I am considering an 8'X12' wooden storage shed kit. What I need to
know is should I have a concrete foundation poured or is there a less
expensive way that would provide adequate support for the building?
The building itself weighs 1092 lbs. One thing I thought of would be
to level a spot, spread some sand and place 24" square concrete blocks
on it. I think they are about 2" thick. Any thoughts, ideas,
suggestions?

Thanks,
Wally

(Wally) wrote:

I am considering an 8'X12' wooden storage shed kit. What I need to
know is should I have a concrete foundation poured or is there a less
expensive way that would provide adequate support for the building?

It all depends on where you live. The foundation, whatever it is must
go down below the frost line, or it will heave in the winter.

I used maybe 10 of the construction blocks on dirt. It is fine, you re
not supporting that much weight. You may want to bury some heavy screen
and affix it to the structure to keep critters out.

"Wally" wrote in message
om...
I am considering an 8'X12' wooden storage shed kit. What I need to
know is should I have a concrete foundation poured or is there a less
expensive way that would provide adequate support for the building?
The building itself weighs 1092 lbs. One thing I thought of would be
to level a spot, spread some sand and place 24" square concrete blocks
on it. I think they are about 2" thick. Any thoughts, ideas,
suggestions?

Thanks,
Wally

It depends on your local building code. I live out in the county with no
codes for storage sheds, I've put up 2 sheds in the last 10 years & put them
on treated wood foundations & they both look as good as the day I put them
up.

Wally wrote:
I am considering an 8'X12' wooden storage shed kit. What I need to
know is should I have a concrete foundation poured or is there a less
expensive way that would provide adequate support for the building?
The building itself weighs 1092 lbs. One thing I thought of would be
to level a spot, spread some sand and place 24" square concrete blocks
on it. I think they are about 2" thick. Any thoughts, ideas,
suggestions?


Couldn't you just treat it like a deck, and sink footers?



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN


http://www.mortimerschnerd.com

John Hines wrote:
(Wally) wrote:


I am considering an 8'X12' wooden storage shed kit. What I need to
know is should I have a concrete foundation poured or is there a less
expensive way that would provide adequate support for the building?


It all depends on where you live. The foundation, whatever it is must
go down below the frost line, or it will heave in the winter.

?!

In the Chicago area, that would mean a foundation slab 40" thick! Not
even interstate highways need that kind of meat!

On 8 Mar 2004 09:21:09 -0800, (Wally) wrote:

I am considering an 8'X12' wooden storage shed kit. What I need to
know is should I have a concrete foundation poured or is there a less
expensive way that would provide adequate support for the building?
The building itself weighs 1092 lbs. One thing I thought of would be
to level a spot, spread some sand and place 24" square concrete blocks
on it. I think they are about 2" thick. Any thoughts, ideas,
suggestions?

Thanks,
Wally

Hey Wally,

8x12 is a nice shed, I've got one. I put it on concrete blocks 9
years ago, in the Northeast with lots of snow & long winter, never had
'heave' to worry about. I leveled the blocks and put 'em at the
corners and every 2 feet between, but didn't do any site prep (like
sand, wire mesh, or anything else). Can't remember if I put any
blocks in the center, I think I just placed em under the 4 sides.
It's still there, and it's still keeping things covered and dry.
Should be OK as long as you're not planning to park a tractor in it.
Mine handles snow blower/lawn mower/etc. And if you're not planning
on any electricity or plumbing in it, I'd bet code doesn't even come
into play for most towns because it's under 100 square feet and can't
be occupied as living space. Might not even need to get reported as a
tax assessable outbuilding for some of the same reasons.

Only problem I've had is the mice love it, so every spring I move
everything out and "liberate" them.

Dr M.

Robert Barr wrote:



John Hines wrote:
(Wally) wrote:


I am considering an 8'X12' wooden storage shed kit. What I need to
know is should I have a concrete foundation poured or is there a less
expensive way that would provide adequate support for the building?


It all depends on where you live. The foundation, whatever it is must
go down below the frost line, or it will heave in the winter.

?!

Yep

In the Chicago area, that would mean a foundation slab 40" thick! Not
even interstate highways need that kind of meat!

Can you say "footing?", if you want a slab that doesn't move, you have
to put some footings around it, to hold it in place. Yes, you go down
at least three feet for a typical 6" slab.

4 years ago I built a 12' x 16' shed on three 6" x 8" pressure treated
sleepers, one along each edge and one down the center. Just leveled
the sleepers right on the existing ground before I framed the floor
and it's been solid and level ever since.

You didnt mention if you shed kit comes with a floor or not some do not.
If it does just level 4 solid cinder blocks at each corner and one in the midde
of all sides. There is no need for footings for a shed. If you bought a prefab
from Home Depot they set it on bricks that't It. If your kit has no floor you
can fraicate one out of pressure treated lumber. I would use a minimum of 2X6's
16 in on center and place this platform on solid cinder blocks. Lets not go
crazy here. It will last longer then you will!

