How Much Gutter Guard Installation Owners Make At $193M Revenue
A gutter guard installation business owner can plan around $85,000 in modeled general manager pay plus possible profit distributions if cash allows In the researched Year 1 case, revenue is $1932 million and EBITDA is $941,000, or about 487% before taxes, debt service, capex recovery, reserves, and owner distributions By Year 5, revenue reaches $6725 million and EBITDA reaches $4068 million, but take-home still depends on lead quality, crew capacity, callbacks, working capital, and seasonality
Owner income≈$85kNet margin49%Revenue for target pay$175kBusiness difficultyHard
Want to test your owner pay?
Owner income calculator
Estimate owner take-home and target-pay gap from revenue, margin, costs, reserves, and target pay.
!
Planning note: Research-based planning estimate only. Not guaranteed salary, tax advice, or owner distribution advice.
Want the six income drivers?
1
Lead Close
$45K
The $45,000 Year 1 marketing budget only turns into income if it brings enough qualified leads and the team closes them well.
2
Ticket Size
$1.6K
The modeled Year 1 installed ticket is about $1,610, so even small upsells on premium mesh or repairs move profit fast.
3
Margin Mix
74%
Gross margin is about 74% before fuel, commissions, and overhead, so every material or labor slip hits owner income.
4
Crew Speed
6.5-7.5h
Billable hours per active customer rise from 6.5 to 7.5, and tighter crew routing lets the same labor base support more sales.
5
CAC
$225->$180
CAC falls from $225 in Year 1 to $180 in Year 5, which lowers the cost to book each job and improves payback.
6
Fixed Overhead
$75K/$795K
Fixed overhead runs about $75,000 a year, and the model still needs about $795,000 of minimum cash in Month 2, so slack protects owner pay.
How do you check owner income in the financial model?
What affects profit margin in a gutter guard installation business?
Owner take-home in a Gutter Guard Installation Service depends most on labor mix and install quality, not just material spend. In year 1, materials are 18% of revenue and direct field labor is 8%, so gross margin is about 74% before fuel, commissions, marketing, fixed overhead, and owner wages; for the core operating math, see What Are The 5 Core KPIs For Gutter Guard Installation Service?. Standard jobs model at 60 hours and $225/hour, premium jobs at 80 hours and $310/hour, and a repair attach adds 25 hours at $150/hour, so hard roof access, bad measurements, waste, loose subcontractor pricing, and callbacks can quickly cut the spread.
Margin up
Hold materials near 18% of revenue.
Keep field labor near 8%.
Favor premium jobs at $310/hour.
Price repair attaches at 25 hours.
Margin down
Hard roof access slows crews.
Wrong measurements raise waste.
Loose subcontractor pricing squeezes spread.
Callbacks consume billable crew time.
How much revenue does a gutter guard business need to pay the owner?
Revenue alone doesn’t pay the owner in a Gutter Guard Installation Service; it has to cover 30% variable costs first, then fixed costs and payroll. In the model, $1.932 million of revenue produces $941,000 EBITDA, but that is not the same as cash the owner can take home. Year 1 also includes $85,000 GM pay, $75,000 fixed overhead, $45,000 marketing, and $252,000 wages, before debt service, taxes, and reinvestment.
Owner pay starts after costs
30% variable costs come off first
$85,000 GM pay is already in Year 1
$75,000 fixed overhead stays paid
$45,000 marketing must be funded
EBITDA is not take-home cash
$941,000 EBITDA is before owner draws
$252,000 wages still have to be paid
Debt service reduces cash available
Taxes and reinvestment come next
How many gutter guard installs per month to make a good income?
For a Gutter Guard Installation Service, a good-income target is about 100 completed installs per month if Year 1 modeled revenue is $1.932 million and the average installed job is $1,610; see What Are Operating Costs For Gutter Guard Installation Service? before treating that as owner pay. Here’s the quick math: $1,932,000 ÷ $1,610 ÷ 12 = about 100 jobs/month, with 74% gross margin before selling costs, fuel, overhead, payroll, and callbacks.
Volume Target
Model 100 installs/month
Average job: $1,610
Monthly sales: about $161,000
Gross margin: 74% before overhead
Profit Reality
Collect fast, not just sell
Watch callbacks and rework
Premium jobs can beat volume
Capacity depends on crews and weather
Key Takeaways
Lead quality caps installs and owner income.
Blended modeled job value is about $1,610.
Gross margin starts near 74% before overhead.
Missed installs strain cash and create backlog.
