Gutter cleaning starts at $150 for a one-story home on Chicago’s North Shore. Two-story homes start at $195 and three-story homes at $295, and the price rises with square footage from there. Those are our real starting prices, the same numbers our gutter cleaning calculator uses.
Gutter Cleaning Prices by Home Size
Height is the biggest factor in gutter cleaning cost. Every extra story means taller ladders and slower work.
| Home size | One-story | Two-story | Three-story |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 2,000 sq ft | $150 | $195 | $295 |
| 2,000 to 3,000 | $180 | $210 | $295 |
| 3,000 to 4,000 | $210 | $210 to $250 | $350 |
| 4,000 to 5,000 | $240 | $290 | $405 |
| 5,000 to 6,000 | $270 | $330 | $460 |
Prices move in bands rather than by the foot, so a 2,500 and a 3,100 square foot two-story get the same number. For your exact starting price, the calculator on our gutter cleaning page takes about ten seconds.
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Every cleaning includes the same work:
- Every gutter cleared of leaves and debris
- Every downspout flushed with water to confirm flow
- Clogged downspouts cleared on the spot at no extra charge (buried drain lines are a separate service)
- Up to 4 bags of debris hauled away, with more for a small added fee
- Before and after photos of the finished job
A Real Job in Glenview: $210
A homeowner in Glenview called us after he noticed a plant growing out of his gutter. That is one of the clearest signs a gutter has been full long enough for soil to collect in the trough and hold water between rains.
| Service | Gutter cleaning, cleared and flushed |
| Location | Glenview, IL |
| Home size | About 3,100 sq ft |
| What we found | Debris in every run, all downspouts clogged |
| Crew | Mike F. and Soslan S., both 4 years with Sparkle Service |
| Time on site | About 1 hour |
| Completed | July 11, 2026 |
| Price | $210 |
The troughs held a packed layer of decomposed leaves and grit, the kind of buildup that comes from more than one season. Every downspout on the house was blocked. From the ground they looked fine, and the plant was the only clue.
Both technicians cleared every run, and all debris was bagged and hauled away, with nothing left on the roof, lawn, or beds. Then they flushed each downspout until water ran clear at the bottom of every drop.
We sent two technicians because the side yard here is unusually narrow, which limits where a ladder can stand and how far it can move. Two people on a tight side are faster and safer than one working around the constraint. The job took about an hour.
Where the $210 comes from
Gutter cleaning is priced in size bands rather than by the foot, and at about 3,100 square feet this home came in at $210. Every downspout was clogged, but clearing them is part of a cleaning rather than a line item, as is hauling the debris away.
Nothing was added on top of that. The house had no guards to remove and needed no repairs, so the starting price was the final price.
We clean gutters throughout Glenview, Northbrook, Wilmette, and Winnetka.
What Changes the Price
The starting price covers your home’s size and height. Three things adjust it from there, and we confirm the final number with you before any work begins.
Gutter guards change the price the most. They have to come off and go back on to clean underneath, which is real added labor.
Plastic guards add 35% to the cleaning price and aluminum guards add 50%. The calculator applies this automatically once you tell it what you have.
Guards also change how often a cleaning is needed, and that is where the savings live. Under heavy tree cover, guards typically take a home from 3 or 4 cleanings a year down to one, which is a lower yearly cost even though each visit prices higher.
We install guards as well. Our gutter guards page covers what we install and what it costs.
Roof access and debris level come next. A gutter cleaned twice a year takes far less time than one that has sat full since last fall, and a steep or hard-to-reach roof takes longer than a walkable one.
Repairs are the third. Common ones are handled in the same visit, with labor and materials included:
- Securing loose downspouts: $35
- Resealing leaking seams: $45
- Correcting gutter slope: from $75
- Replacing corner pieces: from $125
- Installing new downspouts: from $150
Three other things sit outside the cleaning price and are quoted on their own.
French drains are a separate service, starting at $95 per drain and $70 for each additional drain. Mention them when scheduling and we bring the right equipment.
A detached garage is priced separately, starting at $60, since it is its own roofline with its own gutters and downspouts.
A few homes fall outside the calculator entirely. Properties above 10,000 square feet, cedar shake or tile roofs, and unusual rooflines are quoted on site.
Why Our Prices Differ From National Averages
Angi’s cost guide puts professional gutter cleaning at $119 to $234 for most homes. Our $150 one-story price sits inside that range, and there is a reason the North Shore tends toward the upper half of it.
National averages blend in small ranch homes on bare lots. Around here the typical job is a larger home under mature oaks and maples, and those trees drop debris in every season, not just October.
An average is a useful sanity check, but no directory can quote your house.
Recurring Plans Cost Less Per Visit
If your gutters need cleaning more than once a year, and under mature trees they do, a service plan discounts every visit. The twice-a-year plan takes 10% off and the quarterly plan takes 20% off.
