base for wooden shed
- Thread starter carocris
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Can't understand why no one has replied.
I wouldn't put bearers on bare earth - they will surely rot even if treated and putting the problem right will be much tougher than doing something better in the first place. If you have big trees very close by whose roots could push up your base, nothing less than a substantial concrete slab will do. Otherwise, ordinary cheap paving slabs laid on a couple of inches of gravel will be fine. You might want to block off the spaces between the bearers so that rats can't make a nice cosy home there. I reckon 3x2 inches would be ample.
Hope this helps.
I wouldn't put bearers on bare earth - they will surely rot even if treated and putting the problem right will be much tougher than doing something better in the first place. If you have big trees very close by whose roots could push up your base, nothing less than a substantial concrete slab will do. Otherwise, ordinary cheap paving slabs laid on a couple of inches of gravel will be fine. You might want to block off the spaces between the bearers so that rats can't make a nice cosy home there. I reckon 3x2 inches would be ample.
Hope this helps.
What if i used say oak and put a layer of polythene between the wood and soil? And would you go for paving the whole area of the shed or could you get away with say three strips of slab, two on the outer edges and one down the middle? Thanks.
joiner_sim
Established Member
For a shed, I would definatley put down a completley slabbed area underneath. My mini workshop is a shed and lies on top of a slabbed base, with small bearers providing a gap.
I think I've heard people on here saying that if you are going to build one as a workshop, a damp proof course is advisable. I may be wrong though.
I think I've heard people on here saying that if you are going to build one as a workshop, a damp proof course is advisable. I may be wrong though.
MikeG.
Established Member
Sorry, I didn't spot the post......
A piece of plastic sitting on the earth is completely pointless! Indeed, it could be worse than useless, actually holding dampness against the timber. There is a much better case to be made for sitting timber bearers on some crushed hardcore, shingle or granite chippings .....anything to raise the timber off the earth and to allow moisture away and air to circulate.
Having said that, I would try and do the job properly, with a concrete base and two-course brick plinth, then a DPC and then plant your shed walls on top of that. The concrete should have a DPM under it, and be cast such that the top is a couple of inches above finished ground level.
I wonder if I should write "Mike's Definitive Guide to Shed Building" and post it somewhere obvious before I get accused of being too repetitive?
Mike
A piece of plastic sitting on the earth is completely pointless! Indeed, it could be worse than useless, actually holding dampness against the timber. There is a much better case to be made for sitting timber bearers on some crushed hardcore, shingle or granite chippings .....anything to raise the timber off the earth and to allow moisture away and air to circulate.
Having said that, I would try and do the job properly, with a concrete base and two-course brick plinth, then a DPC and then plant your shed walls on top of that. The concrete should have a DPM under it, and be cast such that the top is a couple of inches above finished ground level.
I wonder if I should write "Mike's Definitive Guide to Shed Building" and post it somewhere obvious before I get accused of being too repetitive?
Mike
MikeG.
Established Member
No idea of costs I'm afraid......but doing it properly won't cost you all your tools rusting or getting chewed by vermin, and you don't have to allow for building it all over again in 3 or 4 years time!
T&G? Do you mean for cladding the outside?
Mike
T&G? Do you mean for cladding the outside?
Mike
Yeah T&G for the outside. Do you know what sort of size requires planning regs? i'm sure 12x10 is probably within limits. Sorry for making you go over old ground, i'm new to this forum.
I think i'm just trying to get away with doing the minimum work on a shed because i only rent the property, so i'm trying not to go to town on it. But i guess it can always be made to be dismantled. Do you have any ideas for skylights in the roof, the more natural light the better?
Once again thanks for your time.
I think i'm just trying to get away with doing the minimum work on a shed because i only rent the property, so i'm trying not to go to town on it. But i guess it can always be made to be dismantled. Do you have any ideas for skylights in the roof, the more natural light the better?
Once again thanks for your time.
MikeG.
Established Member
There are two different sets of rules you need to comply with...........Planning Permission is one, Building Regulations is the other.
