The BIG shed project - Part 1 Foundations

[GreenBoy]

Hi

So the plan is to build a BIG shed that i can use as a workshop, ans store a growing mountain of stuff my family are insisting on keeping.. this currently housed in another smaller shed that is chock-a-block and falling apart. So the shed needs to be big.

Starting with the basics, foundations.

My site is on a slope and although not that steep will mean a heck of a lot of cut and fill to make a level.

Add to this that the location of the shed is approx 150ft from the road, all uphill with no possibility of anything other than manually hauling the materials to the site, i am looking for alternative solutions to the usual concrete slab.

I am thinking of a timber 'deck' (want for a better term for it) that will act as the base.

I am therefore wondering if any one here has experience of this.

The shed (s) i am planning on building is a 16x12ft approx (4.8x3.6m i think) as a workshop / tool store with an attached general shed for the rubbish. I think for the second a 10x8 (3x2.4m?) would do.

All together this means a shed 3.6m wide by 7.2 or 7.8m long.

the slope would mean the lower side being 2-3ft lower than the upper end over the length. There is a slight fall side to side as well but nothing too great.

Any suggestions / experiences to share??

 

[Willis]

Hi

I would just hump it all (but i am young and fit and enjoy it)

Rather than footings I have in the past put in concrete god farthers (posts) in the ground every 4-5 feet apart and bolted 3x4 posts to these then cladded with timber. I had a single slop roof which you may be able to utilise the slope for?

In terms of a base I would use concrete for its lasting and weight taking abilities, but i suppose you could drill the posts and run joists and floor boards across.

Good luck and have fun running power!

 

[MickCheese]

I am sure you can pump concrete that far.

A lot easier than humping it.

Just got to get a few people together and the formers set out.

Mick

 

[Doug B]

Hi Green boy & welcome to the forum.

If you`re worried about humping concrete, hire a motorized wheel barrow, they tip as well. Give the ready mix driver a drink (beer tokens) & i`m sure he`ll pour straight into the barrow.
The only hard work is pulling the throttle lever.

 

[Stephen]

Hi

I am mid way through a similar workshop build although my site is perhaps not as challenging as yours.

My concrete base is about 120 feet from the road, 19ft x 13ft in size. The ground differed about 1 ft over the length of the site so not as much as yours. You may need to do the base for the workshop/store separately to take account of the slope. I dug out the soil and barrowed this to a skip, then barrowed over 4 tonnes of hardcore back again. Done over a few days/evenings it was less effort than I was expecting, but I drew the line at humping the concrete in.

I opted to use one of these companies that have the volumetric mixing lorries (it mixes the exact quantity you need on site). One company offered a barrow service for an extra £20 per cubic metre of concrete, another offered a narrow tracked mini dumper for £40 if this fits down the side of your house/via the rear.

If you have access via the side/rear perhaps this may be a solution for you - it does mean that someone else does the hard work while you can concentrate on levelling the concrete as it is brought to you. A pump was another solution but at >£300 was too expensive.

Best of luck.

 

[Stephen]

OOh, sorry to hijack your thread but I forgot to say a proper HELLO as it seems it was my first post

 

[CNC Paul]

PUMP IT!!!!!!!

Someone told me there is approx 40 wheelbarrow loads per Cu/Mt, will you mixer lorry wait all day while you barrow to the end of your garden. You will need a lot of fit friend and wheelbarrows. I had to move 20 Cu/Mt to the end of my garden about 70 Mt, boy was I glad I used a pump

 

[Doug B]

PUMP IT!!!!!!!

Someone told me there is approx 40 wheelbarrow loads per Cu/Mt, will you mixer lorry wait all day while you barrow to the end of your garden. You will need a lot of fit friend and wheelbarrows. I had to move 20 Cu/Mt to the end of my garden about 70 Mt, boy was I glad I used a pump

On Green boys dimensions, with a 100mm deep slab (plenty for a shed) he`ll only need approx 2.5 cubic meters, hardly worth pumping :shock: .
A decent motorized barrow will hold 1/4 of a cubic metre, so 10 trips, & you can get bigger motorized barrows.

 

[CNC Paul]

OOP's !!!

Missed the size :roll:

 

[tenpin]

Hi Greenboy

i'm currently doing the same thing
since Sept last year i have been building a 7m x 4m twin block skin hip roofed workshop...well started off as plans for a gym/out building but SWMBO is feeling sorry for me so looks like it will be mine...all mine..mine i tell you :shock: :shock:
i say since Sept as i work from 7 till 7 wekdays so only getting to do stuff sats and the odd sunday
floor...concrete base
also have no room for mixer lorry and front of house to bottom of garden 200ft +
answer...hump it...well 5 tonne bags from builders merchants and wife moved it from front of house to garden over a 5 day period...what a gal.
then hired mixer and me and a mate mixed and floated 5 tonne in 5 hours..you'll feel great when it's done..trust me

i will do a WIP on the building v.soon but have to get round a small problem that happened 2 weeks ago...next door neighbour set fire to his shed,,accidentally and it took a large part of my new roof with it...which i had finished 2 days prior...

 

[Wood Monkey]

Go with concrete and then put insulation/chipboard over the top of it to make it dropped tool friendly and warm in the winter. You wont regret it.

I used Mix'a'Mate and with the help of a few friends we moved 5Cu.a total run of 150ft using the M'a'M supplied barrows. Job done in less than 2 hours. They also do a powered barrow if you want.

See my build thread https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=21504

Jon[/url]