Building maintenance costs are just as inevitable as death and taxes. Whether your building is your own home, a residential building you rent out, or a commercial property, keeping building upkeep costs as low as possible makes sound financial sense. 

Having new rain gutters installed on your building can be a surprisingly effective way to reduce the costs of maintaining a building, especially if the existing gutters have seen better days. Here are three ways new gutters can make maintaining your residential or commercial building more affordable:

Prevent Mold And Damp Problems

Keeping the spread of mold at bay is a constant concern for many building owners, especially in older buildings and/or buildings with limited ventilation. Rectifying issues with mold and dampness can be shockingly expensive, especially if it affects timber wall frames, roof trusses, and other vital structural components.

Mold and dampness in your building can be caused by a number of underlying problems, and damaged or clogged gutters are a common culprit. If rainwater leaks from damaged or overflowing gutters before it reaches the gutter's downspout(s), it can start to seep into the walls and/or siding of your building. This can cause extensive water damage, and mold spores will thrive within damp walls and flooring.

If your building's gutters are leaking due to physical damage, or frequently become clogged and start to overflow, having them replaced with new gutters can save you thousands of dollars that would otherwise be spent on mold prevention and repairing water damage. 

Ideally, your new gutters should be designed to resist long-term damage, as well as clogging caused by fallen leaves and other debris. Seamless gutters are an excellent choice, as their smooth, seam-free surfaces prevent debris from getting trapped between individual sections of guttering. Gutters with built-in leaf guards or foam are also a good option.

You should also choose gutters made from durable, corrosion-resistant materials. High-grade PVC, aluminum, or copper are all excellent choices. 

Lower Landscaping Costs

Water leaking from damaged or clogged gutters can also pool around the outskirts of your building or form pools of standing water on paved areas. This free-flowing rainwater can cause significant soil erosion over time and can ruin any lawns, flowerbeds, or landscaped areas around your building's immediate vicinity.

Soil erosion caused by damaged gutters can be very troublesome for commercial buildings, which frequently rely on attractive, landscaped areas to improve the building's appearance and attract customers. It can be equally aggravating for homeowners who pride themselves on their well-maintained yards and gardens.

Eliminating these problems with new, leak-resistant gutters can have an immediate effect on reducing soil erosion and lowering landscaping costs. They can also make your building more resistant to flooding by preventing leaking rainwater from raising the local water table.

Reduce Basement Sump Pump Running Costs

If your building has a basement, it probably relies on a sump pump, which extracts excess moisture from the soil to prevent basement flooding. If the ground around your property is constantly saturated by rainwater that your gutters can't collect, your sump pump will have to work harder to keep your basement safe, dramatically increasing running costs and energy consumption.

A new set of gutters will direct as much rainwater into drains and sewers as possible, preventing it from saturating the ground around your basement. You might wish to consider redesigning the layout of your new gutters to maximize the amount of rainwater they collect. Consult with your rain gutter installation service, and get their recommendations on how to design the most effective guttering layout. 

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