Planning Permission is whether you are allowed the building on not, and what it should look like (essentially). Building Regulations is the technical specifications you are required to adhere to in building it.
So long as you keep this in your back garden and away from a boundary you won't need either PP or BR Approval (so long as you aren't in a National Park or other designated area). You must keep the ridge below 4m, or if it is a flat roof, keep that below 3m.
I would recommend feather-edge boards rather than T&G. FE is much cheaper, and is designed for the job.
Mike
Planning Permission is whether you are allowed the building on not, and what it should look like (essentially). Building Regulations is the technical specifications you are required to adhere to in building it.
So long as you keep this in your back garden and away from a boundary you won't need either PP or BR Approval (so long as you aren't in a National Park or other designated area). You must keep the ridge below 4m, or if it is a flat roof, keep that below 3m.
I would recommend feather-edge boards rather than T&G. FE is much cheaper, and is designed for the job.
Mike
filsgreen
Established Member
Mike Garnham":2log8suw said:
Maybe a stickey at the top of this topic would be a good idea Mike?
mailee
Established Member
I don't know if it will be of any help to you Carocris but I have recently built a shed using CLS and shiplap of 10'x8' and the cost was a little under £500 for the timber. HTH :wink:
Shultzy
Established Member
carocris, there are a number of shed builds in this section with different bases, do a search. The cheapest is probably plinth construction, followed by slabbing, then solid concrete. Any of these methods will provide a level surface to build your shed, which is essential for a workshop. Check out my workshop build if you go with a slabbed solution.
gedereco
Established Member
HI, sorry i'm a bit late on this but i work in groundworks usually do bases for houses ans large industrial buildings. I would recommend you put it on a 150mm slab if you work it out a shed comes out at about 1.8 meter cubed. If you get Gen 1 spec you could get a mini mix to deliver just watch they don't charge you for waiting time and mt space in truck. it cost around £80 plus vat a meter . If you want to mix it yourself it works out about 2 tonne a meter cubed and for each tonne of aggregate you'll need 10 bags of cement .Usually takes two of us about an hour todo 40 mixes and float finishing for a base that size. I would recommend putting a concrete base down as it is a pain to move a shed when it's full of tools also put dpm membrane(polythene 1200 guage ) underneath to stop frost cracking slab and damp rising as concrete is very porous.
hope this helps. dont forget you'll need hardcore underneath then about a 1" of sand to lay membrane on...
hope this helps. dont forget you'll need hardcore underneath then about a 1" of sand to lay membrane on...
Hi Carocris, I purchased a 12x10 h/d workshop/shed in flatback mode with heavy duty flooring, for the base I dug out the space and laid a raft of con blocks on their sides about 100mm bigger all round, a rectantangle with 2 rows across the 10ft width equally spaced, the outside was two courses whilst the two cross rows were single, I laid 2 4x4 treated posts on these, dpc under, after leaving for a week, the shed went up in about 2 1/2 hours, it can be done on your own with a long length of 4x2 and some 3" screws, I left the roof felting till the next day, btw, a dpc was laid on all bearing surfaces and weed proof membrane was laid with sand on top of that, the 4x4's allow a little bit of forgiveness in the floor, which I covered in 18mm t/g loft board, traversing the h/d floorboards. hth.carocris":2panx4lj said:
Rich.
I think that is a great idea. A guide to the different type of shed and workshop buildings, design, construction, materials, damp proofing, insulation etc.
A nice project for the christmas holidays, Mike.
Tony.
johnf
Established Member
Paving slabs laid on sharp sand is adequate for a lightweight timber shed quicker and cheaper to.
the 150mm concrete slab on a hardcore base is complete overkill
the 150mm concrete slab on a hardcore base is complete overkill
Smudger
Established Member
johnf":3ukngttn said:
My experience was that the slabs moved over time and made the floor uneven. I now have a slab, and it is great. Mind you, I bullied two of my sons into laying it for me...
