Ottawa Eavestroughs
Ottawa Roofing Pros installs and repairs seamless aluminum eavestroughs, downspouts, leaf guards, soffit and fascia on Ottawa homes. Because we are roofers first, every eavestrough we hang is set to work with the shingles, drip edge and attic vents above it.
Across 1,500+ roofing jobs, we have traced countless ice dams, rotted fascia boards and damp basements back to an undersized or badly pitched gutter. We size each system for Ottawa's summer cloudbursts and the heavy runoff of spring melt.
Homeowners get one licensed, insured, WSIB-covered crew for the whole roof edge, backed by a 1-year written labour warranty.
We handle the whole roof edge as one system: seamless aluminum eavestroughs, downspouts and extensions, leaf guards, vented soffit and aluminum fascia. A seamless eavestrough is formed from one continuous coil of prefinished aluminum, so the only joints are at corners and outlets, where most leaks would otherwise start.
Our work for Ottawa homeowners includes:
Most of this work is part of our residential roofing services for single-family homes, semis and townhouses. Some customers call for eavestroughs alone, while others add them to a new roof.
The clearest sign of a failing eavestrough is water going where it should not: over the front lip, through a seam, or down your foundation wall. Most problems show up during a heavy summer storm or the first big melt in March.
Watch for these:
Mature maples and oaks fill eavestroughs fast on established streets like Beaverbrook in Kanata and Beacon Hill in Gloucester. On many older homes in Nepean, the original fascia has rotted behind decades-old troughs, so we check every board before hanging new ones.
Choosing an eavestrough comes down to three decisions: trough size, whether to add leaf guards, and what to do with the soffit and fascia behind it. Getting these right matters more than colour, because each one affects how your roof drains and breathes.
We walk the property with you during the free estimate and recommend options based on roof area, pitch and the trees around your home.
A 5-inch K-style eavestrough suits most Ottawa homes, while a 6-inch trough is the better choice for large or steep roof planes. The larger profile carries roughly 40% more water and pairs with 3 x 4 inch downspouts.
We recommend 6-inch troughs where a valley dumps two roof planes into one run, on steep pitches where water overshoots a smaller trough, and under metal roofs that shed water and snow quickly.
Leaf guards cut cleaning from several times a year to an occasional check. Fine stainless micro-mesh handles maple keys and pine needles best, while perforated aluminum screens cost less but let small debris through.
We fasten guards to the front of the trough rather than tucking them under the first shingle course, which can lift shingles and affect your shingle warranty. Canadian-made systems such as Alu-Rex are designed with snow and ice in mind.
Soffit is the underside of your roof overhang, and its vented panels supply the fresh intake air your attic needs. Fascia is the vertical board the eavestrough hangs on, which we clad in prefinished aluminum after replacing any rotted wood.
Many 1960s and 1970s homes have solid soffits with a few small round vents. Switching to fully vented panels from makers like Kaycan or Gentek, combined with our attic ventilation and insulation upgrades, helps keep the attic cold and dry.
A typical eavestrough replacement on a detached Ottawa home takes one day, start to finish. Larger homes, extensive fascia repair or full soffit replacement can add a second day.
Here is how the work runs.
We measure every run, note the roof area draining into each one, and plan downspout positions around walkways, driveways and grading. We also probe the fascia for rot.
Old troughs come down and go in our disposal bin. Rotted fascia boards are replaced, and we confirm the drip edge sits correctly so water lands inside the trough, not behind it.
Seamless lengths are formed on site from coil to the exact length of each eave. Corners are mitred and sealed, and outlets are cut where the plan calls for them.
Troughs hang on hidden hangers, typically about 24 inches apart and closer where snow and ice load is heavy. Each run slopes toward its outlet, usually about 1/4 inch for every 10 feet.
Downspouts are strapped to the wall and finished with extensions that carry water well away from the foundation. We avoid draining onto driveways and walkways, where runoff refreezes into sheet ice.
