How to fit guttering on a greenhouse

in Home : Projects: Garden DIY

You will need

  • Lengths of guttering
  • Downpipe
  • Guttering brackets
  • Joining brackets
  • End stop
  • A saw
  • Screws
  • Screwdriver
  • Chicken wire
Do it: all year round
Takes just: two hours

Project categories

Overview

Fitting guttering and installing water butts to catch the rain is a great way to store this precious natural resource. Keeping crops going through the summer requires plenty of water, so it pays to have a good supply close by.

Guttering is fairly cheap to buy from any DIY store and you can cut it to length with a saw. You'll find a variety of brackets and connectors available too, so take the measurements of your greenhouse with you when you go to buy your guttering to ensure you get the right pieces. Screw the brackets into the frame of the greenhouse to hold the gutter in place, with an end stop at one end and a downpipe on the other feeding water into the butt.

How to do it

Adam Pasco checking the length of a piece of guttering against the side of his greenhouse

1Check your measurements and cut lengths of gutter to fit neatly along each side of your greenhouse.

Close-up of Adam Pasco attaching brackets to the wooden frame of his greenhouse

2Attach brackets at regular intervals along the frame, positioning each one slightly lower towards the downpipe to make the water flow.

Adam Pasco slotting a length of guttering into the plastic brackets designed to hold it

3Carefully slot the guttering into the brackets.

Close-up of two lengths of guttering joined with a linking bracket

4Join lengths of guttering using linking brackets with watertight rubber seals for a snug fit.

Adam Pasco pouring water into the guttering from a watering can, to test that the water flows smoothly

5Pour water into the gutter to test that it runs smoothly towards the downpipe and there are no leaks.

Adam Pasco fitting a downpipe into a water butt

6Fit the downpipe into the butt and put a wad of chicken wire into the top to stopp leaves falling in.

Adam's tip

Greenhouse manufacturers often sell tailor-made gutter kits for their own products, and many greenhouses come with guttering supplied. If you are fitting out an existing greenhouse and know the name of the manufacturer, contact them first to see if they can supply a kit before heading for the DIY store.

Discuss this project

Talkback: How to fit guttering on a greenhouse
Your comment will appear after a quick registration step