How serious can water ingress issues get? How much would repair work cost? In the third part of our drainage series, let’s compare two real case studies from Scotland’s tenement communities.
Study 1: Gutter Replacement, Glasgow
A property factor had to replace the guttering on one side of a four-storey Glasgow tenement. The project involved around 20 metres of guttering but also required extensive scaffolding. A quote of £4000 was given for the work, according to the property owner. Other owners on the forum where this repair was discussed reported similar costings.
This anecdotal report shows how safety requirements (such as scaffolding) can add to the cost of what may seem a straightforward like-for-like replacement.
Study 2: Walmer Crescent, Glasgow
As reported by the Glasgow City Heritage Trust, this project involved substantial repair to a A-Listed tenement within Walmer Crescent Conservation Area, designed by noted architect Alexander 'Greek' Thomson. Water ingress from a double roof with a lead valley gutter as well as bay windows necessitated major works.
The Trust provided a 75% grant to encourage the property owners to agree to what became an eight-month project. Repairs included the replacement of historic hoppers with new ones chosen to complement existing design features (dated visibly as 2017 to clarify their provenance).
The project cost £92,346 in total with £77,300 of that coming from the Heritage Trust grant.
Finding the money
Obviously such grants are only occasionally available for uniquely historical buildings, but it is always worth looking for such additional sources of funding to help reduce repair costs. Scottish or UK organisations worth investigating for such support include:
- Historical Environment Scotland — routinely fund conservation projects including external repairs.
- National Lottery Heritage Fund — provide capital grants for heritage building projects.
- Edinburgh World Heritage — conservation funding of major external repairs including rainwater goods).
- Glasgow City Heritage Trust — Historic Environment Grants for work including repair/reinstatement of lead or cast-iron gutters, hoppers, downpipes.
- Aberdeen City Heritage Trust — Building Repair Grants (external shell repairs).
Other regional bodies providing external repair grants include Perth & Kinross Heritage Trust, Stirling City Heritage Trust, Inverness City Heritage Trust, and the Fife Historic Buildings Trust.
Staying out of the rain
Sadly, for the bulk of Scottish tenements, these grants won’t bear fruit, and the cost of maintenance and repairs will be shouldered by property owners. To minimise such costs, it's vital that property managers and residents proactively plan gutter and downpipe maintenance, both to maintain property value and future-proof its integrity.
While storms pass, repair bills linger. So choose maintenance over buckets in the stairwell.
"All of us are in the gutter, but some of us are looking at long-term drainage maintenance contracts."
— Oscar Wilde (slightly paraphrased)
IMAGE CREDITS: Banner image by Adrien Olichon on Unsplash, Rainy roof tiles byOleksii Piekhov on Unsplash
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