About to embark on building a 6x3m shed/man cave to save the need for bike fettling in the kitchen/diner during bad weather and dark evenings. As much as the wife enjoys me being there, getting in the way of the tele and generally cluttering the place up she'd rather I was else where.
Does a slabbed base have to be 100% coverage? Or can slabs be spaced out as long as there is enough support over the frame?
Would there be damp issues from the soil if not completely covered?
Cheers
I've laid a checker board pattern with 2x2 flags before now under a 10ft x 8ft shed without issue, filled the bits in between with cheapest gravel I could get hold of.
That's basically what I was thinking, just wondered about long term issues. Did you lay a membrane down below gravel and slabs?
Cheers
shouldnt be really be damp issues and you wont need a membrane but you should probably at least lay some kind of hardcore under the slabs rather than just on the soil if you want it to last - not that people havent just put slabs on soil for years and years.
I too have done a spread out slab base for an off the shelf shed. Worked fine, although I used a bit of sand on tamped hardcore. Nowadays with more experience Id probably use dabs of mortar instead. But then my dad has taught me to over-engineer! 😀
My personal preference is to make a wooden surround lined with a permeable membrane and infilled with chippings. Nice and simple and the chippings allow for excellent drainage. Tend to find that slabs can allow for water to sit on them plus it is a lot more work and expense.
Cheers stoner, yeah the plan was to lay them on sand any way. Just trying to save my back and a bit of time lifting slabs.
Cheers
Sonny - No, no membrane and no issues. The old mans is laid on the same and has been for 25 odd yrs
Looks like there's more than one way to do this, cheers for the ideas.
Any more?
that's a much bigger shed than I've erected, but my first one I followed a leaflet guide from wickes and built a concrete raft which is going to outlast the house, never mind the shed - the cause of much merriment from family and friends
the last one I did i simply laid on a series of railway sleepers which I dug in a couple of inches. just as good a result frankly ten years on.
I transplanted a shed of my brother's this week. I simply laid it on telegraph poles. The one beside it has been there for five years.
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the last one I did i simply laid on a series of railway sleepers which I dug in a couple of inches. just as good a result frankly ten years on
Same principle but I used 6x4 concrete lintels, laid and levelled onto a compacted type 1 sub base. Then screwed and plugged a 2x2 treated sub frame. Shed base fixed to this. Gravel infill but maintain air flow.
My shed is about 12 years old. Spent 11 of those on it's first base which was concrete slabs on 2" foundation of sand / cement mix (1:12) laid on weed proof membrane. I've since moved it and just laid the slabs on the lawn and stuck the shed on that, which seems equally adequate.
whatever base you lay, you still need to raise the floor joists above the ground using bearers or some kind of blocks
when i do mine it'll be slabs, then 4" solid block laid flat with dpm and then joists on top
I used all the left over crap from the garden, bits of slabs, decking, all sorts.
The main thing I think is to allow air to get under it.
It's also worth treating all the shed bits before you build it.
I've just installed two sheds and used a base of hardcore/broken bricks/slabs etc and levelled with 10-20mm gravel...then used reclaimed Grade A railway sleepers running 90 degrees to floor bearers to raise sheds of ground....a lot easier than levelling slabs.