I have said before that roofing a garage is a simple and easy project to tackle if you want to get started in DIY roofing. It is certainly as simple as it gets – whether you will find it easy as well, depends on you. But there are some details you must not omit, even from a simple garage roof. One of the very important things to include with garage roofing, is the installation of proper guttering. Rain gutters are essential to the lifespan and health of not only your garage roof, but the rest of the building as well. Still, some people choose not to install them, as if the project is not important enought to warrant it. But take it from me: garage roofing needs guttering.
What could happen if you leave out the rainwater drainage? You risk subjecting the roofs supporting structure to water, and certainly also the exterior walls and the foundation. During rainfall, the water may seem to merely drip or pour out over the roof overhang, but in many cases, some will come in contact with the eaves or soffits. It all depends on the exact construction of your roof and its overhang, but you could even risk soaking the ends of the trusses, if they have exposed ends (as some do). This could be critical to the health of the loadbearing structures of your roof, and repair of damage could easily become an extensive task.
When all that rainwater splashes over the edge of the roof, it will soak the walls on its way down if the overhang is a little on the modest side. Then it hits the ground, where it can either be led away from the building (if the ground slopes in the right direction) or it can form a puddle next to the foundation. Here, it can soak wooden posts stuck in the ground and speed up the decay of them. The water may also, on its initial impact, spatter heavily upon the lower portion of the walls, soaking them in the process. It may not sound like a big deal, and damage usually only happens over the course of years, but if the expected lifespan of your garage was thirty years, and it ends up rotting away over the course of fifteen – then that is seriously disappointing, isn’t it?
In short – guttering matters for garage roofing. Make sure you install it, and that it works. Do it right and you will have escaped a lot of rainwater-related problems.
Category: Garage Roofing
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