3 Reasons Pre Engineered Buildings Should Have Gutters
Installing gutters on pre engineered buildings is a cost-effective way to reduce maintenance costs and prolong building life.
You can hear the rain pounding away on the roof of one of your company’s pre engineered buildings. You think to yourself: “I’m glad we built a structure like this that will withstand the elements.” While it’s true a prefab building is designed to be highly water-resistant, it requires a gutter system to channel rainwater away from the building to be truly effective.
Not all custom steel buildings have gutters. Sometimes, it’s simply due to a lack of foresight. Other times, the roof pitch might be so steep that a heavy snow load would rip the gutters off as it slides off of the roof.
Yet, the value of gutters and downspouts are undeniable due to their ability to divert:
- Rainwater
- Snowmelt
- Heavy condensation
If this seems like a minor detail, think again. A properly installed gutter system can add years to the life expectancy of pre engineered buildings.
Save Money (in the Long Term)
Some people view gutters as an added expense, which, in a sense, they are. If you take a pre engineered steel building and add a gutter system to the design specs, it will cost more money. It’s as simple as that.
However, that’s a very shortsighted way of looking at things. People who are willing to skip gutters to save money upfront on building costs aren’t really seeing the big picture. By having them installed, you’ll recoup the costs down the road through:
- Reduced maintenance costs
- Extended building life
- Fewer foundational issues
Protect Your Foundation
The majority of pre engineered buildings sit on some type of concrete foundation. Their purpose is to provide a stable platform for the building to rest on, and to transfer the load of the building to the ground.
In the event that rainwater falling from the roof of a pre engineered steel building saturates the ground around the base of the building, it can lead to foundational:
- Shifting
- Cracking
- Unsettling
Standing water can actually permeate concrete (it’s a porous material) and cause it to break down. In winter, this water can also freeze, causing the foundation to swell, which can lead to structural damage in the building.
Gutters and downspouts move water down and away from the building so it never has a chance to do any damage.
Maintain Easy Access
There’s something to be said for being able to walk into your business without having to duck under a waterfall or leap across a stream of water gushing across your parking lot. That can easily happen if you get caught in a downpour and there are no gutters on your building.
And if you don’t appreciate it, your employees and customers likely won’t either.
To learn more about employee happiness in the workplace, check out our post: 4 Ways Metal Buildings Can Improve Employee Morale on Industrial Sites.
Planning pre engineered buildings requires careful consideration. If you want your next project to look and perform as expected, call Metal Structure Concepts. Our expert design team will help you coordinate everything down to the fine details for the best possible result.