Fitting guttering to a shed

Correctly fitted guttering will ensure rainwater is channelled off your shed roof, says Tim

- Tim Rumball

GUTTERING and downpipes perform an essential function, channelling rainwater from the roof to a drain, soakaway or into a water butt. Without them shed walls – especially the popular larchlap type – can let water in, while water can also pool along the bottom edge when guttering is missing, increasing the risk of wood rotting and the ground flooding.

Fitting guttering is quite straightforward. Some roofs on big sheds have a deep overhang and will need standard household guttering, but most small sheds like mine need something smaller. Widely available is FloPlast Miniflo guttering (Wilko, B&Q and Screwfix), which has 76mm-wide gutters, 50mm downpipes and fittings to match. You can check the size you need by offering up a fascia clip under the shed roof overhang. If the edge of the roof is in the centre of the clip, it’s the right size.

Fascia clips

Some sheds already have a fascia board to mount gutter clips. Mine didn’t, so I screwed a plank of treated timber under the eves on both sides of the shed.