I have an 8x14 Amish built wooden shed. At the suggestion of the Amish guy
I bought it from, I made a 9x15 "box" out of pressure treated lumber and
filled the inside with a few inches of 3/4" construction stone and leveled
the stone.

Then they came with the shed on a trailer (pulled by a truck, not horse and
buggy!) and set it right inside my box on the stone. That was about 5 years
ago, and it's been OK.

"Wally" wrote in message
om...
I am considering an 8'X12' wooden storage shed kit. What I need to
know is should I have a concrete foundation poured or is there a less
expensive way that would provide adequate support for the building?
The building itself weighs 1092 lbs. One thing I thought of would be
to level a spot, spread some sand and place 24" square concrete blocks
on it. I think they are about 2" thick. Any thoughts, ideas,
suggestions?

Thanks,
Wally

Call the permit dept - your city.. You may not need anything major
most areas dont for small structures.

(Wally) wrote in
om:

I am considering an 8'X12' wooden storage shed kit. What I need to
know is should I have a concrete foundation poured or is there a less
expensive way that would provide adequate support for the building?
The building itself weighs 1092 lbs. One thing I thought of would be
to level a spot, spread some sand and place 24" square concrete blocks
on it. I think they are about 2" thick. Any thoughts, ideas,
suggestions?

Thanks,
Wally

Some places,any foundation other than sitting on cement blocks makes it a
permanent building,for which you need construction permits,approvals,etc.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik-at-kua.net

You don't need a solid foundation. You need to get some information from
the manufacturer as what kind of support it needs. Usually all you would
need would be a number of pier blocks. It could be done with as few as four
blocks. It depends on how the shed is built. The floor joists should be
strong enough to support the shed with just a few strategically placed
blocks. The hard part is that they need to be level with one another and
set in firm soil. I use a flat nosed shovel to scrape down to solid dirt
and then set the lowest corner. The others are set level with it. Good
luck.

Something I have seen done locally.

- dig post holes below frost
- put in concrete foot, loose or sono-tube, into holes
- use pressure treated wood posts (4X4) to get above ground level
- backfill and tamp hole area after the concrete sets
- put sills on the top of your posts and add your building

Mike

On Mon, 8 Mar 2004 12:28:12 -0600, "Patch"
wrote:


"Wally" wrote in message
. com...
I am considering an 8'X12' wooden storage shed kit. What I need to
know is should I have a concrete foundation poured or is there a less
expensive way that would provide adequate support for the building?
The building itself weighs 1092 lbs. One thing I thought of would be
to level a spot, spread some sand and place 24" square concrete blocks
on it. I think they are about 2" thick. Any thoughts, ideas,
suggestions?

Thanks,
Wally

It depends on your local building code. I live out in the county with no
codes for storage sheds, I've put up 2 sheds in the last 10 years & put them
on treated wood foundations & they both look as good as the day I put them
up.

I have one 8x8 shed 4 inches above ground for underneath airflow to
prevent rot and water damage. It is on 9 concrete blocks 3 on each side
3 down the middle. Moisture will be trapped if you put it at grade. I
go to - 15f it is normal here to raise them on concrete blocks here.
Blocks are on dirt.

On Wed, 20 Oct 2004 13:04:58 GMT, (Boatman) wrote:

Something I have seen done locally.

- dig post holes below frost
- put in concrete foot, loose or sono-tube, into holes
- use pressure treated wood posts (4X4) to get above ground level
- backfill and tamp hole area after the concrete sets
- put sills on the top of your posts and add your building

Mike

On Mon, 8 Mar 2004 12:28:12 -0600, "Patch"
wrote:


"Wally" wrote in message
.com...
I am considering an 8'X12' wooden storage shed kit. What I need to
know is should I have a concrete foundation poured or is there a less
expensive way that would provide adequate support for the building?
The building itself weighs 1092 lbs. One thing I thought of would be
to level a spot, spread some sand and place 24" square concrete blocks
on it. I think they are about 2" thick. Any thoughts, ideas,
suggestions?

Thanks,
Wally

It depends on your local building code. I live out in the county with no
codes for storage sheds, I've put up 2 sheds in the last 10 years & put them
on treated wood foundations & they both look as good as the day I put them
up.


Generally speaking, building code wouldn't even apply to a storage
shed of this size. Building code kicks in at 200 sq. ft., sometimes
locally modified down to 120 sq. ft. So long as you anchor it down so
that it doesn't land on your neighbors house in a wind storm it
should'nt be a problem.

Dan

"Dan" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 20 Oct 2004 13:04:58 GMT, (Boatman) wrote:

(snip)
And has been noted on here several times, as well as by people I know in
real life, check with your tax office first. In many areas, if it is on
gravel and concrete or wood sleepers, it counts as a temporary building, and
doesn't affect property taxes. But if you put the otherwise identical shed
on a concrete slab or in-ground pilings on footers, it is a permanent
addition, and will jack your property taxes. It may take 20 years for
assessor to notice (unless permit office and tax office talk to each other),
but it will eventually come up.

aem sends...