Foundation for a shed

on 4/15/2008 9:24 AM desgnr said the following:

Any way you want. The only thing I would worry about with that small and light a shed is that it would blow over in a heavy wind. Anchor it to the ground.

If I had a level spot I'd probably just set it on the ground for a few years, then set it on leveled cinder blocks, maybe, if the S/N ratio got too bad.

The nice thing about a shed of that size and construction is it's easy to move. -----

- gpsman

Good point, those things are not even legal in Florida. I see them occasionally at some national chain stores but the code people can make you remove it.

If you read up online about assembling a Rubbermaid shed, you'll find that a flat and level surface makes assembly _much_ easier. I installed one last year on a perimeter base of pavers with slate pieces supporting the floor at assorted interior points. The pavers should be partly buried, whether they're flush with the ground is up to you and the local site conditions.

Code folks here (FL) won't do anything about them.

It would be a good idea to start by calling your local code enforcement people. You may find that they specify foundations of one type or another or they may not allow the shed at all.

My neighbor had to remove one. That is why I know.

A foundation is best, but your local ordinances may have specifics about it.

"desgnr" wrote in news:y02Nj.8131$XF3.2105@trnddc04:

We really need a foundation in my neighborhood. Too many ground hogs dig under the shed.

In some localities, the foundation changes it from a temporary moveable outbuilding to a permanent structure. If it is designated as a permanent structure by resting on a foundation, it will fall within all the other codes in order to comply. AND you may not be the one who makes this designation.

If making a foundation constitutes a permanent structure, you can mount it pretty solidly on railroad ties, and then do the floor with either decomposed granite, or sack mix concrete divided by enough expansion joints as to make each square a "decorative tile."

Be sure before you start, or they're gonna want more taxes and you'll have to pay permits plus penalties, and the inspector will be your new friend. Or not.

Steve

I love this. It's like someone asking, "How's the weather?"

It's raining.

It's sunny.

It's snowing.

It's windy.

It's calm.

Now comes the "NO, IT'S NOT. YOU'RE AN IDIOT!" replies.

What's legal and illegal about sheds is about as varied as the weather. It's a good idea to check on it WHERE YOU LIVE.

Steve

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

A cry baby neighbor must have complained.

Every town or county has its own code enforcement officer, and more than likely, the codes between them are different..

The Florida building code is universal across the state. They have different rules in different wind zones but it is still standardized so you don't have to deal with the whims of AHJs in 67 counties and a thousand towns. Local people can ad "zoning" rules but they can't amend the building code. Sheds and outbuildings are conered in the state building code. The idea that it is just a free standing piece of furniture in the yard doesn't "fly" because, in a hurricane, they tend to.

Why go to all the trouble to pour concrete, make a floor of whatever composition, grade it, and go to all this work for a piece of plastic that will not last or blow away with the first good gale?

Build a real shed.

Some two by fours, siding, and shingles won't cost much more, and will give you a better shed than a little 4 x 6 locker.

What can you put in a 4 x 6 locker? I call it a locker, because it is too small to put anything else in there unless, like collegians in a phone booth, you want to just stack things in there like sardines, and have no real utility at all when going to fetch an item.

MHO, YMMV.

Steve