition. No rust through the trough, no splits, no corners or end caps that leak repeatedly, and the finish acceptable.
• They are the right size for the roof. Where a valley overflows a run every winter, a new roof is the moment to upsize or add an outlet. The gutter size guide explains how size is set.
• They are pitched correctly and hung on hangers that can go back into sound wood.
• They can come down without damage. Long seamless runs are awkward to take down and put back. A run that kinks, bends at a corner or stretches its seals on the way down will not seal properly when rehung.
• The fascia behind them is sound, or will be after repair.

Homeowners report gutters that were taken down for a renovation, put back rather than replaced, and then leaked. That fits the mechanism: removing a run disturbs its corner joints and seals, and a rehung gutter carries all its old wear plus new stress. Where the gutters are near the end of their life, rehanging them saves little. How long gutters last lists the signs, and repair vs replacement works through the decision.

When a new roof changes what the gutters need

A roof replacement can change the gutter requirements even when the old gutters were fine.

• A switch to a metal roof sheds water and snow faster. Snow is light and infrequent here, with NOAA’s SeaTac normal at 6.3 inches a year, but snow sliding off metal can strip or bend a gutter when it does come. Metal roof gutters covers the details.
• New drip edge with a different profile may sit at a different height, changing where the gutter needs to hang.
• Added roof area, such as a new dormer or an addition tied into the roof, sends more water to some runs, which can call for more downspouts.
• Removing moss and old layers can reveal fascia damage that was hidden under the old gutter.

Kent’s housing stock makes the fascia check worth planning for. Census figures (ACS) put 38.5% of Kent’s homes as built before 1980, and King County Assessor records give ZIP 98032 a median build year of 1967. Age is context, not proof, but where a house still has original wood trim, budget for the possibility of fascia repair before the new gutters go up.

Coordinating the roofer and the gutter work

Because roof work is not offered, two contractors are involved, and gaps between their scopes are where problems hide. Settle these points before work starts:

• Who removes the old gutters, and who is responsible if gutters meant for reuse are damaged.
• Who checks and repairs the fascia, and how that is priced if bad wood turns up.
• What drip edge the roofer will install, and confirmation that it will lap into the gutter rather than sit behind it.
• Who handles kickout flashing where a roof edge meets a wall, which keeps water out of the wall and directs it into the gutter.
• The schedule, so the house is not without gutters for long during the wet season. NOAA normals for the Kent station put about 6.23 inches of rain in November alone.
• Whether downspouts tied into buried lines will be disconnected, and how they will be reconnected. Changing a buried drainage connection is storm drainage work that needs a City of Kent permit under KCC 7.05.070.

Check both contractors’ registration, bond and insurance with L&I’s Verify a Contractor tool; the guide to checking a gutter contractor in Washington shows how.

What it costs to add gutters to a re-roof

Gutter pricing is the same with or without a new roof. For 5-inch seamless aluminum, installed, plan on a typical Seattle-area range of about $8 to $13 per linear foot. Removing and hauling away old gutters typically adds about $150 to $325 to a Seattle-area job, though if the roofer already removed them that line may drop out. Fascia repair has no single figure. Washington sales tax applies to the whole contract, labor included: 10.4% at most Kent addresses. The gutter installation cost guide breaks down each line, and the cost estimator gives a budgeting range. When the roof is booked, Get an Estimate for the gutters so the two jobs can be planned together.