Compare lean, base, and high owner-income scenarios
Owner income scenario table
Owner income moves with revenue, CAC, and crew size as installs scale. These scenarios show the lean, base, and high planning paths from Year 1 to Year 5.
Compare lean, base, and high earnings paths.
Scenario
Low CaseCash intense
Base CaseCrew complex
High CaseReserve risk
Launch model
This is the lean earnings path, built around Year 1 model output and tighter cash use.
This is the modeled middle path, using the Year 3 operating run rate.
This is the stronger earnings path, built off the Year 5 scale case.
Typical setup
Year 1 lands at $1.932M revenue, $941k EBITDA, a 48.7% EBITDA margin, $45k marketing, $225 CAC, and one modeled manager at $85k.
Year 3 reaches $4.656M revenue, $2.726M EBITDA, a 58.6% EBITDA margin, $65k marketing, and $200 CAC at a 3-month breakeven pace.
Year 5 reaches $6.725M revenue, $4.068M EBITDA, a 60.5% EBITDA margin, $85k marketing, and $180 CAC with a much larger field crew.
Cost drivers
High CAC
$45k marketing
lean crew
standard mesh mix
fixed overhead
$65k marketing
$200 CAC
larger crew
premium mix gains
higher repair attach
$85k marketing
$180 CAC
larger crew
premium mix to 45%
repair attach to 40%
Owner income rangeBefore owner reserves
≈$941k EBITDAYear 1 earnings
≈$2.7M EBITDAYear 3 earnings
≈$4.1M EBITDAYear 5 earnings
Best fit
Use this to stress test cash strain, slower demand, and early-stage owner pay.
Use this as the main planning case for steady growth and normal operating execution.
Use this to test upside, working capital pressure, and how much reserve the owner needs.
!
Planning note: These scenario ranges are researched planning assumptions, not guaranteed earnings, salary promises, tax advice, or distributions.
Gutter Guard Installation Service Core Six Income Drivers
Qualified leads and close rate
Qualified leads and close rate
Qualified leads and close rate cap installs and owner income because paid demand only turns into cash when estimates become sold jobs. With a $45,000 Year 1 budget and $225 CAC, direct-paid acquisition implies about 200 customers ($45,000 ÷ $225). If close rate slips, the same spend buys fewer installs, so collected revenue falls while sales time and ad cost stay fixed.
The real choke point is follow-up: estimate requests, booked appointments, sold jobs, install lag, and collections. If leads are weak or slow to close, crews sit idle and cash comes in late, which cuts owner pay. The model likely needs referrals, repeat exterior-service lists, or partnerships beyond paid ads to reach the full revenue plan.
Track the full funnel weekly
Track cost per sold job, not just CAC. The simple math is marketing spend ÷ sold jobs. That shows whether lead quality and closing skill are feeding installs or just creating paperwork. One weak step in the funnel can turn paid traffic into overhead, not profit.
Estimate requests
Booked appointments
Sold jobs
Install lag
Collected revenue
Push same-day follow-up, pre-qualify homes before the visit, and compare close rate by source. If appointments are set but sold jobs lag, fix pricing, script, or sales training before buying more leads. Weak close rates reduce cash flow fast because revenue arrives only after the install and collection.
Marketing cost per sold job
Marketing Cost per Sold Job
This driver is the spend to turn a lead into a paid install. In Year 1, $45,000 of marketing at $225 CAC (customer acquisition cost, or spend per sold job) implies about 200 sold jobs if that cost applies directly; by Year 5, $85,000 at $180 CAC implies about 472 jobs.
On a blended job value near $1,610, a $225 acquisition cost uses about 14% of revenue before materials, labor, and overhead. The owner’s income improves only when CAC falls without hurting close rate or install speed. If crews are already booked, more leads just turn into slow cash and weaker payback.
Track Sold Jobs, Not Just Leads
Measure cost per estimate, show rate, close rate, and cost per sold job every week. A cheap lead that no-shows or fails to close still drains cash. Split channels so you can see which ones lower blended CAC: local search, referrals, canvassing, trade partnerships, and prior customer lists.
Count estimates booked
Count appointments kept
Count sold jobs
Watch gross profit after marketing
Hold spend when the install calendar is full. More leads are not better if they create backlog, refund risk, or delayed collections. Push budget toward the channels with the best sold-job margin, not the cheapest clicks or the biggest lead volume.
