Shed bases

[daiking]

On 2017-7-18 at 19:27, daiking said:

If I was looking and I'm not, but this isn't that far away and I've a mate near there who would help me to load it in the car.

 

This seems on the cheap for a £800 when new compactor.

No comment on this used Belle Wacker?

[Onoff]

25 minutes ago, daiking said:

No comment on this used Belle Wacker?

 

Surely if you're buying / selling second hand then half price is a psychological figure, think of the HALF PRICE SALE banners you see everywhere. Pitch slightly under and you immediately go "Ooh, it's less that half price!"

 

Ask to see one running I'd say. Ideally take someone who knows what they're looking at.

 

More to the point can you lift it in your condition? And don't forget you'll need a shed to store it in!

[daiking]

Having decided that I’d rather do this in the middle of winter than the summer...

 

the ground isnt level, it gently slopes toward the brook at the bottom of the garden and I don’t really have anywhere for the spoil at the moment. 

 

I wonder whether its reasonable to create a timber base frame, 8’x6’ (400mm ctrs) and then raise it off the ground with 6 short 100mmx100mm posts, post-creted in?

 

6 holes dug, drop the frame on, prop it level just off the ground, then fill the holes with post Crete.

 

how does that sound?

 

question, how do you stop wildlife getting under the frame?

[Ferdinand]

45 minutes ago, daiking said:

question, how do you stop wildlife getting under the frame?

 

Imo you either make it impossible for them to get under eg slab, sharp gravel, or wire the ground; and have no gap. Or perhaps box it in for storage. Or you make it big enough that you can get them out easily with eg a power hose, and it does not feel like shelter.

Edited December 28, 2017 by Ferdinand

[PeterW]

We did one similar to what you describe and set old pavers on their edges about 10” into the ground. Nothing could get under it and it looked ok too as we used up broken ones with just the good edges showing. 

[daiking]

I was thinking its just the same principle as decking. Maybe I should use some decking boards for the floor too instead of a double layer of thin OSB2.

 

spent the day re-assembling the kids playhouse which meant also re-felting the roof.

 

and we’ve shifted 2 FIBCs off cheap bark that we’re sat where the shed needs to go.

[daiking]

How to dry out a shed?

 

My shed components are damp/wet and the floor - old scaffold boards - have been in the garden uncovered for years. Fair to say they’re soaked. I anticipate the shed will be watertight but nowhere near airtight. It’s needs a new roof covering which will be EPDM when the weather improves. 

 

without a purpose built shed heating device, I am tempted to light the bbq and leave it is the shed overnight for several nights to kickstart the drying process before using it. Of course I won’t burn it down, it’s far too wet to burn...

 

any obvious ideas I’m missing?

[ProDave]

I know somebody that put the BBQ next to the shed after use. An hour or so later his shed was on fire.

 

Old wet scaffold boards are likely to be rotten. I lost about 20 of mine to rot because I stored them badly. Unlikely to be a long term solid base.

[daiking]

15 minutes ago, ProDave said:

I know somebody that put the BBQ next to the shed after use. An hour or so later his shed was on fire.

 

Old wet scaffold boards are likely to be rotten. I lost about 20 of mine to rot because I stored them badly. Unlikely to be a long term solid base.

 

Some of the boards have rotten sections that I won’t be using but think there’s enough meat in the others to work over 400mm centres on a timber frame base once they’re dried out a bit.

 

[daiking]

I just don’t think a low watt tube heater would do the job as this need drying effort not keeping a chill off. Dehumidifier would be more appropriate but £££

[ProDave]

Once they have dried out, I would treat them with some wood preservative, as it's a shed and smell may no be an issue I would use creosote or something similar that soaks in a long way.

[Onoff]

Draughts are good for wet wood!  A covered stack with spacers in between is how they season wood without / before a kiln.

 

 

Make that shed airtight and it it'll rot and go mouldy quicker than a quick thing........unless you plan fitting MVHR!

 

If you use the wet boards make sure you screw where you can get them out again. If that wet you can probably afford to butt them up tight. When they dry out once covered you'll hopefully have a shrink gap that's not enormous.

Edited January 12, 2018 by Onoff

[daiking]

I am making Onoff magnitude increments of progression here. I had a 8’x6’ picture frame concreted into the ground at the start of the weekend and I now have a floor structure with joists and noggins and the scaffold board flooring sized ready for screwing down.

