10 ft x 10 ft shed, what do we place under it?
Question:We just bought a shed with a floor kit. We tore down the existing shed when we bought our home last year. It was the same dimensions and left quite a hole underneath it. We have filled it with fill dirt, but are wondering what we need to place under the shed to keep it from shifting and sinking. The cheapest option is greatly appreciated.
Sorry for my lack of knowledge with this.
Answers:
I would suggest 10 foot 4x4 posts. make sure they are treated lumber. Place them level on the ground and across the floor joists of the shed. I would say to use 4 of them for the best support.
I would pour a slab of concrete and set it on that. In the long run it will pay off.
Try patio bricks under the perimiter of the shed. That will keep it from sinking. You should also use an anchor system to be sure the shed doesn't get caught in the wind and blown away.
No need to be sorry.
Is the ground surrounding the original excavation solid?
If so, a bargain way would be treated 4 x 4's just longer then the original excavation to set the shed onto. You might even prep the lumber sites with concrete block so that the treated lumber doesn't rest directly on the ground level, and allows stability, at a height you can live with. It is after all a Shed, not a dwelling. Obviously for more stability and security you could frame in a 10.5 x 10.5 area and pour a slab, keeping it above ground by using 2 x 8-10-12 frame lumber.
Steven Wolf
Many people use large concrete pavers (60cm x60cm) or so, usually laid on a light bed of sand. you can usually pick these up second hand and it proves to be quite a cheap option.
The best would be to put a cement pad under it, with a rat wall around the perimiter. This is where you dig a ditch around the edge, and fill it with cement also, so rats, woodchucks, etc. can't tunnel underneath.
You can put it on cement blocks, however. for a 10 x 10 shed, I would put 4 rows of 4 blocks down. They would be evenly spaced along the edges, and the 4 in the middle aligned so that they are under floor joists. I'd be VERY finicky about getting the blocks square, flat, and level with each other, too. This means probably several hours of doing nothing but measuring, adjusting, trying, fitting, filling, excavating, and fussing with them. The net result will be a shed that sits square and level, and doesn't sag. Otherwise, the door will bind, mice will get into it, and the floor will have humps and sags. Even so, you'll have critters burrowing underneath it if you use this sort of foundation. With all the work of making it smooth and flat, you might as well go for the cement pad, and do it right the first time.
Also - be sure the floor joists are all treated wood, or the floor will rot out after 5-10 years, and you'll have to start all over again.
I always thought you should put a concrete slab under it.
Sand is the best for a base and it is the cheapest.If you bought a metal shed the best thing to use for a floor is treated lumber. Build a floor out of treated 4X4 and treated plywood to the same size as the shed.
The best, but not the cheapest, is as others have said, pour a concrete slab. We have some concrete companies locally that will rent you a buggy and you can fill it with the concrete you need, then tow it to your area and pour it right in the forms and level it off. Let it cure and place the shed on it and bolt it down. Then you shouldn't have to worry about it again.
Put down crushed lime stone and compact it with a plate tamper. You can rent one from Home Depot or Rona. This stuff stays compacted and won't move you will need to make a pad about 6" deep. Should cost more than 200 bucks including the rental
Check your local building supply retailer for concrete deck blocks. These are inexpensive, and groved on the top to accept your framing. I estimate you will need about 9 of them.
got a cat?
The cheapest and easiest way to do this is to find your local building reclamation company. Buy two or three old train sleepers, cut them to size and drop them down in the dirt, then you can place your shed straight on top of them.
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