Should I put guttering on my garden shed?

Are you completely frustrated by the collection of water around your Shed? 

Are you worried that it will cause rot or other issues for your garden shed?

Mouldy sheds are commonplace for people not taking care of their sheds😭 . And we really don’t want you to fall prey to the dreaded mould.

Water collecting in the close vicinity of a Shed is such a common problem. And as such, we’re always researching the best ways to prevent these issues from arising. 

Here at Gillies & Mackay, we want you #Sheddies to have a Shed that lasts a LIFETIME. And in order to ensure this, you need to take care of it. That means putting measures in place to avoid water collecting too close to the Shed and causing anything untoward.

Whether you’re having problems with a current shed, or you’re looking to prevent any problems with an upcoming shed – we’ve got your back.

But of course, we want to be meticulous and go beyond the simple yes/no/mebbe answer.

So, we’re exploring why these problems occur, and what you can do to prevent them.

What causes water ingress to occur in your Shed? 

Okay, when looking to prevent any problems with water ingress for your garden building, you’ve likely asked (most appropriately!):

“Should I put guttering on my Shed?”. 

The TL;DR is, in some cases, absolutely!!

However, in our experience, there are a few reasons that water is collecting too close to your shed (ps. it’s not always guttering related).

Can your shed base cause water ingress?

Yes: one of the biggest culprits when it comes to water ingress is surprisingly the base. 

A lot of the time, the base will be larger than the building itself. This is absolutely fine, however, it causes some issues if you aren’t fully prepared. 

Here at Gillies and Mackay, we strongly recommend actually making the base SMALLER than the building by 10mm or so. This ensures that no water can collect underneath the building. Any rainfall will simply go into stones, earth, or grass or whatever is surrounding the baseword.

No water collecting underneath the base = no risk of the bearers getting water ingress and rising up through the floorboards. Nice one!

The above picture became home to a 10’ x 8’ Summerhouse; the perfect fit. No ingress issues here!

However, the flip side is that if the base is LARGER than the building then you are susceptible to potential issues. Water will collect on it with nowhere to run off to (as it will be completely level). 

In these cases, guttering is an unquestionably good decision.

For more info, watch this video from our very own Cara: 3 Reasons Why Your Shed Might be Leaking.

Can your shed positioning cause water ingress?

Now, here’s another issue. If your base is completely perfect but your building is going into a small space where there isn’t much of a gap, then water will collect in that little pocket. 

If this is where you want your shed and there isn’t another space then you’ll need to find a different solution.

A great way to prevent this from occurring is – you guessed – guttering!

How much does shed guttering cost?

The cost depends on the size of the building and the style you opt for. However, guttering is indeed something we can add to your Shed order.

For example, for your 8’ x 6’ Apex you’d be looking at £150.00. On a Pent of the same size, this would only be £105.00! 

On your mahoosive Sheds, say 14’ x 10’, you’d be looking at £350.00 on an Apex; £230.00 on a Pent.  

That’s not much in the grand scheme of things, especially when you consider the potential cost of not doing it. If water ingresses in your shed then you might have to replace it sooner than expected. And this, of course, will come with a much greater cost than guttering.

We want your Shed to last a LIFETIME, and we think this is a good trade-off for the long term. 

 What do G&M recommend for Shed guttering?

We’re kind of the experts when it comes to all things sheds, so you might be wondering what our opinion is when it comes to guttering? 

Can you do without and save yourself some money?

Or, should you think about getting installed on your shed?

Although it’s not always necessary, guttering is just a great solution to so many problems. 

The simple act of taking water away from danger zones and allowing it to flow elsewhere is just so valuable to the building’s lifespan. It’s cheap, easy enough to fix and ensures that anything unwanted is swiftly dealt with.

In terms of sheer longevity, that removal of any water ingress is going to do absolute wonders for your #ShedLife. Not only this but look how good it looks in conjunction with a Gillies and Mackay with Steel Box Profile roofing – amazing. 

And it’s not something you need to think about after the fact, we can do your guttering for you so it’s all ready to go from day one.  

We typically use a Roundline Gutter from Wickes for our Sheds, and it does the trick perfectly!  Have a look for yourselves here: Round Line Guttering | Guttering & Drainage.

Should you install guttering on your garden shed…yes or no?

Overall Sheddies, I think we’ve had a proper good look at a handful of the common problems that can arise when you have a Shed, and how guttering is usually a great fix to such issues!

One thing to take away is that guttering can never be a bad thing. And because of that is almost always a good idea, although not always necessary. 

But if in doubt, we’d always recommend adding it. It’s something that we can take off for you so it’s ready to go as soon as you shed is. 

If you’d like to inquire further and seek advice about preventing water ingress, feel free to email us at info@gilliesandmackay.com

If you’re interested in our Sheds and would like to explore the benefits of guttering and the importance of building aftercare, please book in an appointment with one of our Shedi Masters HERE: Book your G&M Consultation Today