Any one know roughtly how much I should expect to pay, to replace the guttering (and downpipes) on a 3 bed semi (approx 25meters of guttering) from cast to plastic, if I get a professional in? Trying to work rough costs and if it is worth DIYing!
3 sides of guttering? Depending on various factors, I'd charge around £550-650 to do that. A large Compnay would be £1200+.
The material cost would be around £150-200, plus any paint and wood you'd need to paint/replace the fascia/soffit while you are up there. It may pay to cover the fascia and soffit with plastic capping/facing while you do the guttering - it certainly makes them maintenance free, though I dont like the look myself, I much prefer painted wood.
Be aware that it is a quite difficult job to do only from ladders, even more so when removing cast iron gutter which will be heavier than you think, so factor in the cost of hiring a scaffold tower if you DIY. Alan.
You *can* DIY it - but it's a fairly awkward job to do on your own - much easier if there are 2 or 3 of you.
If employing a professional, most of the cost is in the labour and the access equipment rather than the materials - so you might as well use decent materials, and make a much better job of it. Find a firm which specialises in seamless aluminium guttering - they seem to exist in most areas. The material is supplied to the installers as a roll of flat powder-coated[1] aluminium strip, a foot or so wide, and they have a machine in the back of their van which straightens it and bends it into ogee cross-section guttering of whatever length is required to go the width of your house without any joints.
[1] Usually comes in a choice of black, white or brown.The message from "Roger Mills" contains these words:
Any job is easier if there is more than one of you but plastic guttering is not a difficult job. If the fascias are in good shape it is simple for one person to do and without the need of anything more complicated than a ladder, a screw driver, a level and a line.
As a previous contributor has said getting the cast iron guttering down in the first place might pose problems due to the weight but in taking it down gravity can be used to advantage if there is nothing below to damage.
30 years ago when I put up my wooden guttering (wooden guttering is probably just as heavy as cast iron) I had the assistance of a neighbour. The sections I took down this year I did on my own (well me and gravity).
I'd look carefully at repairing the cast iron. It can have a life of 100+ years whereas plastic can give problems in 10 or so - it can crack if a ladder etc is leaned against it as it hardens with age. Most cast iron parts can be bought new or secondhand. Often all that's needed is removing, replacing the wood boards and replacing with new brackets, nuts and bolts and re-sealing things.
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