[box border=”full”]Guest Post[/box]
Your garden room is a luxury in the summer and a safe haven from the elements in the autumn. Whether you have a small garden room to get cosy in, a garden office, gym or something even more extravagant, you need to protect your garden room at its most vulnerable time. That is why we have put together our top tips for protecting your garden room in autumn!
Tip 1 – Fit mini guttering
If your garden room doesn’t already have mini guttering (or regular guttering depending on its size) then you are really leaving it at risk. Without guttering, the water damage to your garden room can cause rotting wood and unstable, boggy foundations. This short video gives a brief overview of Floplast’s popular Mini Gutter system for Sheds and greenhouses. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cl-GMEsmDE
Tip 2 – Fit a leaf guard to the gutters
It’s all very well and good fitting gutters to your garden room, but you’re going to need to keep those gutters clear of the inevitable autumn leaves and debris that can cause blockages and damage. There are several products that can help prevent blockages, including a variety of gutter guards and brushes as well as giving them a good old clean out by hand. The video below shows Colin Evans from Professional Building Supplies demonstrating his gutter cleaning techniques. To learn more about these products, please visit the Gutter Supplies website.
Tip 3 – Fit a water butt
Although not necessarily essential for protecting your garden room, a water butt will provide a place for the heavy downpours to be directed to, storing the water ready to be used for watering the garden on dryer days. By using a rain diverter from the guttering to the water butt, the clever design will divert rain water away from the water butt when it is full and send it down the pipe to the drainage system. Wondering how to install a water butt? This video will take you through it step by step.
Tip 4 – Use wood paint and preservatives
Autumn weather can damage the exterior wooden areas of your garden room. Using a wood paint and preservative will help protect it from weather damage and prevent the colour fading due to UV rays.
Tip 5 – Create a wind break
Strong gusts of wind beating against your garden room can potentially cause damage, especially if the wind slams doors and windows shut. Creating some sort of wind break, whether that be with a fence or an evergreen hedge, will help protect your shed from the elements.
Tip 6 – Trim overhanging branches
An overhanging branch is a serious threat during autumn. As constant wind and rain weaken the branches, they can fall off and the last thing you want is for a branch to come crashing through the roof of your garden room!
Tip 7 – Keep the bugs out
During the autumn, creepy crawlies start to head inside to avoid the harsh weather conditions. Spiders can cause a mess of tangled cobwebs in your garden room so spraying peppermint or rubbing citrus peel in the corners of the room will help keep them out. You can also spray diluted white vinegar around the edges of the room to keep the ants out too!
To learn more about these products, please visit the Gutter Supplies website.
