How do i make a concrete base for a shed DIY?
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Answers:
First dig out the topsoil (known as vegetable soil), down to something fairly solid.
Place shuttering boards accurately around area, support with strong pegs - 1" steel tubing (gas pipe) is ideal.
Pack underneath shuttering to make level.
Put 3" - 4" hardcore on the base area and compact.
If you do not have hardcore, 3" ballast will suffice.
Cover with sheet of DPM (Damp Proof Membrane) polythene sheet, bringing up the side of the shuttering.
Fill with concrete, Minimum 4" for small shed (6'x4') up to 6" for a medium shed (10' x 8').
Concrete mix by volume - 9 20mm ballast : 2 Ordinary Portland Cement.
If building from block, thicken concrete at the edge to 8", for brick, 10".
To level, work a board on edge back and forth between the shuttering, filling holes and repeating. Trowelling (use a steel float) is an option but can be awkward if working on a large base.
Very briefly
Get four pieces of wood and lay them on the ground as a frame. The wood should be about 100mm wide.
You then buy bags of concrete mix the concrete and shovel it into the frame.
Before the concrete sets smooth it with a trowel or old piece of wood to get it as flat as possible
Wait for it to set
Remove frame, finished.
mark the area out you require,get some wood to suit ie thickness and length etc,fix together so it resembles the shape of your base,you can use bits of old brick etc for sub base,so to save on concret etc,you will only need between four -six inches of concrete deppending what going in you shed,ie heavy weights etc,normal shed use four inches will be PLENTY,once you start putting concret in throw old bricks etc into the concret gently knocking them down,save on the concrete,HOPE THIS HELPS..
Give the 10 to Clive. I offer this to his suggestions.
Depending on the material for the shed, ready made or DIY constructed.
If it's ready made you might want to include some type pf anchoring system, with galvanized strapping and bolts into the concrete as it's setting.
If you're building the shed from scratch, IE: Lumber, then I'd add threaded bolts vertically, to bolt down the base frame to the slab.
Steven Wolf
mark out your area, dig down 8 in. and add 4 in of stone. form with 2x4's and stake the perimeter to hold the forms. pour and finish.
Nail together 4 bits of timber (eg 4x2 or 8x2) in a perfect square, level the square then put stakes around it to stop it from moving around then put sand down (about 1 inch) then use a vapour barrier (Visquone) and pour your concrete in. Make sure its quite a wet mix then use a straight bit of timber to level it and tap it to get the bubbles up and leave it to set a bit. After that smooth it of with a float - you might need to add a bit of water. Leave it 2 or 4 days then tap the timber with a hammer to seperate it from the base and strip the timber of. You will then have a level smooth base!
Good luck!
I agree. Give the 10 to Clive. I'd just like to add one more thing. If you haven't done so already, check with the city code in your area before you do any of this. It could save you a lot of grief later.
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