Rookie building a base for a shed. Help pls

[gogojuice]

I'm not a builder by any means. I recognize it is not my strong suit. So I have a 12 x 32 shed coming to the property pre built.

I need to prepare the base. I have a Kubota bx2670 with FEL and box blade.

I have heard different things on how to prepare the base.
I live in Ontario Canada.

My thoughts were to make the base approx 14 x 34. I would take out about 6 inches of dirt and then bring it back up to ground level with (A gravel... I think)?

Do I need to tamp it down, use different gravel, go deeper etc..

Thanks

 

[Red Horse]

IMO, assuming you are not going to have any utilities -like water pipe-connected to it, you have no worries about frost heaving. As such, I would strip the loam out-including a couple of feet beyond the 12 x 32 area, replace it with good bank run gravel and then depending on how the deck is framed- 2 x 6? 2 x 8 ? etc put solid 4" concrete blocks on the 4 corners and at least every 4'-6' along perimeter. If you are really going to have a high floor load, also down the middle.

Any compaction you can provide is good. In particular even if you hand tamp with a sledge the footprint of the blocks Also just make sure you have no ground contact with the floor framing unless you want to address rot issues in the future.

 

[gogojuice]

So the shed sits on 6x6's running the length of the shed.
There are multiple ones. It is strong enough that I can put my tractor, quads and lawn / snow equipment in it without having to worry. The floor should be off the ground with the 6x6 underneath.

There wont be any utilities in the beginning. I may run an electrical line out there at some point in the future.

Red.. Don't know if that helps at all?

 

[Red Horse]

So the shed sits on 6x6's running the length of the shed.
There are multiple ones. It is strong enough that I can put my tractor, quads and lawn / snow equipment in it without having to worry. The floor should be off the ground with the 6x6 underneath.

There wont be any utilities in the beginning. I may run an electrical line out there at some point in the future.

Red.. Don't know if that helps at all?

GoGo
So the 6 x 6's are in addition to rim joists and floor joists? Assuming they are pressure treated that is good. If they are not pressure treated, for sure you want them sitting on concrete Blocks IMO so there is no ground contact.

 

[bigtiller]

Aren't portable sheds like this designed to sit on the ground? I would think the 6x6 runners sitting on a gravel bed would be good enough.

 

[gogojuice]

Yes, they are designed to sit on the ground. Can I just dump the gravel into the hole I made. Is 6 inch enough? Is there a formula for how deep I should go?

Sorry guys.. this might seems pretty basic... but I haven't done this before. I also think paying someone $1500 so they can bring there tractor in doesn't make sense if I have one. Yes mine might not be as big.. but it should work.

 

[Mendonsy]

It all depends on what is underneath the gravel. As long as the area is dry and the soil underneath is stable a 6" gravel base should be fine. You do want to compact it as much as possible when leveling the area.

 

[gogojuice]

Thanks,

How should I compact it. Should I go get one of those tampers from the rentall place? Drive my tractor over it?

 

[kirkawilson]

A Storage Shed Foundation That Is Easy To Build

 

[Avery11]

If your soil is undisturbed, leave it that way. Don't chew it up with your tractor. If you have sod, remove it first. With no concrete foundation, you want your shed above grade.

Add 3 to 4 inches of hardpack, bankrun, gravel, whatever they call it where you are, and lock it with a plate compactor. Dampen the dust in the gravel if it is dry, and compact no more than 2 inches at a time.

Next add at least 3 inches of 1.5 to 2 inch stone (4 inches is better). You can lay your 6x6's directly on this stone but it needs to be graded as level plane as possible. An easier way is to use solid CMU (concrete masonry unit) blocks every every 4 feet (3 feet is better) which you can level individually with a torpedo level and then from block to block with a 4 or 6 foot beam level.

If you plan to only extend 1 foot around the perimeter of the building, use timbers or blocking to hold the stone/gravel bed.

The key here is to leave the existing soil undisturbed, allow for drainage, provide a level plane bearing surface, and allow air to circulate under the building.

Your shed will last your lifetime but you MUST start with a proper foundation. Don't skimp. Its going to be a good bit of work but well worth it in the long run.