Quick answerGutter linear footage equals the sum of the report's eave-length segments that are actually guttered; eave length is a horizontal measurement, so no pitch multiplier applies. Corners (inside and outside) are counted as separate line-item units, not folded into the LF total. Downspouts are not derived from the roof plan at all; count them from elevation photos or a site note, since they are a wall-elevation feature, not a roof-plane one.

What the roof report actually gives you

A roof measurement report describes the roof in plan view: eave length, rake length, ridge length, hip length, valley length, and total area in squares. Eave is the horizontal edge at the low side of a roof plane, the same line the gutter hangs from. Rake is the sloped edge at a gable end; it carries no gutter unless the design specifically wraps a run around it.

Because eave length is already a horizontal measurement, it does not need the pitch multiplier that converts footprint into sloped roof area. Rake, hip, and valley lengths are sloped and are affected by pitch; eave length is not. That distinction is the whole reason gutter takeoff starts from eave figures rather than from total roof area or square count.

The eave, rake, ridge, hip, and valley lengths printed on Sketch My Roof roof measurement reports are broken out by plane or given as building totals depending on report format; check the report legend before you start summing.

From eave length to gutter linear footage

The formula is simple: Gutter LF = sum of eave segment lengths that are actually guttered. That means you subtract any eave run that will not carry gutter (a garage return with no drip edge return, a breezeway connector, an eave over an open porch left open by design) and you do not add anything for pitch, because the eave figure is already horizontal.

Corners are handled separately. An outside corner or an inside corner where two eave runs meet is built from a preformed corner piece, not from extra linear footage. Count corners as discrete units by type (inside vs. outside) and enter them as their own line item; folding a corner allowance into the LF total will double-count material in the estimate.

  • Gutter LF = Σ (eave segment length), guttered runs only
  • No pitch multiplier applied: eave length is horizontal, not sloped
  • Corners counted as units (inside / outside), not as added LF
  • End caps and outlets counted per run end, per the scope you are writing

Building the takeoff, step by step

  1. Pull the eave segments from the report

    List every eave-length figure on the report by building side or by roof plane, depending on how the report is formatted.

  2. Mark which eaves are guttered

    Cross off any eave run that will not carry gutter in the finished scope: open porches, garage returns without a drip edge return, breezeway connectors.

  3. Sum the guttered segments

    Add the remaining eave lengths together. That total is the gutter linear footage you write into the estimate.

  4. Count corners by type

    Walk the footprint (from the report's plan view or from elevation photos) and count inside and outside corners separately. Each is its own line-item unit.

  5. Count downspouts from the elevation, not the roof plan

    Downspouts are not part of a roof measurement report. Pull the count from elevation photos, a site note, or the existing scope; place them at low points, valley discharges, and corners where water actually needs to leave the run.

  6. Enter LF, corners, and downspouts as separate line items

    In Xactimate® or Symbility®, gutter LF, corner units, and downspout units are typically entered as distinct line items rather than one combined figure; menus vary by version, verify in your build.

Worked example

Take an L-shaped single-story home. The report lists four eave segments, all of them guttered in the existing scope, plus one wing front eave that ties into the main house at an inside corner.

Eave segmentLength (LF)Notes
Main house front eave48Straight run, guttered
Main house rear eave48Straight run, guttered
Wing front eave20Meets main house at inside corner
Wing side eave18Terminates at outside corner
Total gutter LF134Sum of guttered eave segments
  • Outside corners: 3 (front-left, front-right, rear-right of footprint)
  • Inside corner: 1 (where the wing meets the main house)
  • Downspouts, from elevation photos: 4, placed at the two rear corners, the wing's outside corner, and the low point where the wing and main-house eaves meet

The downspout count here comes from the elevation photos, not from a formula applied to the 134 LF total. Roof reports do not specify downspout placement or count.

Entering it in Xactimate® or Symbility®

Once you have gutter LF, corner counts by type, and a downspout count, they go into the estimate as separate line items rather than one bundled gutter cost. In Xactimate®, gutter and downspout items are typically selected from the estimate's exterior line-item categories and entered by LF or by unit; in Symbility®, the equivalent scope items sit in the exterior/gutter section of the estimate. Exact click paths change between versions, so verify the current path in your build rather than relying on a fixed sequence.

The roof-plane geometry itself (eave, rake, ridge, hip, valley) can come in via a sketch import from the report; gutter and downspout items generally still need to be entered from your takeoff, since they are not roof-plane geometry.

Before you finalize the takeoff

  • Confirm eave vs. rake on every segment

    Mixing a sloped rake length into the gutter LF total overstates the run; only horizontal eave segments carry gutter.

  • Check for eave runs that should not be guttered

    Open porches, breezeway connectors, and some garage returns are commonly left out of the guttered scope; confirm against photos before summing.

  • Verify corner type, not just corner count

    Inside and outside corners are typically different priced units; getting the type wrong understates or overstates material.

  • Pull downspout count from the elevation, never from the roof plan

    The roof report has no downspout data. Skipping this step and estimating downspouts off the gutter LF alone is a common source of a missed line item.

  • Note existing gutter size and style if this is a like-kind repair

    5-inch K-style, 6-inch K-style, and half-round carry different LF pricing; matching the existing profile avoids a revision later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the roof report give me gutter linear footage directly?
Most reports give eave length, which is the line the gutter hangs from, rather than a pre-summed gutter footage figure. You sum the guttered eave segments yourself; some report formats do print a combined eave or gutter total in the legend, so check the report before summing manually.
Do I need to apply the pitch multiplier to eave length before using it as gutter LF?
No. Eave length is already a horizontal measurement at gutter height. The pitch multiplier applies to sloped edges like rake, hip, and valley, not to eave length.
How many downspouts should I write on a claim?
There is no formula in the roof report for this. Downspout count and placement come from the elevation, existing photos, or a site note, typically set at low points, valley discharges, and corners. Count what is actually there or specified, rather than deriving it from the gutter LF total.
Are inside and outside corners priced the same?
They are usually separate line-item units in Xactimate® and Symbility®, priced differently from each other and from straight gutter LF. Count and code each corner by type rather than lumping them into one corner count.
Can I get the eave lengths without a site visit?
Yes. You can order a roof report by address and have eave, rake, ridge, hip, and valley lengths delivered the same calendar day, before you start the gutter takeoff.

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