Should you replace gutters with a new roof?
By Houston Kincaid, President · 23 years in roofing
Published October 13, 2026
If your gutters are more than a few years from the end of their life, replacing them with your roof usually makes sense. The new drip edge and the gutter have to line up, the fascia behind the gutter is exposed and easy to check, and it's one crew and one visit instead of two. If your gutters are newer and in good shape, they can usually stay.
The roof edge is one system
Water runs off the shingles, over the drip edge, and into the gutter. The drip edge is part of the roof; the gutter hangs below it. When they’re installed together, they line up the way they should, and water goes into the gutter instead of behind it, where it rots the fascia board.
While the roof is off, the fascia is exposed
During a re-roof, the edge of the roof is open, so soft or rotted fascia is easy to find and fix before new gutters go on. Replace the gutters later and you may end up opening it all up again.
One crew, one visit
Homeowners don’t love coordinating two contractors. With BNH, the same crew does the roof edge and the gutters, and Houston is your one point of contact.
When to keep your gutters
If your gutters are newer, the right size, and not leaking, sagging or pulling away, they can stay. Houston will tell you which way he’d go and why.
Common questions
Can you put the old gutters back after the new roof?
If they're in good shape, yes. If they're sagging, leaking at the seams or pulling away from the fascia, it's a good time to replace them.
How long does it add to the job?
Usually not much. We roll seamless gutters on site with our own machine, so when the color you pick is on the truck, they go up the same day as the roof.
