ideas how to raise small 12 x 20 shed

[SPIKER]

hi all:

I need some advice pretty quick, I have my farm I've been working on and I have several small sheds/storage barns. most are raised and have floors of boards. One is set on the ground (actually rocks/dirt & a couple old mobile home pads.) I need toput some concrete in there fast so I have a good floor to store home furnishings in there as I just unexpectadly got a good offer on my old house which I have a bunch of belongings in it that I need to move. I don't want to put them into a rented storage space as I HATE moving and this shed is just about empty except for some old lawn furniture.

The shed is probably 12 x 16 or so and is setting on landscape type timbers. with a doubble door on the 12' side. last fall I had to jack up the door end & pull the side back in as the timber slid off the old peir which let the door sag & side wall slip about 2" out to the side. It is pretty good shape other than the floor which gets wet and holds the water.

klooking at laying a moisture barrier down, putting 3" slab under it but am not 100% sure best way to JACK it up & hold it up while I mix & pour the crete. which is something I haven'y doen ever before either!


any advice would be thanked. got to get her up soon. as next week I get my gall bladder out and will be out of commision for 3~4 weeks & looking at haveing the house gone by 1st of oct.

mark M

 

[bones1]

If it's just temporary use some pallets on cinderblocks and plastic to keep stuff dry until you have time for concrete.

 

[Timber]

To be honest I would recommend looking into Pods. Basically there like an overseas container but the company has special trucks that transport them wherever you want. This is how it works you have a pod dropped at your house for a week or what ever, You load it they pick it up and truck it to your new place and use it for as long as you need to. I'll dig up the link for you. It doesn't sound like you have the time to do what you want
PODS
Give them a call and tell them what you need to do but check out this option ASAP because they will have to locate an available Pod. If you wait till the last minute to explore this option you might be out of luck

 

[CharlieTR]

Not sure I understand the need to raise the building.
Is that because of the wood floor?

I take it these are not pole barns.
Is it possible to just drag the barn with a tractor and drag it back when done?

 

[SPIKER]

charlie: the wood floored ones are not getting raised, the one which is dirt floor will. the walls are setting on concrete peirs which orriginally had an old mobile home setting on top of it. I think there are only 4 peirs under it at the corners. the rest is creek run gravel dumped on topsoil under shallow layer maybe 1~2" mixed with a sand/clay /silt which is very hard. but also has old grass stuff that fell off the old mowers, (was/is a mower shead) but those are in the pole barn now.

it has 2nd level storage maybe 5' to peek. not best constructed. reason to raise it, is so slab can be poured under the shed and set shed back down & anchor to slab.

(edit in) cant drag this thing as the walls are just held in place by the weight of the shed. nothing tieing the shed together from wall to wall... I didn't see anything holding the shed to ground such as re-bar either..

end edit

PODS idea is good but anyone know $ per month or?

thanks for replay so far. I got to go to work (hate night shift) will check tomarrow

mark M

 

[schmism]

you can also rent a shipping container (they use them for stoarge up at my office all the time for overstock warehouse crap)

i second the pallets on the ground with plastic.

i built a 6x6x8'tall shed lean 2 off the back of my garage over a weekend for about $300. ive packed a BUNCH of stuff in it in prep for listing our house. (ie pack up the junk and get it out of the house)

 

[dirtworksequip]

I would be worried about mice eating up my stuff. Go with the pod.

 

[stumpfield]

Here's my suggestion. Get 2 or 3 14' long 6x8 beam (or equivalent steel I beam) and slide them under the pier. Put across the 12' side so you have at least 1' sticking out on each side and try to align with the wall stud or something solid. Nail or screw the sill plate to the beam and re-enforce as neccessary (screw a piece of plywood to tie 2 or 3 studs together to distribute the load) Jack it up slowly... 1 inch at a time with bottle jacks (if there's room or use farm jacks). The 12 x 16 shed can't be too heavy. ...or watch Mega Mover on the history channel

 

[Defective]

If you're not looking for fancy, you could just clear out the gravel & pour the floor without lifting the shed. You either said it's on landscape timbers or on old piers, it's not clear which. If it's on concrete pier blocks, you can dig around the outside & pour right under the walls. (just let the piers become part of the slab.)

If you go with the slab under the walls you can jack it up enough to caulk the sill after the slab is cured.

 

[SPIKER]

lots of good ideas so far, the pods & renting a container is cost wise higher than putting a floor under and or in the shed. since it is pretty much empty anyhow I think I will be putting down treated T & G skirting 2x6" as a floor, still Jacking it up wnough to slide them under from the side.

the piers are almost below grade slightly and the rock/gravel/sand mix is ground level and the landscape timbers (half rounded and flat top & bottom 2x4 type things the ones that seem to rot after inground a few years.) are setting on the piers but also on the ground.

so far I think plan is to make a solid floor using the treated skirting boards, I have 6 or 8 - 20' ones left over from my barn.

1. screw/nail on some 2x6 to inside of barn walls.
2. farm jack up sides 4~6"
3. use sand inside to cover floor area 1" thick
4. go heavy on bug dust & use some borax based soap too to cover sand mix for bugs.
5. lay heavy plastic
6. put down & pull tight the T & G boards.
7. set shed back down & secure to floor perhaps removing those probably 1/2 rotted landscape timbers. and adding new sill plate of treated 2x4s
8. open something & drink untill back quicts aching

Mark M