Material and labor margin
Material and Labor Margin
Gross margin is where owner income is created before overhead. In Year 1, installation materials and hardware run 18% of revenue and direct field labor compensation is 8%, leaving about 74% gross margin. On a $100,000 month, that means about $74,000 is left to cover fuel, commissions, marketing, wages, and fixed costs.
By Year 5, the model improves to 16% materials and 6% direct labor, or about 78% gross margin before overhead. That gap is small in percent terms, but it lifts cash fast on high volume. One bad rework job can erase the margin from several clean installs.
Control Waste, Rework, and Labor Time
Track material cost per job, labor hours per install, and callback rate. This margin includes guards, fasteners, hardware, and direct field pay, so bad measurements, waste, rushed crews, warranty work, subcontractor markups, and unpaid rework all hit owner pay. If field labor or material creep rises, gross profit drops before overhead is even paid.
Use a simple job sheet: measured linear feet, takeoff used, crew hours, and any redo. Keep a weekly check on 18% to 16% materials and 8% to 6% labor. When actuals drift, tighten quoting, cut scrap, and stop repeat mistakes fast. Here’s the quick math: every 1 point saved in direct cost protects take-home income.
Measure takeoff before ordering
Track labor hours by crew
Log every warranty callback
Average installed ticket
Average Installed Ticket
Average installed ticket is the cash collected per completed gutter guard job. In Year 1, the modeled mix is $1,610 per job: 60 hours of standard work at $225 per hour equals $1,350, 80 hours of premium work at $310 per hour equals $2,480, and repair service at 25 hours and $150 per hour equals $375.
This driver sets revenue per crew day and gross profit per job. Bigger homes, more linear feet, harder access, poor gutter condition, and repair add-ons lift the ticket; small homes and easy runs pull it down. One low-ticket job can stay busy and still leave the owner short on cash if labor and materials eat too much of the sale.
Raise the Ticket, Not Just the Lead Count
Track the inputs that move price: home size, linear feet, gutter condition, access, and repair add-ons. Price every estimate off the same checklist, then compare quoted ticket to sold ticket and collected ticket. If sold jobs land below $1,610, the leak is usually scope control, not lead volume.
The model assumes 65% standard, 25% premium, and 30% repair attach, so add-on work matters to owner pay. Here’s the quick math: higher ticket spreads the $6,250 monthly fixed overhead across more revenue, but weak quoting can also create rework and margin loss. Track what was sold, what was installed, and what was billed.
Measure linear feet on every quote.
Price repairs separately.
Log ticket by roof access.
Compare sold vs. collected revenue.
Overhead, reserves, and seasonality
Overhead, reserves, and seasonality
Fixed overhead is $6,250 a month, or $75,000 a year, before you pay for growth. In Year 1, wages add $252,000, and cash also has to cover two $45,000 trucks, tools, racking, IT, safety gear, and $12,000 of starting inventory. That’s why owner cash can lag profit fast.
Minimum cash need is $795,000 in Month 2, so reserve-adjusted take-home can be lower than EBITDA, or operating profit before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. Slow seasons, financing, taxes, and callbacks still pull cash out. One line says it all: profit on paper does not pay the owner if cash is stuck in the field.
Track cash, not just profit
Build the model from monthly fixed costs, payroll timing, capex, and collection lag. Track cash balance, job backlog, callback rate, and taxes due. If overhead stays at $6,250 a month, then every weak month needs a reserve to keep paychecks and vendors current.
Watch seasonality by month, not by year. If installs slow but overhead and wages do not, owner draws should flex down first. A simple rule: keep enough cash to absorb slow-season months, financing payments, and rework before you raise take-home.
Crew productivity and install capacity
Crew productivity
Booked sales do not pay the owner until crews install and customers pay. At $1,610 per job, $1.932 million in Year 1 revenue implies about 1,200 completed jobs, or 100 per month; Year 5 at $1,969 per modeled job implies about 285 jobs per month. This driver sets when revenue turns into cash, so it directly affects owner pay.
Capacity depends on crew size, routing, weather, roof height, access, prep quality, and inspection discipline. Missed install days create backlog, refund risk, and cash strain, so a weak field schedule can hold back profit even when booked sales look strong.
Track install output
Forecast installs as crew days × jobs per crew day. Measure booked jobs, completed jobs, and days lost by weather, access, or rework so you can see where cash is getting stuck.
Track jobs per crew day
Split by roof height
Log delays by cause
Inspect before invoicing
Clear backlog weekly
If installs lag behind sales, collections slow too, and the owner’s draw shrinks even before overhead is paid.
