Hi

after opinions
(as I want a plastic shed which must have a full flat base and existing shed base is 3x3s laid on soil))

Shed will have nothing really heavy – garden tools/hand lawnmower, bags of compost, jet washer etc I’m think that an unfilled plastic hex base should be fine and was wondering if anybody else had done this

Thanks

bumped just in case Sunday crowd know anything

They’re surprisingly expensive. Grand designs did a thing on a house that used polystyrene sheets as foundations. Which has me pondering on a 4×4″ frame around 4″ polystyrene sheets as a shed base for my next shed build.

What’s wrong with a bit of good old fashioned concrete?

Nothing wrong with shorcuts.

The environmental impact of concrete is too great IMO.can’t you use the existing 3 x 3s?

Also have a look at composite joists. Where’s the shed going to be situated? Is it protected from the wind…will it need to be ‘tied down’?

click here

The environmental impact of concrete is too great IMO

Do explain how you believe concrete to be so environmentally unfriendly.

Then you go on to suggest plastic joists? Oh the irony.

Concrete gives off massive amounts of CO2.

Take the Hoover dam for example. During its construction, the amount of CO2 released by the concrete was equivalent to 10 years worth of CO2 the USA currently produces.

IIRC, concrete continues to release CO2 every time it gets wet.

And yet we continue to use it and blame everything else for the rising CO2 in our atmosphere.

That’s why its environmentally destructive.

So what would you have built the Hoover dam out of.
Do you drive a Hydrogen powered vehicle?
Maybe we should all stop breathing out Co2?
What about all these greenhouse gases cows produce?
We should all return to the forest eating leaves.
Edit : I’m interested in seeing your information on hard concrete producing Co2 when wet.

So what would you have built the Hoover dam out of.
Paper mâché
Do you drive a Hydrogen powered vehicle?
No
Maybe we should all stop breathing out Co2?
Give it a go, knock herself out
What about all these greenhouse gases cows produce?
Methane, there’s lots more stored in the melting ice caps
We should all return to the forest eating leaves.
Many leaves don’t suit our digestive system
Edit : I’m interested in seeing your information on hard concrete producing Co2 when wet
Me too.

I need a full base as I want a plastic shed and they need a full flat floor. It’s round the back so all access will require manual lugging (steps and path), the shed is in a sort of U shaped hole (about 10 x 12 ft that has a 2ft concrete+stone edges with the front of the shed accessed via the ‘top of the U’.

Concrete – will require lots of lugging and it’s a pita to remove etc etc, but once done would be ace.
Wood – no I’m aging and it will not get cared for.
Plastic – seems to have outdoor longevity and in this case an easier/quicker job

?how deep concrete for a shed base (nothing heavy hand tools, lawnmower, power washer) and would a base made of X loads (from a small mixer) be strong enough – as it wouldd be eaasy to put a frame in and concrete fill ? 3″ compacted mix 3″ concrete on top ??

I would suggest 4 inches would be the minimum, probably better off with 6.
Place it on compacted stone (sub base) and some kind of DPM (visqueen or similar)

As an alternative see if there is anywhere nearby that sell old concrete railway sleepers turned upside down they make a great base

I’ve used them for a green house, shed and a workshop

iolo….900kgs of co2 produced when making 1000kgs cement not to mention the heavy metals…

Also iolo I said Composite and not plastic which are made from a combination of recycled wood and plastics.

If a solid base is needed why not put some composite joists down @ 400mm centers and fasten 18mm marine ply to it. Put said shed on top.

Certainly don’t need 6 inches of concrete for a shed base…

cheers tymbian – that’s another idea
currently favouring pavers but will see what’s there when old shed is removed