Will my 8'x8' shed blow over in the wind?

[sixdogs]

Will my 8' x 8' shed blow over in high winds? How much wind would it take to blow it over?

I live on flat ground and recently cut down a couple of bushy cedar trees on the wind side of it that I felt offered protection. The shed is pretty light and I wonder if I should put four earth anchors on the corners and cable it down? Anyone have experience with this or know about it?

The wind would hit the shed sideways and towards the back left side/corner in the photo.

 

[Jrasband]

I doubt it would blow it over unless you have a tornado or something crazy. Keeping the door closed will help by keeping the wind out(so it doesn't sail). If you want to put anchors in for peace of mind that's a good idea.

 

[oldnslo]

I have a similar size building that is not anchored and the wind hasn’t moved it yet.

 

[Roadworthy]

I think my shed is 8 X 14 with no protection from north or south winds (the worst here). It has an OSB floor with "stuff" on it. We have winds up to forty or fifty miles an hour. After twenty years or so the roof is shingles are starting to go away - needs a new roof - but the building itself hasn't moved. Corner anchors may be a good idea but are probably unnecessary.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Years ago, I lost a 12' X 12' steel shed to the wind. It lasted almost 10 years before a squall with 50mph wind gusts took it out. I had it screwed to a treated wood platform that was anchored to the ground. The force of the wind just ripped the screws out, leaving the base intact.

Much lighter than yours though, so it might not be a fair comparison.

 

[2manyrocks]

The guy who moved my sheds said that wood sheds are heavier than metal ones.

Could also depend on the weight of what is stored inside.

 

[Blue Mule]

Will my 8' x 8' shed blow over in high winds? How much wind would it take to blow it over?

I live on flat ground and recently cut down a couple of bushy cedar trees on the wind side of it that I felt offered protection. The shed is pretty light and I wonder if I should put four earth anchors on the corners and cable it down? Anyone have experience with this or know about it?

The wind would hit the shed sideways and towards the back left side/corner in the photo.

View attachment 2676843

Let me give you some advice. Secure that thing to the ground, and secure it well.

Two years ago next month we had a weather system come through with high wind. Not t-storms, just high wind due to the pressure gradient. I had a 10x20 chain link dog kennel with a home made tin roof on it sitting out in the field behind my house. It had been there for 6 years with zero problems. Well, the March 2023 wind we had got so fierce that at one moment I looked out the back window of the house and my 10x20 dog kennel was airborne. It eventually came back down onto the ground and left gouges in the soil, then went into a barrel roll and took out a 7' Poplar tree, a farm fence, bounced off our detatched garage, went down hill and hit my 2 week old enclosed trailer, then hit the neighbor's farm fence before falling into multiple pieces. Total damage was around $10,000.

When I got the insurance check, I rebuilt the dog kennel by using 4" posts cemented into the ground all the way around, then framed the roof and put PLASTIC roofing on instead of tin. Never going to let that happen again.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

My dad bought one of those do it your self metal sheds. Put it up one weekend. Within two weeks it was rolling down the hill. We should have anchored that down. Even then I believe it would have been flattened. We get some pretty sever shear winds around here. Usually in late spring/early summer. I have since anchored everything down that sticks above ground.

 

[ponytug]

@sixdogs Another vote for anchoring it down, and I would put a few 3 1/2 screws and straps to hold the walls to the roof to the floor.

I think that there will always be a storm with 50+mph winds. The blizzard of '78 put 100+mph winds through downtown Cleveland.

All the best,

Peter

 

[sixdogs]

Thank you for all the good advice. I will put extra screws into the building as suggested and might look for a more protected place to put the shed as well.

If I leave it where it is, I will cable it down but need to have an electric line verified first.

After all the comments, I think metal sheds need to be tied down unless really protected from the wind. Lighter wood sheds it's 50-50 so worth the extra effort to tie to the ground. A heavy shed should stay put.

 

[MH8675309]

I've seen larger structures than this get flipped. Anchoring now will save you from aggravation and regret later. I've always built on posts 42" down and we've had horrendous winds at times but everything has stayed put

 

[Oaktree]

When I got the insurance check, I rebuilt the dog kennel by using 4" posts cemented into the ground all the way around, then framed the roof and put PLASTIC roofing on instead of tin. Never going to let that happen again.

Not sure what you mean by plastic roofing...are you referring to the corrugated stuff? Never had very good luck with that myself.
ISTM UV would weaken that roof rather quickly given that you're in the south where the sun is strong.

 

[MH8675309]

"ISTM UV would weaken that roof rather quickly given that you're in the south where the sun is strong." - Agree -
My ridge cap was the clear plastic and while it let in alot of sunlight it was only about 6 years old before it started to leak. My Amish neighbor that builds pole barns told me that they are great until they start leaking - generally about 5 years.

 

[sixdogs]

I've seen larger structures than this get flipped. Anchoring now will save you from aggravation and regret later. I've always built on posts 42" down and we've had horrendous winds at times but everything has stayed put

This shed is on skids. I planned to get four of the 24" screw-in earth anchors and hold down to the ends of the skids. It's pretty hard to pull one of the anchors out. What do you think?

 

[MH8675309]

This shed is on skids. I planned to get four of the 24" screw-in earth anchors and hold down to the ends of the skids. It's pretty hard to pull one of the anchors out. What do you think?

Those are good - they can be tough to get in but they are pretty good. Anything you can do to hold it down is better than just trusting gravity to do it. Good luck with it

 

[bdhsfz6]

Here's what they have to do on Mt Washington in NH.

"Will They Believe It?": The Story of Big Wind Day - Mount Washington Observatory

“Will They Believe It?”: The Story of Big Wind Day 2017-04-12 09:30:46.000 – Mike Carmon, Senior Weather Observer & Education Specialist “Will they believe it?” – Weather Observer Sal […]

mountwashington.org

 

[RobertEH]

I used these on a lean to. They go in pretty easy and I feel they will hold it well. downside is you cannot remove them easily once they are pounded in.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CRD29ZS8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Blue Mule]

Not sure what you mean by plastic roofing...are you referring to the corrugated stuff? Never had very good luck with that myself.
ISTM UV would weaken that roof rather quickly given that you're in the south where the sun is strong.

Yes, corrugated plastic. Reason being if it blows off it won't damage any other properties. So far it's baked in the summer sun for two years with no issues. We'll see....