 

TRADA tells me that 4”x2” is ok for a 6’ span. Well, maybe if I was using proper joist hangers... but once fully ’nogged’ it’s fine. Will be solid with the boards on top.

 

Only fly in the ointment is that this nominal 8’x6’ shed is bigger than that so I need an extra 2-3” of floor width than the anticipated 8 board widths. So I’m going have a fashion some sort of fence arrangement to trim slices off another board for filling one or more gaps.

 

so far this has cost about £50 for wood (10 x 2.5m C16 green treated 4x2 + 2.4m of 4x4 fence post), 6 bags of postcrete, approx £27 and small heavy duty brackets, £12 and some landscape fabric, £15. I have rooted round for fasteners from my stash, some 100mm screws I won’t use elsewhere and a box of clearance SS wood screws which helps a little. Saves money but also means 0.00032m2 less stuff to store in the shed when it’s finally built. 

 

A new new roof will be the budget buster but I’d don’t think I’ll be doing that for a bit. The galvanised ridges salvaged off the old garage will cover the gap in the roof for a few months.

[Tennentslager]

Top job old fruit, let's see a nice photo then... before the snow starts

[Roger440]

On 17/07/2017 at 21:06, Barney12 said:

 

I have a petrol Evo. Is it rubbish? Well it depends on what you are comparing it against:

 

Is it as good as a hired heavy duty plate vibrator? No. Not even close. 

Is it capable of being lifted by one man? Yes.

Is it much, much more efficient than hand wacking? Yes and more yes. 

Would I use it to prep a very large area? No.

Is it good enough for shed bases, paths etc? Yes. 

 

Mine lives in the shed shed with a variety of other "stuff" and I find it useful. 

 

If buying again gain I think I'd look out for a second hand Belle unit. As @ProDave said it will likely get its money back again when you come to sell it. 

Everything Barney said

 

I have the same.

[daiking]

17 minutes ago, Tennentslager said:

Top job old fruit, let's see a nice photo then... before the snow starts

 

We don’t get snow down here. Too warm with all the Chelsea tractor fumes.

 

theres really not much to see till the shed goes on. By the sixth bag of postcrete I’d worked out how to do it, I.e. just leave it alone.  It is a far more accurate construction than some studwork I had to do in the house...

[Tennentslager]

Yup, that's the way to do it...

 

[Onoff]

Job done. 

[daiking]

Finally up and part filled. Needs re-roofing but that can wait. I’ll give a paint/treatment at some stage sooner...

 

I’ll clear the house of tools next time it’s light and dry and I’m around. Just hope I can fit a cement mixer down the gap...

Edited January 28, 2018 by daiking

[daiking]

The ridge of the felt was just cut whenever the shed was originally taken down at some point in distant history, the steel ridge pieces from the demolished garage are having some additional use and why the thing needs re-roofing. 

 

I did have enough felt to re roof this but had to use some on the playhouse (that I have now roofed twice in 2 years ?). 6m of felt is no longer enough so I might just get a piece of worm and do it that way. One for warmer drier weather and extra help anyway.

 

could do with some warmer drier weather to dry the whole thing out. I’m not going to bbq it as it stands but might run the portable gas ring in it for a bit whilst I’m working around in future. 

[Onoff]

Expensive but I used lorry siding to redo the tree house roof. £80 for this bit:

 

 

And I've done f.all else since I put it on!

[daiking]

7 minutes ago, Onoff said:

Expensive but I used lorry siding to redo the tree house roof. £80 for this bit:

 

 

And I've done f.all else since I put it on!

Lol, that’s a bit bright.

 

im also going to board off the front of the playhouse to not see the kids toys and junk from the house...

Edited January 28, 2018 by daiking

[ProDave]

I would never ever ever use "roofing felt" for a shed roof again. Miserable product with a very short life before it starts leaking.

 

Corrugated bitumen impregnated solid panels is my choice of shed roof now.

 

[Onoff]

Must admit I've used the corrugated bitumen panels (from Wickes) on a garage, even putting extra cross supports in and they were utter shite and then some. Washing up bowl size depressions formed between the supports and it just collapsed like wet carboard. BiL did the same with green ones on his workshop and it failed on there too.

[ProDave]

My wood shed at the old house has those (from B&Q perhaps theirs are better?) and after nearly 10 years they are still fine (outlived the roof felt on the other shed) with no sag.

 

Supported horizontally every 2ft.