We run water through every trough to confirm flow and check every seal. Then we clean the site and walk you through the finished work.
Seamless aluminum eavestroughs in Ottawa typically cost $10 to $20 per linear foot installed in 2026. Most detached homes need 120 to 200 linear feet, which puts a full replacement at roughly $1,200 to $4,000 before leaf guards or soffit work.
Where your price lands in that range depends on:
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Trough size | 6-inch troughs and 3 x 4 inch downspouts use more coil than 5-inch systems |
| Corners and outlets | Each mitred corner and outlet adds labour and sealing |
| Height and number of storeys | Longer downspouts and more ladder or staging setup |
| Fascia condition | Rotted wood must be replaced before new troughs go up |
| Leaf guards | Priced per linear foot on top of the eavestrough |
| Soffit and fascia cladding | Measured and quoted separately by area and length |
| Removal and disposal | Old troughs, hangers and downspouts |
Your written quote after a free assessment sets the actual price. New eavestroughs carry our 1-year written labour warranty, and the aluminum coil and its finish carry the manufacturer's warranty.
Replacing eavestroughs at the same time as your roof usually costs less and gives a cleaner result than doing them separately. The crew is already on site, ladders and bins are already in place, and the drip edge, eave membrane and trough can all be installed in the right order.
Doing it together also avoids a common problem. New shingles hung over an old, sagging trough often send water behind it, and replacing the trough later risks disturbing the new drip edge.
Many 2000s-era homes in Barrhaven and Stittsville are reaching their first re-roof with the builder's original eavestroughs still in place. When we quote a roof replacement, we can price the eavestroughs, soffit and fascia on the same written quote. Our Ottawa roof replacement cost guide shows how these line items fit into a full project budget.
Homeowners usually ask us these during the free measuring visit. The short answers below cover sizing, guards, timing and the repair-or-replace decision.
Probably not, if your home is a typical bungalow or two-storey with simple roof planes. Six-inch troughs make sense for large roof areas, steep pitches, valleys that concentrate water, and metal roofs.
We measure the roof area draining into each run before recommending a size.
They are worth it if you have mature trees nearby or a two-storey home that is hard to clean safely. Micro-mesh guards keep out maple keys and needles that clog ordinary screens.
No guard is maintenance-free. Expect to brush debris off the top occasionally and check the outlets each fall.
Repairs and emergency re-hanging happen year-round. For full installations we prefer above-freezing days, because corner sealants cure slowly in deep cold and ice-covered fascia is hard to inspect.
Troughs that freeze solid usually have an attic heat problem above them. Snow melts on the warm roof, drains into the cold trough and refreezes, building an ice dam that can push water under the shingles.
Better attic insulation and ventilation solve the cause, while correct pitch and clear outlets help troughs drain between cold spells.
A well-hung seamless aluminum system commonly lasts 20 to 30 years in Ottawa. Hangers, corner seals and downspout connections usually need attention before the aluminum itself wears out.
Ice is the main enemy. Troughs that fill with ice every winter loosen their hangers and open their seams years earlier than troughs on a cold, well-ventilated roof.
Most homeowners match the eavestrough to the fascia, so the roof edge reads as one clean line. White, brown and black are the most common choices on Ottawa homes, with downspouts often matched to the siding or brick so they disappear against the wall.
Repair makes sense for a few leaking corners or one sagging run on an otherwise sound seamless system. Replace when you have sectional troughs leaking at many joints, widespread sagging, or rotted fascia behind them.
If your roof is due within a few years, our roof repair service can keep things working until you replace both together.
Our crews dispatch from Centretown to every Ottawa community and anywhere within about 30 minutes of the city.
Free roofing estimate
Call (343) 504-9753 or send the form and we will book a free visit to measure your roof edge and check the fascia and soffit. You receive a written, itemized quote with trough size, downspout layout and any wood repairs spelled out.