Gutter Installation in St. Louis, MO

Local know-how

Gutters in St. Louis: what local homeowners should know

St. Louis is known for its brick homes, and many have gutters and downspouts that have been repaired again and again. Leaking gutters stain brick and wash out mortar, so seamless replacement is a common investment.

Heavy spring storms, hail and humid summers keep gutters working, and the region’s tree canopy makes guards popular. Basements are common, so downspout placement matters.

Heavy storms on both sides of the river

St. Louis averages roughly 42 inches of precipitation a year (NOAA 1991–2020 normals at Lambert Airport), and some of it arrives all at once. On July 26, 2022, about 9 inches of rain fell at Lambert by noon, shattering the airport’s daily record of 6.85 inches from 1915. Parts of St. Charles County got more than 12 inches, and flash flooding closed sections of I-70, I-64, I-55 and I-44.

No gutter handles a storm like that. But the same pattern of short, intense bursts shows up every spring and summer, and that is when undersized gutters, too few downspouts and outlets that dump water at the foundation cause wet basements. St. Louis has a lot of basements, and a lot of older brick homes whose gutters have been patched for decades.

Downspouts and the sewer: MSD Project Clear

Much of the City of St. Louis and parts of the older inner-ring suburbs are served by combined sewers, which carry both sewage and stormwater. Under its federal consent decree, the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) runs Project Clear, a long-term program to reduce overflows and flooding. Stormwater magazine reported that MSD has a downspout disconnection program for affected property owners, that downspouts connected to the combined sewer are now a code violation, and that MSD pays to correct connections made when they were still allowed.

If your downspouts run into the ground, ask the installer whether they are connected to the sewer. New gutters are the natural time to reroute them to splash blocks, extensions or planted areas that drain away from the house, following MSD’s current rules.

Typical costs in St. Louis

These are published cost figures for orientation only, not quotes. City averages include smaller jobs such as partial runs; a full seamless system on a large or two-story home usually lands at the upper end of the range or above. The installer you are connected with measures your home and gives you the actual price.

More detail: gutter and gutter guard cost guide.

Licensing is local in Missouri and Illinois

Missouri has no statewide license for general or home improvement contractors. Licensing and permits are handled by cities and counties, and rules differ between the City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, St. Charles County and individual municipalities. The City of St. Louis, for example, requires a construction contracting business license. Ask the installer which licenses they hold for your city, and check with your municipality whether gutter work needs a permit.

On the Illinois side (Belleville, Edwardsville, Alton, East St. Louis and Metro East), Illinois law requires a written contract and the “Home Repair: Know Your Consumer Rights” pamphlet for home repair contracts over $1,000 (Illinois Home Repair and Remodeling Act).

Brick homes and historic districts

St. Louis is a brick city. Many homes in the city and the older inner suburbs date from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s, with box gutters built into the cornice, half-round gutters or decades-old aluminum. Replacing built-in box gutters is specialized work: the lining, the wood structure behind it and the connection to the downspout all have to be sound.

The City of St. Louis also has local historic districts where visible exterior changes can need review before work starts. Switching from half-round to K-style gutters, or removing a built-in box gutter, is the kind of change that can require approval. Check with the City before ordering materials if your home is in a historic district.

Choosing gutters and guards for a St. Louis home

• Bigger gutters and downspouts for summer downpours: 5-inch vs. 6-inch gutters.
• Downspouts that protect the basement: downspouts and drainage and disconnecting downspouts.
• Guards under oaks and maples: gutter guards.
• Half-round and copper on historic brick homes: copper and half-round gutters.

Independent installers take calls from across the St. Louis area, including St. Louis, Florissant, Ballwin, Chesterfield, Wildwood, Fenton, St. Charles, O’Fallon, and on the Illinois side Belleville, East St. Louis, Edwardsville, Alton, East Alton, Bethalto, Cottage Hills, Brighton, Bunker Hill and Carrollton.

Sources

• Current Results: St. Louis annual precipitation (NOAA data)
• WTTW: Record rainfall of more than 10 inches causes widespread flooding in St. Louis area (July 2022)
• Stormwater magazine: St. Louis Sings the Blues (MSD Project Clear, downspout disconnection)
• Angi: How much does gutter installation cost in St. Louis, MO?
• HomeGuide: Seamless gutters cost
• Angi: How much do gutter guards cost?
• City of St. Louis: Construction contracting business license
• Illinois Home Repair and Remodeling Act (815 ILCS 513)