Gutters are an essential part of the roof’s drainage system. You wouldn’t consider leaving your home’s exterior unprotected by allowing water to run down the siding and collecting all around your foundation. Reasons to install gutters on sheds and other backyard structures on your property are the same as for installing a gutter system on your main house.
Impact of Soil Erosion
When runoff travels down from the roof of a garden shed or backyard structures of any type, it can do serious damage to both the structure and the landscaping. Oversaturation causes waterlogged vegetation and soil erosion. Signs of soil erosion are bald spots, exposed roots, and the appearance of rocks. Soil erosion occurring around the foundation of an outbuilding can lead to shifting, tilting, and sinking.
Impact of Standing Water
Water pooling in front of a gazebo, garden shed or garage is a definite sign of drainage issues. When allowed to hang around the foundation of the structure, in addition to soil erosion, other issues can arise. Different kinds of insects including mosquitoes use standing water as breeding grounds. Even when they do not attract insects, pools of standing water can significantly increase the cell count of bacteria in as little as three days, posing a potential health issue.
Impact of Wood Rot
Accessory buildings are typically made of wood. When runoff runs down siding and collects around the foundation of your backyard structure, it can cause extensive damage over time. Wood sheds, even treated ones, are subject to water damage. Once wood absorbs moisture, it becomes swollen and warped. If not stopped or repaired, warping becomes more pronounced and wood rot might advance to the point of structural damage.
Impact of Leaks
When water gets inside of outbuildings, it’s usually too late to fix any of the resulting problems. Obvious signs of exterior water damage such as pooling water, colour-fading on exterior walls, and rotted wood are not so obvious on the interior walls of sheds. Water leaking into the inside of outbuildings takes longer to make an appearance. Stains and streaks aren’t the only issue regarding interior water damage. Water infiltrating interior walls can seriously damage personal possessions and make the shed dangerous to use due to advanced structural compromise.
Types of Backyard Structures
Backyard structures, also known by a number of different names including outbuildings and accessory buildings, are structures located on the same property that serve an incidental purpose to the main house. Consider adding gutters to the following types of backyard structures:
- Greenhouses
- Gazebos
- Garden sheds or storage sheds
- Workshops
- A child’s outdoor playhouse
- Guest house
- Home office
- Studio
- Detached garage
Tips for Buying Gutters for Sheds
There are a number of options for gutters for backyard structures, including utility sheds, workshops, and greenhouses. To select the right gutter system for your accessory building, consider the following:
Budget: As with any home improvement project, setting a budget will help you to control expenses and focus on the end-goal.
Climate: You want to select a gutter material that with be strong and durable.
Amount of rainfall: Choose a gutter size that will handle the amount of annual rainfall you receive in your area.
Gutter material: Typical gutter materials for backyard structures are aluminum gutters and vinyl gutters.
Size of gutter: Gutter systems for sheds are available in two main kinds – standard and mini. Standard gutters are the regular sized gutters (5-inch, 6-inch, 7-inch) you’d install on your home. Mini gutters are smaller versions of standard gutters – even the downspouts for a mini gutter system are scaled down in size.
Size of shed: Sheds of all types come in a variety of sizes. If your accessory building is a home office, guest house, or yoga studio, standard gutters would offer the best protection. However, for smaller backyard structures like a storage shed, child’s playhouse, or crafting studio, mini gutters are an ideal choice.