Take the Glenview home above. Its $210 cleaning becomes $189 per visit on the twice-a-year plan, or $168 per visit on the quarterly plan. Plans are billed per visit, with no prepayment, and you can cancel anytime.
The Cost of Skipping a Cleaning
To be fair, not every home needs a pro. If you have a one-story ranch, few trees, and no fear of ladders, a DIY cleaning twice a year can be enough.
An overflowing gutter drops roof runoff along the foundation, which is the one place you do not want it. First it shows up as stained siding and rotted fascia. Then it shows up in the basement.
Water damage is not a rare problem. About one in 60 insured homes files a water damage or freezing claim in a given year, and those claims average nearly $14,000, according to industry data published by the Insurance Information Institute.
Here is the part most homeowners do not learn until they file. Standard homeowners policies cover water damage that is sudden and accidental.
They generally exclude two things that describe gutter overflow exactly: damage caused by lack of maintenance, and groundwater entering through basement walls and floors. An adjuster who traces a wet basement back to gutters that sat full for two seasons is looking at both exclusions at once.
Coverage varies, so read your own policy. Just do not assume the repair gets paid for.
That is the real math on an overflowing gutter. A cleaning is a scheduled cost you control, and the repair is neither.
Most gutter problems are fixed for somewhere between nothing and the price of a standard cleaning.
Gutter Cleaning Cost Questions
What is the average cost of gutter cleaning in my area?
In the North Shore and northwest suburbs, our cleanings start at $150 for one-story homes and $195 for two-story homes. Angi’s cost guide puts the typical range at $119 to $234, so local prices sit within the normal band for professional work.
How much should I expect to pay for a two-story house?
Two-story homes start at $195 under 2,000 square feet. From 2,000 to 3,400 square feet the price is $210, before any plan discount. Above that it rises with size.
Is professional gutter cleaning worth it?
For most two-story homes, yes. Ladder work is a common way people get hurt at home, and a professional visit includes downspout flushing, minor repairs on the spot, and photo proof of the finished job. For a small single-story home with few trees, DIY can be a reasonable choice.
How often should gutters be cleaned?
At least twice a year in the Chicago area: late spring after the seed pods drop, and late fall once the leaves are down. Homes under mature oaks and maples, which is most of the North Shore, often need 3 to 4 cleanings per year. If yours are overflowing between cleanings, see why gutters overflow.
Will a handyman clean gutters for less?
Often, yes. The difference shows when something goes wrong, since we are fully insured and our technicians are background-checked. Downspout flushing and minor repairs come with every visit rather than as extras, and you get photo proof of the finished job.
Is there a minimum charge?
The starting prices are the minimum. One-story homes start at $150, two-story at $195, and three-story at $295, and we do not go below that no matter how short the roofline is.
Setup, ladder work, and downspout flushing take the same baseline time on a small house as a large one.
What if the on-site price is higher than the calculator quoted?
We tell you before we start, and you decide. The calculator gives a starting price from the size and height of your home.
If the technician finds heavy buildup, guards we did not know about, or roof access that changes the job, we explain what changed and give you the revised number first. If you would rather not go ahead at that price, we pack up and leave, and you owe nothing.
Do you charge more during the fall rush?
No. The price is the same in October as it is in May.
What changes in the fall is availability, since the two weeks after the leaves drop are the busiest of the year. Service plan members get scheduled first, and everyone else books further out.
Do you tip gutter cleaners?
No tip is expected. Our technicians are paid properly for the work, and the price you are quoted is the whole price.
Some customers do tip and the crew appreciates it, but nothing about your service depends on it.
Do you charge extra for a detached garage?
Yes. A detached garage is a separate roofline with its own gutters and downspouts, so it is priced on top of the house, starting at $60 depending on size. Coach houses, pool houses, and sheds with gutters work the same way.
Mention the structure when you request your quote and the number is included up front rather than added at the door.
Do you clean by hand or with a blower?
Some companies advertise that they clean gutters entirely by hand. In practice almost everyone uses a blower on dry debris, because it is faster and it works. What matters is what happens after.
Dry debris comes out with a blower, and wet packed debris comes out by hand. Every downspout gets flushed with water either way.
Then all of it gets collected and bagged, including anything that came down onto the ground. Nothing is left on your lawn, your beds, your driveway, or your roof.
That is what the by-hand claim is really promising. It is a cleanup question, not a tool question. Ask any company what they do with the debris once it is out of the gutter, and how they handle a packed trough after a wet fall.
How fast can I get a price?
If you call during business hours, usually within a few minutes, right on the phone. Our prices are published on this page in bands, so there is no waiting for someone to work up an estimate.
Forms and texts get a same-day reply. For a number right now with no contact at all, use the calculator on our gutter cleaning page.
Get Your Price
The fastest way to a number for your own home is the calculator on our gutter cleaning page. You can also call 847-230-7447 or request a quote, and we respond within minutes.