I have just ordered a 5ft x 3 ft pent shed with door on the longer side, for my allotment.
But how to prepare base? I thinking of just whacking down a few runners?
Looked at loads of articles on google including :
What do people with real practical experience think is best way to go?
Ed
I would use 6 concrete blocks, the sort used for building 100mm walls. About £1 each. Place these flat side, 3 along each side of the propsed shed position with the end ones in a little from the corner so you don't see too much of them. Cut them half into the ground, and all level to each other. Then place 3, 3inch square posts across the blocks as bearers. You might like to put a piece of roof felt between block and bearer. Erect shed.
mark
Depends on what you want to spend. A poured concrete slab is ideal. Next choice is crushed limestone in a frame. Around here, if a groundhog, skunk, or chipmonk can get under it, he will.
I don't know these concrete blocks? where to get them? they better than=20
4 inch x 4 inch wooden bearers?Ed
I don't know these concrete blocks? where to get them? they better than
4 inch x 4 inch wooden bearers?Ed
Blocks arn't instead of the wooden bearers, they support the bearers and keep them off the ground.
94p each at Wickes:mark
I've no idea what's a "pent" shed. But regardless, you don't want your shed directly on the ground or it will rot, and move off level, rack, and fall apart. A shed needs a sturdy base that permits good drainage and air circulation. But the most important consideration (especially with a relatively small shed such as yours) is be certain a shed is solidly fastened to the ground or first time there's a good wind it will blow away, probably slam into someone elses property doing great damage, causing you much grief. There exist various tie down systems for anchoring a shed to the ground. When installing a shed it is wise to "overkill" (prepare for a hurricane), the cheap turns out expensive.
I agree with the cinder blocks. That whole crushed gravel design is bad idea.
y?
Does this shed come with a floor?
If it does, then just putting a concrete block at each corner will do.
If it does not have a floor, then I would put down a layer of crush rock and put the shed on that.
The main thing is that you do not want wood touching dirt. It can touch rock or concrete, but not dirt, or it will rot.
Not a bad idea, just a bit more labor, but costs less than other materials and lasts far longer, and a crushed stone base won't move or rot. The crushed stone base is built up a few inches above grade for drainage and compacted by machine, then the shed is set directly on the stone base which acts as a shed floor, or for fancy schmancy paver blocks can be set on the compacted crushed stone with the shed atop that... if a paver block patio were built it would require a 6" crushed stone base, then 2" of sand, then more sand brushed between the pavers. Crushed stone costs a lot less than cement blocks, heavy lumber stringers, and heavy exterior ply flooring.
But I wouldn't go crazy over a base for a 5' X 3' shed, it's pretty small, I don't really think such a small structure qualifys as a shed, it's more a tool cabinet/closet.... screw a piece of 3/4" ext. plywood to the bottom and set it atop a 6" X 6" X 10' treated post cut in half and set directly on the ground... to keep the posts from moving drill a couple of half inch holes through each and drive in a 2' length of 1/2" rebar into the ground... refrain from closing off the space underneath, air circulation is important. This is a simple three hour job, should cost like $40 including the rust pruf screws. The treated posts should last 15-20 years, perhaps a lot longer, and can easily be replaced. Just do not neglect to anchor it down real well, do not scrimp on the anchoring hardware.
My garden shed is the size of an oversized one car garage, in fact it is a garage, it sets on a compacted crushed stone base.... my huge barn the same.... most barns are on a compacted crushed stone base. Won't heave when the ground freezes either.
wot u mean?
For my shed on the allotment I had a ring round and found 3 nice and cheap concrete fence posts from a local garden centre and laid these on the ground and then popped my shed on top. Quick, cheap and easy ... it's been ok for the last 10 years and expect it'll be ok for the next 10 years.
You can either leave the gap under the shed for a nice bit of ventilation of you can just put some wooden offcuts around the base or something similar to stop anything wanting to make a home underneath ... I left mine open and found a family of hedgehogs moved in not long after I put the shed up ... nice little creatures which love to eat all your snails and slugs.
Ash.
Do I dig out a bed and lay the blocks direct on the ground or do I dig=20 out a rectangle and fill it with gravel and lay the blocks on this and=20 then put the bearers on top?
Ed
Do I dig out a bed and lay the blocks direct on the ground or do I dig out a rectangle and fill it with gravel and lay the blocks on this and then put the bearers on top?
Ed
For my shed, 12 by 8, I just put my blocks direct on the ground, dug them in a little so that they were 'firmed' in and level with each other. I didn't dig out anything else. Vegetation underneath (in my case lawn) soon died off. mark
The former. Just level and compact the ground. And you can equally well use el cheapo concrete slabs, surplus bricks or whatever instead of blocks. It really doesn't matter.
Regards, Nick Maclaren.
Ed, this is now cross posted to so many groups that you're getting confusing advice! It might be better for you if you post to one group that covers wherever you live, e.g. UK or USA. I've never heard of anyone using 'anchors' on a shed in UK but it's possible that the person who answered you lives in tornado country! This does not apply to urg - as long as we're lucky. ;-)
In an exposed position towards the west, you would need to.
Regards, Nick Maclaren.
Indeed I had a 6x5 greenhouse turn into a kite one day. Fortunately no one was hurt but I anchored the next one in poured concrete at each corner.
It *was* an exceptional wind that day. Took the roof off a house higher up the hill completely.
d you
g as we're
I secured my 8'x5' greenhouse to 25# concrete retaining wall blocks, six of them, with steel bolts through the frame and into the concrete. The blocks had been set on bedding gravel and carefully squared and leveled.
The first storm of winter came along with 70mph gusts and blew the greenhouse, still fastened to the blocks, right off the bedding gravel. The greenhouse was shifted about two feet downwind.
With great effort I releveled and squared off the greenhouse again, then hied me to Home Depot and bought three of those corkscrew dog stakes, two feet of stainless steel corkscrew about three inches across, with a hand-sized D handle on top. I ran plastic ties through the frame and through the handles on the corkscrews. I now laugh at the gales!
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