foundation for sheds, questions
 

I have decided to go with one of those plastic/resin 8x8 sheds. These
came with a resin flooring already.

My question is preping the area and the foundation. I originally
thought about having concrete poured but it is too much money /
possible property tax complications.

It is going to rest on the soil that was previously lawn, I'm in CA
and pretty much our soil is sort of like clay like consistency

My plan is as follows
1) remove all grass, and sprinkler below the area
2) tampe with a shovel or rental tamper to try to get it pretty much
level and compacted.
3) apply roundup or some vegetation killer
4) apply weed block cloth just in case..

5) foundation: using 2"x8"x2H"? concrete blocks or those concrete
stepping blocks typically used for lawn/garden I will lay out the area
with it. I'm thinking of using the stepping blocks because it will
require alot less pieces. What else could i use? bricks?

6) assemble shed on top on this "foundation"

In the relatively dry climate and a resin shed I think it will work?
Let me know if I need a leveling sand or something in between or some
kind of cement to hold the bricks together. just for reference my
friend has put the same shed on just the dirt in his backyard and the
only problem he had is he didn't level it quite perfectly and the door
alignment is slightly crooked, that is what I hope to solve with the
concrete blocks.

Also, I wanted to know is it a bad idea to put the shed against the
fence between me and my neighbor. If the fence needs
servicing/replacement, how much room do I leave between the shed and
the fence?

On 17 Feb 2005 17:17:08 -0800, someone wrote:

I have decided to go with one of those plastic/resin 8x8 sheds. These
came with a resin flooring already.

My question is preping the area and the foundation. I originally
thought about having concrete poured but it is too much money /
possible property tax complications.

Sheesh, even if "they" noticed and assessed it, just how much would
the tax be on an 8x8 pad anyhhooo??

I live in a totally different area (with a much more severe climate)
and around here, it is common to build a curb of pressure treated
timber (about a foot bigger than the shed all around), fill that with
gravel, and put the shed in there.

Homeowners also sometimes build a (shed-sized) perimeter of pressure
treated, and set the shed directly on that. It is not clear to me if
your resin floor can clear span the full 8 feet - if you went the 2nd
way, would you need another timber running up the middle perhaps?


Reply to NG only - this e.mail address goes to a kill file.

Another alternative is to pour gravel in the general area of the shed, lay
down some 4 x4 pressure treated timbers, and place the shed on that.


The timbers keep the shed off the ground, allow for ventilation, and help
keep it dry, along with the gravel.


--James--

"v" wrote in message
...
On 17 Feb 2005 17:17:08 -0800, someone wrote:

I have decided to go with one of those plastic/resin 8x8 sheds. These
came with a resin flooring already.

My question is preping the area and the foundation. I originally
thought about having concrete poured but it is too much money /
possible property tax complications.

Sheesh, even if "they" noticed and assessed it, just how much would
the tax be on an 8x8 pad anyhhooo??

The tax question applies around here, too. The assumption is that a concrete
pad makes it a 'permanent structure', subject to a higher tax rate. (No idea
if they check if it is actually fastened down.) You can pave all the pads
you want, if nothing that looks like a building is sitting on them. (Pretty
common around here in back yards of long skinny lots in rural frontage
subdivisions, as a place to park the RV. Sometimes they put up a sideless
pole barn over the pad, to keep the snow off. Guess that doesn't count as a
structure either.)

aem sends...