How To Build A Shed Base
When it comes to putting up a shed, building and laying the shed base is arguably the most important part of the process. Without a strong and level base, the overall structure of the shed will be unstable and can even start to pull apart over time, leading to heavy damages and a potentially high repair cost! When built on an appropriate base, our shiplap and tongue and groove sheds have life expectancies of at least 10 and 15 years respectively thanks to their anti-rot guarantees.
We offer timber shed bases for both overlap and shiplap sheds, as well as a wide range of paving slabs that can also be used as an alternative to concrete.
WHERE NOT TO LAY A SHED BASE
Before we get into how to build a shed base, we will go through some examples of bases that would not be suitable for supporting a shed:
- A flat layer of soil – as the soil gets wetter and softer from continuous rainfall, the shed will slowly start to sink over time, which is usually not distributed evenly across the area of the shed
- A flat layer of gravel – similarly to soil, gravel alone is not solid enough to support the weight of most sheds, gravel can be used however in conjunction with timber beams that keep it locked in place
- Broken slabs or slabs with no cement filled gaps – whenever there are gaps between slabs, there is room for potential movement which would create an unstable base for a shed
HOW TO MAKE A SHED BASE
Whilst there are a wide variety of shed base options, in this guide we’ll cover what we think are two of the most popular and most suitable choices that can be applied to most sheds. These two options vary in cost and skill or equipment required to create so we hope that there will be an option that suits you!
HOW TO BUILD A TIMBER SHED BASE
Timber shed bases can be installed on concrete, slabs and even grass or soil, but it is highly recommended that you use heavy duty weed membranes for the latter. Before beginning to build a timber shed base, ensuring you have the following tools and equipment: spirit level, drill, pencil, hammer and tape measure. Note: only follow steps 6 & 7 if you are installing the shed base on grass or soil.
- To begin, lay out all of the beams of timber to roughly mimic the final structure of how you want them to all fit together, the beams in the centre should be evenly spread within the bordering beams.
- Take your pencil and mark the outer side of the four outer beams where the cross bearing beams will connect to them on the other side.
- Pre-drill holes where you have made your pencil markings.
- Fasten your screws into the pre-drilled holes in order to bring the framework together.
- If necessary, move the timber structure you have just created to the area you would like your shed to be.
- Take the stakes provided and hammer them into the ground at various points (start with the corners) and stop when the top of them is level with the top of the shed base.
- Fix the timber beams of the shed base to the stakes, whilst ensuring that the base remains level with your spirit level.
HOW TO BUILD A PAVING SLAB BASE
When building a base with paving slabs, it is no different to paving any other part of your property, so you can follow our helpful guide on how to lay paving slabs.
If you need any further assistance when it comes to building a shed base, please don’t hesitate to give our friendly team a call or email!