Prepare Yourself, Popeye!
Aug 31st, 2009 by Shari
Every year, thousands of people are discovering that sheds are good for a lot more than just storage. Furthermore, because we offer them in so many attractive designs, with tons of features, including various kinds of flooring, walls, and windows, steel doors, cupolas, lofts, vents, skylights, shutters, flower boxes, and several types and colors of shingles, trim, and siding, they can be just as beautiful as gazebos, cabanas, pool houses, and sunrooms.
At GazeboCreations.com, you can get a pre-designed package, or customize your own gable, saltbox, hip roof, or barn-style shed in just a few steps. While you’re waiting for your easy-to-assemble kit to arrive, you’ll want to make sure that your chosen building location is properly prepared.
As long as your site is fairly level, you shouldn’t have any problem getting it ready, because the shed will be sitting upon 4 x 4 runners. If necessary, you can use bricks, concrete blocks, or pressure treated lumber (2 x 4, 2 x 6, or 4 x 4), cut to about 8”, as shims, to level it. Each runner should contact either the ground or the leveling materials at each end, and at least one point in the middle.
It’s okay if it’s not perfectly level, because a slight grade will help with drainage; and using shims to level the shed will maintain a steady flow of air beneath it, which is important for keeping the inside dry. For the same reason, if you want to put skirting around the bottom, it’s best to use lattice, or another ventilated material.
Now, if the ground is too uneven, it can compromise the stability of the shed. If it’s less than 24” out of level, you can still shim it, using concrete blocks, but make sure that the ground beneath the piers is level, and that each runner has at least four points of contact.
If it’s more than 24” out of level, you’ll have to use 6 x 6 posts, cemented into the ground. The rule of thumb is that for every foot the post is above ground, at least half of that length should be underground, which means that if it’s 5’ above ground, 2½’ should be in concrete. Check your local codes, however, as they may require posts to be a minimum depth that is equal to the “frost line,” which varies among climates.
If you want to dig out a level spot instead of using posts, make it 12” to 24” larger than the shed’s perimeter, to give yourself enough room to build. If the area is more than a few inches deep, taper the slope of the ground, and plant grass, or put in a retaining wall, so that the ground won’t cave in against the shed.
Once you’ve prepared your site, you’d also better prepare your sight, because our sheds are so eye-poppingly gorgeous, that you may have to hang onto those eyeballs!
Yours Outdoors,
Kathy
