Reviewed November 3, 2026. Gutter Installation St. Louis is a referral service; independent contractors do the work.
A box gutter, also called a built-in gutter, is a metal-lined trough built into the roof edge or cornice, so from the street you may not see it. It's common on older masonry houses. When the lining fails, water gets into the cornice and the wall below, often unnoticed until paint peels. Repair usually means relining, and it calls for someone who has done it before.
- Where to look
- Heavy old cornices with no visible hanging gutter
- Warning signs
- Peeling cornice paint, stains, damp top of the wall
- Usual repairs
- Patching, relining, rebuilding the wood below
- Historic district?
- Call the Cultural Resources Office before changing it
How to tell if you have one
Stand across the street. If the roof ends in a deep wooden or pressed-metal cornice with no gutter hanging on it, but a downspout still appears at the corner, there may be a trough built into the top. From a safe upper window or ladder, you'd see a metal-lined channel behind the cornice edge.
How they fail
- Old lining rusts or splits, especially at seams and at the outlet.
- Freeze and thaw works open soldered or sealed joints.
- Leaves collect because no one can see up there, and water backs up over the lining.
- Earlier patches of tar trap water. The National Park Service warns against asphalt compounds on metal gutters (NPS Brief 47).
The damage shows up below: peeling paint on the cornice, stains at the top of the wall, and crumbling mortar under the eave. The National Park Service says leaking roofs or gutters must be dealt with before repointing, or the mortar repair is wasted (NPS Brief 2).
Your choices
| Option | Good | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| Patch | Small, recent failure | Often a short-term answer on old lining |
| Reline with new metal or membrane | Keeps the look, fixes the trough | Needs a skilled roofer or sheet-metal worker, plus wood repair first |
| Rebuild | When the wood below has gone | Bigger job, may need a carpenter too |
| Close it off and hang a gutter | Often simpler | Changes the look and may not be approved in a historic district |
Historic districts
A built-in gutter is part of how a historic cornice looks. City guidance says that in a City Historic District, work on gutters and downspouts requires approval from the Cultural Resources Office. Each district has its own ordinance and standards, so call the office before you settle on an approach. Contact details are in the permit guide.
Who to ask
Not every gutter contractor takes these on. Sheet-metal roofers and restoration carpenters often do. When you send a request, say you have a box gutter so it can go to someone suitable, and read box gutters vs hanging gutters first.
What to ask the contractor
- Have you relined a box gutter before?Ask to see one, and speak with that owner if you can.
- What's under the lining?Ask how they'll judge the wood, and how they'll price what they find.
- What material, and how are joints made?Get the lining material, the joints and the outlet detail in writing.
- Will it change how the eave looks?Ask this before anyone calls the Cultural Resources Office, so you can describe it clearly.
Box gutters around St. Louis
See what's different about each place.
City of St. Louis
- Soulard
- Lafayette Square
- Benton Park
- Tower Grove South
- Shaw
- Central West End
- The Hill
- Dogtown
- St. Louis Hills
- Carondelet
St. Louis County
- Clayton
- University City
- Webster Groves
- Kirkwood
- Maplewood
- Ladue
- Creve Coeur
- Chesterfield
- Ballwin
- Affton
- Oakville
- Florissant
St. Charles County
Box gutters: questions
Should I get rid of my box gutter?
Not by default. A properly lined box gutter can work well and keeps the look of the house. Closing it off and hanging a gutter is simpler but changes the eave, and inside a City Historic District it needs approval. Get a price for relining first.
How do I clean a box gutter?
As with any gutter, clear the leaves and check the outlet, but take care on an old roof edge. Don't walk on old lining with hard tools. Hire this out if you can't reach it safely.
Why is my top floor ceiling stained?
A failed box gutter is one possible cause, since the water enters right at the top of the wall. So is the roof itself. Have someone look at the roof edge before you repaint.
Can gutter guards go on a box gutter?
Sometimes, but they make a hidden problem even harder to see. Ask someone who knows these systems, and fix the lining first.
Further reading
- Do you need a permit for gutters in St. Louis?
- Gutters on old St. Louis brick homes
- Box gutters vs hanging gutters on old St. Louis houses
Related work
- Half-Round & Copper Gutters: The round profile that suits old brick, in aluminum or in copper that ages to brown and then green.
- Fascia & Soffit Repair: The boards a gutter hangs on. If they're soft, a new gutter won't stay up for long.
- Gutter Repair: Leaking joints, sagging runs and downspouts pulling off the wall, and how to tell a small fix from a warning sign.