Shed base - what did you do and why is it great ?

[KidKruger]

Treating myself to a shed, now I?ve time to build one in lockdown.

Putting a base down once I?ve levelled the ground this week.

Question is what kind of shed base: concrete slab, pavers, brick pillars, whatever ?

And why/advantages/benefits ?

Any suggestion welcome/appreciated.

Probably will be an 8x10ft shed, if that has a bearing (pun not intended).

Cheers !

[diable rouge]

For a shed that size I'd keep it simple and choose from either a poured concrete base, a paving slab base, or a timber sub-frame. Lots of 'How to' videos online. Personally I'd choose the latter as I like working with timber and as this video shows it can be very low tech and quick to construct..

The timber needs to be pressure treated/tanalised, while walking around Jewsons' yard recently I saw some mini-sleepers which could be ideal, and they usually come with a guarantee around 15-20 years, longer than a lot of sheds. If you use pressure treated timber you have to remember to use a wood preservative on any cut ends, and it won't do any harm to use up the preservative with a general coat, ditto the shed too.

For a 'belt and braces' solution, you could also screw down (use decking screws) a sheet of marine ply onto the timber sub-frame to strengthen it and provide a level base for the shed to sit on and screw down into, and/or lay a brickwork DPC under the timbers for extra damp protection...

[fishbiscuits]

I'd say pour a concrete base into a wooden mould, just because it makes you feel like a pro.

[jazzer]

Suggest a 200mm concrete base, will prevent anything i.e. foxes digging underneath it. Good luck. Had the same done in 2019. Makes a world of difference for storage of garden items plus other bits and bobs plus a place to do simple repairs rather than on the dinning room table.

Also I'd recommend windows on three sides to get as much natural daylight in, double doors for easy access of anything big and racking along once side as a storage option. As for the roof, mine had a pent rubber roof which comes on a roll (used Skyline roofing in Brockley Cross) and that should last about 20 years.

If your cladding it and want to protect the wood, their is a product called Sikkens,

https://www.google.com/search?q=Sikkens&rlz=1C1AOHY_en-GBGB708GB708&oq=Sikkens&aqs=chrome..69i57.1286j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Not the cheapest, but well worth the extra cost(Brewers were the cheapest at the time).

Hope that helps, it goes to plan and works out.

[alex_b]

I?d also suggest a concrete base to prevent foxes.

[malumbu]

It's on our patio so on paving slabs. Do spend the money on a decent fence - we bought one from Homebase 15 years ago and it was lousy, warped quickly, we had to assemble it ourselves and build quality awful.

We paid three times more a few years ago from a company in Guildford (better recommendations than that one in Petts Wood or down that way), it was erected for us (tattooed and pierced gents who complained about the hill, but were very good and unlike a Kent company didn't hassle us for a tip), well worth it. https://www.google.com/search?safe=active&rlz=1C1GCEV_enGB856GB856&tbs=lf:1,lf_ui:10&tbm=lcl&q=sheds+near+guildford&rflfq=1&num=10&ved=2ahUKEwiOza_z9JzwAhUhsaQKHfiWDvYQtgN6BAgJEAg#rlfi=hd:;si:3293686941855540040;mv:[[51.4629057,-0.1935141],[51.130327199999996,-0.9992386000000001]]

[Seabag]

Concrete with a membrane is good, solid, and permanent. But there?s a certain coziness that?s lost, which a brick pillar and wood subframe has in bundles. The wood feels and sounds nice underfoot, like the one in my goffice (garden office) whereas ?the shed? with the lawnmower in, is hard under foot and smells a bit ⛽️ of petrol and creosote and grass clippings.

There?s more to a shed than practicality, there?s a shed ?feel?, which is all important too. And some men like to peruse various literature in a shed, so think about the locations of windows etc, as you might not want to be overlooked whilst flicking through Caravan Monthly, or whatever.

And a light of some kind is good.

[jazzer]

Re: shed floor, on the concrete run some thin joists across and on top of that have a wooden floor laid. I had a remnant from Berts https://www.burts.co.uk/ which means I 'm not walking on a cold wood or concrete floor, it makes sweeping and cleaning it easy.

[diable rouge]

jazzer Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Re: shed floor, on the concrete run some thin

> joists across and on top of that have a wooden

> floor laid. I had a remnant from Berts

> https://www.burts.co.uk/ which means I 'm not

> walking on a cold wood or concrete floor, it makes

> sweeping and cleaning it easy.

Don't most sheds come with an integral plywood/sterling board floor?...

[womanofdulwich]

when you have built the base , take a few photos of it, a) to remind you and b), to show a future occupier what a good job you did.

[jazzer]

diable rouge Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> jazzer Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Re: shed floor, on the concrete run some thin

> > joists across and on top of that have a wooden

> > floor laid. I had a remnant from Berts

> > https://www.burts.co.uk/ which means I 'm not

> > walking on a cold wood or concrete floor, it

> makes

> > sweeping and cleaning it easy.

>

> Don't most sheds come with an integral

> plywood/sterling board floor?...

It wasn't an off the shelf shed, it was built to fit a specific area in the garden

[KidKruger]

Thanks for comments so far.

Keep em coming.

I?ll probably go concrete base, primarily because I have a big stack of hardcore (that?s bricks and concrete fragments, Seabag, not ?caravan weekly?..) which I can?t be arsed to carry through the house to get rid of.

I?m gonna use a membrane, blind it, then pour agg/cement.

Planning to leave ED later so could have got away with a shite shed, but place I?m going to has eleven sheds needing replacing and I wanted to put one up here first, so I know what I?m dealing with / used to the process, beforehand.

[Plough Man]

KidKruger Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Treating myself to a shed, now I?ve time to build

> one in lockdown.

> Putting a base down once I?ve levelled the ground

> this week.

> Question is what kind of shed base: concrete slab,

> pavers, brick pillars, whatever ?

> And why/advantages/benefits ?

> Any suggestion welcome/appreciated.

> Probably will be an 8x10ft shed, if that has a

> bearing (pun not intended).

> Cheers !

Take guidance from Bob Buzzard. He's knows all about spoof wind-ups threads :0

[KidKruger]

No wind-up here plough person, it?s a straight-up shed build only here.

[KidKruger]

Groundwork

[KidKruger]

Frame

[KidKruger]

Hardcore ready for breaking

[KidKruger]

Commence breaking

[KidKruger]

Breaking and levelling

[KidKruger]

Blinding with sand

[KidKruger]

Damp proof membrane

[KidKruger]

Poured

[Orange owl]

Good job

[intexasatthe moment]

crikey - that's some amount of work!

Will you be allowing viewing during Open House weekend?

[KidKruger]

Yes my body is wondering what I did to it.

1.25 tonnes of sand/ballast/cement carried through terraced house before labouring even started !

Thought I?d just show the pics having initially been asking for advice.

I?ll erect the shed in a coupla weeks once I?ve sketched-up a plan.