What It Costs
Eavestrough is quoted by the metre and the metre rate is the least interesting part of the quote.
Short answer
The cost drivers are the total length, the height and access, the number of corners and downspouts, the trough size and gauge, and how much fascia and soffit work turns out to be needed. The last of those is the one that cannot be known until the old trough comes off, and it is where quotes diverge.
The variables
Total length of trough and downspout, which is the headline measure.
Height and access. A three-storey Toronto house with a narrow side yard is a different job from a bungalow on an open lot.
Corners and outlets, because each one is a fabricated detail and a joint.
Trough and downspout size, and the gauge of the material.
Number of downspouts, which on a proper design may be more than the house currently has.
And extensions and discharge work at the bottom, which is frequently left off a quote and is the part that protects the basement.
Fascia is the unknown
Nobody can tell what the fascia is like behind a thirty-year-old trough until it comes off. On older Toronto housing some rot is likely rather than possible. A quote should state the rate for fascia replacement and how it will be assessed, and a quote with no provision for it is a quote that will change.
What the cheap quote leaves out
Fascia and soffit repair, which is then presented as an extra on the day.
Drip edge, which is a roofing item and is what stops water getting behind the new trough.
Extra downspouts, so the new trough overflows exactly where the old one did.
Extensions and proper discharge.
Hidden hangers at close spacing, substituting spikes or wide spacing.
And a lighter gauge material, which deforms under the first winter of ice.
Getting a comparable quote
Ask every contractor to quote the same thing: hanger type and spacing, trough size and gauge, number and position of downspouts, extensions, and the fascia rate.
Ask whether drip edge is included or whether it is a roofing item, and sort it out either way.
Ask about the discharge, and raise the Toronto downspout disconnection position while you are at it.
Ask about the soffit venting, because the access is open and it is the cheapest time to deal with it.
Ask about colour options and the capping, if the fascia is being capped.
And get it in writing, because a verbal quote on this work is the one that changes.
Common questions
Why do eavestrough quotes vary so much?
Fascia provision, drip edge, downspout count, hanger type and material gauge.
Will the fascia need work?
On older Toronto housing, likely. Get the rate in writing up front.
What should I ask every contractor?
Hanger type and spacing, trough size and gauge, downspout count, extensions, and the fascia rate.