Short answer: Gutter cleaning in Portland costs about $235 on average, and most homeowners pay between $157 and $316. That price covers clearing debris from your gutters, flushing the downspouts, and hauling the mess away. A small one-story house can come in near $125 to $175. A large two-story home under heavy tree cover can reach about $425, and complex jobs can top $550. Ready for quotes? Compare local pros →
In this guide
This article gives you the numbers to budget and to judge a bid. You will see prices by home size, how to work out a price per linear foot for your own house, which Portland conditions push a quote up, and what a fair quote should include. A worked example takes a typical two-story home from base price to final total.
Guardian Gutter Guide is an independent homeowner resource, not a contractor, so nothing here is written to sell you a crew. Treat every figure below as an estimate, not a quote. Your actual bid depends on your roof, your trees, and the company you call.
Why Portland homeowners pay $157 to $316 on average
Most Portland homeowners pay $157 to $316 for a cleaning, with the average near $235, because the city’s wet weather and tree cover make gutters work harder than in most places. Knowing that range before you call keeps you from overpaying and from accepting a bid so low that it skips work.
Typical prices by home size
Home size is the biggest single driver of the price. These ranges are what local cleaners most often quote for a standard cleaning of a gutter run that is not badly neglected:
| Home type | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Small 1-story (1,000 to 1,200 sq ft) | $125 to $175 |
| Medium 1-story (1,500 to 1,800 sq ft) | $160 to $225 |
| 2-story (2,000 to 2,500 sq ft) | $220 to $350 |
| Larger 2-story (2,500+ sq ft) | $280 to $425 |
Other price guides frame it differently. One local cleaner quotes $150 to $350 for a single-story home and $250 to $600 for a multi-story one. Homeowners in local forums report about $250 for a basic cleaning. The spread between sources is normal, because each one mixes different home sizes and service levels.
A Portland gutter cleaning usually lands between $157 and $316, and anything far outside that range deserves a question.
Why Portland runs above the national figure
National averages for gutter cleaning usually sit near $160, so Portland is higher. Rain concentrated from October through May keeps gutters full of water for months. Douglas fir needles pack into dense mats, bigleaf maple leaves add volume, and damp shade grows moss.
Housing adds to it. Tall, narrow homes, steep rooflines, and tight lots mean slower ladder work and extra safety steps. More time on site is what you pay for.
What skipping the cleaning costs
An overflowing gutter dumps water on your fascia, siding, and foundation. Rotted fascia and water damage often run into the thousands to repair. Compared with a cleaning of roughly $235, regular maintenance is the cheaper path, especially before the winter rains.
What should this cost you?
Answer four questions and get a fair price range for your home.
How to estimate your price per linear foot
You can estimate your own price by measuring your gutters in linear feet and multiplying by $1.05 to $1.31, then adjusting for height. Most homes have 125 to 200 linear feet of gutter, though larger homes can have more.
Measure your gutter run
Walk the outside of your house and add up every roof edge that carries a gutter. A tape measure works, or pace it off at roughly 2.5 feet per step. Then follow these steps:
- Add the lengths of all gutter runs. Do not count downspouts.
- Multiply by the per-foot rate for your height.
- Add extras such as guards, heavy debris, or a long gap since the last cleaning.
- Compare the result with the size-based ranges above.
Per-foot rates and square-foot pricing
Cleaners often price by the foot, and the rate rises with height. Expect about $1.05 to $1.35 per linear foot for a one-story home and $1.10 to $1.43 for a two-story home. Some companies price by square footage instead, at roughly $0.35 to $0.48 for the first floor and $0.70 to $0.96 for the second. At the blended average rate, here is what common gutter lengths cost:
| Gutter run | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| 125 linear feet | $131 to $164 |
| 150 linear feet | $158 to $197 |
| 200 linear feet | $210 to $262 |
Measure first, then multiply: your gutter length tells you more than your square footage does.
A worked example for a two-story home
Take a two-story house with 180 linear feet of gutter. At $1.10 to $1.43 per foot, the base cleaning runs $198 to $257. Now add the realistic extras:
| Scenario | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| Cleaned every year | $198 to $257 |
| Not cleaned in 2+ years (add 20% to 30%) | $238 to $335 |
| Same, plus guards to remove ($50 to $100) | $288 to $435 |
Not every house gets every extra. Still, the example shows why two neighbors can get quotes $100 apart. The cost estimator on this site takes the same inputs, including stories and debris level, if you want a faster range.
What pushes a Portland gutter cleaning quote up or down
Height, gutter length, and debris load set most of the price, and a few Portland conditions add on top. Learn these and you can explain nearly any quote you receive.
Size, height, and access
Stories matter more than square footage. A third story often needs specialized equipment and adds $75 to $150. Steep roofs, narrow side yards, and tall narrow homes slow the work too. Gutter type plays a smaller role. Seamed gutters have more joints that trap debris, and cleaning them averages about $138 to $220, against $125 to $205 for seamless.
Debris, guards, and time since the last cleaning
Fir needles and moss make Portland gutters heavier than the average. Heavy debris adds 15 to 30 minutes to a typical job. Guards help but do not end the work, because debris still builds up on top and underneath. Here is how the common add-ons stack up:
| Factor | Typical effect |
|---|---|
| Heavy needle and moss load | 15 to 30 more minutes of labor |
| Last cleaned over a year ago | 10% to 20% more |
| Not cleaned in 2+ years | 20% to 30% more |
| Guards removed and reinstalled | $50 to $100 more |
| Three-story home | $75 to $150 more |
Time since your last cleaning is the add-on you control, and annual cleaning keeps it at zero.
How to judge a quote and decide between DIY and a pro
A fair quote puts the price, the scope, and the company’s insurance in writing, and you should compare scope before you compare price. Get at least three quotes for the same work.
What a fair quote includes
Ask that the quote lists each of these:
- Debris removed from all gutters and downspouts
- Downspouts flushed to confirm they drain
- A check of gutter slope and brackets
- A visual check for roof damage from the ladder
- Cleanup of all debris on the ground
Ask for proof of liability insurance. If the company also does repairs or roof work, ask whether it holds an Oregon contractor license, which you can verify with the state’s Construction Contractors Board. As a sanity check, one two-hour job billed at $140 labor plus $20 for equipment works out to about $80 an hour. A very low bid, such as $50 to $100, may mean a small single-story job or missing steps, so ask what it leaves out.
When to schedule
Clean twice a year: late spring (May) and late fall (November). Late fall after the leaves drop is the best single month if you can only book once. Homes under heavy trees may need a third visit in late winter after storms. Book a few weeks ahead so you can pick the crew.
DIY or hire a pro
DIY needs a ladder ($150 to $400), a gutter scoop (about $10), and a hose. For a two-story home, add a ladder stabilizer ($30 to $60) and a spotter. A professional charges $200 to $350 for the same two-story job and usually finishes in 45 to 90 minutes.
For a one-story house, DIY is realistic if you are comfortable on a ladder. For two stories, hire a professional, because ladder falls are a common home maintenance injury and the savings do not cover one trip to the emergency room.
What to budget before you call
Plan on about $235 for a typical Portland home, $125 to $175 for a small one-story, and up to $425 or more for a large two-story with heavy debris. Measure your gutter run, multiply by the per-foot rate for your height, and add the extras that apply to you. Then hold every quote up against that number and against the scope list above.
If you are ready to compare real bids, you can request a free gutter cleaning estimate from local pros. Guardian Gutter Guide may earn a referral fee when you connect with a pro, and that never changes the ranges or advice in this guide.
What should this cost you?
Answer four questions and get a fair price range for your home.