Gutters and downspouts were not included in building contract. Many of these types of buildings don’t need to control the water. But for me I wasn’t sure.
I was installing corrugated tile around three sides of the building then draining it down over the hill into the timber. The west side of the building did not have tile but I had added a lot of CA-6 road pack that was angled away from the building towards the railroad tie wall. It’s so packed there water would not have a chance to soak in before running off.
But still the more I thought about it, the better off I’d be controlling the water away from the building before the drain tile or the slope came into use.
I decided that I’d get a bid from a company so I texted them. It took a few days but they did get back to me. He explained that he was very busy and it would be at least a week or two before he came out to do the estimate and that it would be a 3-4 week wait for the work to be completed. I was fine with that since I had plenty of time and the gutters can be one of the last things finished.
Two weeks went by, then a whole month. No response. So I used a reference from the building salesman and contacted a second contractor. He got back to me right away and even gave me a price over the phone based on the dimensions of the structure. I was quite surprised by the price.
You become accustomed to seeing material priced at the lumberyard. This can be deceptive. Installers use a continuous roll of aluminum to make seamless gutters and someone has to pay for that machine—and the labor.
I thought about and committed to the job. He warned me it would be three weeks before he could make it out.
I got the call about three weeks later and the installation was on the schedule.
I’m glad I spent the money. I checked the water flow during a hard rainstorm and the water went exactly where planned. Controlling the water flow should cut erosion and extend the life of the retaining walls.
