Storage Master Blog

Keeping a Storage Building Up | Storage Building Maintenance

"It is hard to maintain out something that is engineered in." That is what I always said to people who did not place enough emphasis on planning before starting a project, and then spent thousands on labor and material to keep something up, when the numbers could have been much smaller. I figured that out during my lifetime of property maintenance work. The statement is true, and will be true forever. If you have taken to heart the lessons of our post on Portable Utility Building Siding | Wood or Metal?, You have already taken the major step in assuring your buildings longevity. If you buy a properly engineered, and properly built building, made of the proper materials, you will have little to do to maintain your building in the best condition.

If  however, you have chosen a wooden building, or a wood composite sided building, you should supplement the information bellow with annual cleaning, sealing, painting or staining, and prepare to adjust hinges, and add weatherstripping where and when it is needed. If you have composite shingles, you need to be prepared to replace some of them after a high wind, and all of them on a regular schedule. It is just a fact of life with those types of buildings.

Note that the material bellow is based on maintaining metal or steel clad structures. The information is minimal, because the work is minimal, but just doing these few things will add years to the life of your structure.

Maintaining Metal sided structures

Most storage buildings require little in the way of upkeep, but like all structures they will benefit from a little attention, and will offer longer, better service and help to preserve your investment. Just add these inspection items to your lawn, garden and home exterior maintenance program, for spring and fall if you like.

Start with inspection.

A brief, periodic inspection of the building is a good place to start. Check for such things as:

• Roof and corner damage.

• Door operation.

• Window operation.

• Weather stripping.

• “Levelness”.

If a door or window is not opening or closing properly, the reason could be that the building is no longer level. A minor shift could cause a corner to sag, which could, in turn cause a wall to be out of square. When this happens, the first sign could be a sticky door or window. If this is the case, use a standard spirit level to check, and adjust the shims where needed to bring it back to level.

Moisture can be another problem The nature of wood is to absorb moisture. When humidity is high, it can swell causing sticking problems with doors and windows.

Weatherstripping:

Degraded weather seals can allow moisture in as well. To visually check on the condition of the weather stripping, stand inside the building and look at the door. If there is an excessive amount of light coming in around the door, there is a chance that it might need to be replaced. Moist or discolored spots around the door, or door framing is another indicator.

Cleaning:

Keeping your storage building clean will extend its life. Pay particular attention to the roof of the building and such problems as fallen tree branches. Tree branches on the roof of your building can cause other debris to build up , which can cause moisture problems, which can in turn degrade the roof, or weigh it down to the point of sagging. I have seen debris collect on the top of a storage building  for long enough for a tree to grow a foot tall in the soil of the gathering debris! This can also cause insect problems in your storage building.

The same is true of the bottom of your building. If you have dirt building up as mounds, or small dirt trails coming up the blocks, termites could become a problem.

When the exterior walls of the building get grungy, you can clean them with some water and mild soap, using a soft bristle brush, and a garden hose for rinsing. Do not use abrasives that could damage the paint, and cause future problems with corrosion.

Other concerns:

If you find loose screws in the siding, you can “snug” them back in place, adding a little silicone caulk around the threads and head of the screw is also helpful. Just make sure they are snug, and don’t strip the threads.

Doing these few small tasks will assure your buildings long and productive life!