How to Choose a Gutter Company in Southern NH

The short answer is to ask each company for three things and compare what comes back: proof of insurance, a quote in writing with line items, and reviews with counts. A company that is easy about all three is a fair bet.

Start with proof you can check

Apply these to every company you call.

A certificate of insurance

Ask for a certificate of insurance and ask the insurer or agent to send it to you directly. Check the dates and what it covers. Falling ladders and ice damage claims happen on gutter jobs, so liability coverage matters. If a company has employees, ask about workers' compensation too.

A certificate shows the insured company, the insurer, the kinds of coverage, the policy dates and the limits. It is a snapshot, not proof the policy is still in force, so the call to the agent is the real check. Make sure the dates cover your job and the name on it matches the name on your quote.

Reviews with counts

A star rating means little without the count. A 5.0 from 29 reviews and a 4.8 from 400 are different kinds of evidence. Read the detail: what was installed, how big the house was, whether the crew showed up when they said they would.

Our own Google rating is 5.0 from 29 reviews as of November 2026, and we have served customers since 2024. That is a short record next to long-established firms, so weigh it with the reviews and not the stars. One reviewer, Paul S., wrote "I had several quotes," which is the habit to copy.

Read how a company handles a problem as well. A two-star review answered calmly says more than ten five-star ones. Look at dates, to see whether reviews arrive steadily, and at whether the jobs described look like yours.

Photos and references

Ask for photos of finished work and for a recent customer you can call. A company with nothing to show can be a company with a short record.

Get the quote in writing, with line items

Get it in writing. A phone number or a single lump sum cannot be compared with anything. A good quote lists:

1. Linear feet of gutter by size and profile
2. The metal thickness used. Ask what thickness the quote is built on
3. The number and size of downspouts, and where each one discharges
4. Hanger type and spacing
5. Fascia or trim repair that is included or excluded
6. Removal and haul-away of the old gutters
7. Cleanup, and a start window
8. Payment terms

Two quotes that differ only by price are hard to read. Two quotes with the same line items are easy.

A worked example: reading two quotes for 180 feet

Take a colonial with 180 feet of eave. Quote A says "gutters, $X" and nothing more. Quote B lists 180 feet of 6-inch K-style, four 3x4 downspouts with discharge points, hangers every 24 inches, fascia repair excluded, haul-away included and a start window.

Run the numbers on B. Hangers every 24 inches means about 90 hangers. At 36 inches it is 60, and a lighter hanger count is cheaper to supply. SMACNA's practical limit of 50 feet per downspout means 180 feet needs at least four. A published average of about $4.01 per foot (Today's Homeowner) puts a baseline near $720 for the footage alone. That is a third-party number, not our price, and it moves with material, size and corners.

With that baseline, a total far below B's should trigger the question of what is missing. Fewer hangers, smaller downspouts, a thinner gauge and no haul-away are the usual places it hides. A total well above it should trigger the question of what is included. You can only ask because the line items are on paper.

Is there a state license to check?

We found no New Hampshire state gutter contractor license. Licensing cannot filter your choices the way it does for electricians, and the insurance certificate and written contract carry more weight.

Rules for permits are set town by town. For routine gutter replacement, ask your town whether a permit applies. For any buried drain line, Dig Safe must be called before digging.

Three things a crew notices in a quote

From the trade side, a few details separate a considered quote from a guess.

Hanger spacing. Hangers about every 2 feet or closer are common in snow country, and wider gaps let a run dip under a load of wet snow. A quote that does not say is worth a question.

Downspout count and size. About 50 feet of run per downspout is the practical limit (SMACNA). Larger 3x4 downspouts carry more than 2x3, and a long run with a single small outlet will overflow in a hard rain.

The gutter size against the roof. A 5-inch K-style gutter is rated for about 5,520 square feet of roof and a 6-inch for about 7,960, at 1 inch of rain per hour. A steep roof or heavy rain lowers those numbers, so ask what the size assumes.

Questions about the job itself

Ask who will do the work and whether any of it is subcontracted. Ask when the job can start and how you will be told if weather moves it. Ask what happens to the old gutters, whether nails and offcuts get swept up, and who to call if a joint drips after the first rain.

A fair company answers these without hesitation. Notes are better than promises, so ask for the answers on the quote.

Warranty questions

Ask what any warranty covers and who stands behind it. Material warranties come from the manufacturer and usually cover finish or defects. Workmanship warranties come from the installer and cover leaks, sags and hangers letting go. Ask for both in writing, with the length of each and what voids it. A company that will not put terms on paper has told you something.

Signs of a good fit and signs to walk away

Good signs:

• They return calls and show up when they say they will
• They measure the house before they name a price
• They explain options and trade-offs in plain terms
• They put it all in one written document

Warning signs:

• A price with no linear footage behind it
• Pressure to sign on the spot
• A big deposit before any work or materials
• No answer when you ask for insurance paperwork

Reviews of ours keep returning to the same few words, punctual, responsive and clear. Those are habits you can test on any company in the first week.

Running the list on us

We are Lanes Gutters Corp at 25 Glenwood North Rd #16 in Hampstead, open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 6pm. Our listing shows installation, seamless gutters, cleaning, repair, guards and screens, and maintenance. Our Google rating is 5.0 from 29 reviews, and our quotes are written after a site visit.

Here is what we can document on this site, and what we cannot. The address, hours, services and reviews above are public. We do not publish insurance or warranty terms here, so ask us for those in writing, as you would any company, and judge the answer by the same standard. If a company cannot show you a certificate or a warranty on paper, treat that as a no.

Rockingham County water and your quote

This advice covers Rockingham County, where 37 municipalities run from the I-93 corridor to the Seacoast, and the county took federal disaster declarations for flooding in May 2006 and April 2007. Water handling is part of the job. See our gutter service in Hampstead page for how we work, and call for a written price.

Narrowing it down to one company

Line up the quotes, the certificates and the reviews on the kitchen table. Cross out any company that would not answer in writing, then pick from what is left on the line items, not the lowest total.

Call (208) 464-4195 if you want us on your list, and we will set the earliest visit we can to measure the house and price it in writing.