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Getting the right base or foundation is crucial to the stability of your garden shed. The base should be level, stable and dry. It should withstand heavy downpours and support the weight of your shed over its life span.
The choice of foundations for your garden shed will largely depend on the type of your shed, its purpose, type of ground it will stand on and a few other factors.
There are four types of foundations or bases suitable for a garden shed:
A concrete slab is most sturdy, but it requires certain skill to create it. Best to hire a professional. If you intend to build it yourself, be sure to read this post – “How to prepare the ground and build concrete foundations for your garden shed“.
Before you pour a concrete slab remember, that it is a permanent structure which cannot be moved. If you decide to move your shed, you will have to build a new foundation and to remove your old one, will require considerate effort..
If you are building a tool shed on a slope or unstable ground, you should consider creating post foundations. To prepare this kind of foundations, 4 x 4 treated wooden posts are sunk into the ground. The rest of the hole is filled with crushed stone then reinforced with concrete poured on top.
All posts must be ideally level or the shed will wobble and collapse. Another option is to use concrete instead of wooden posts, if your ground is very wet and “boggy”.
If your ground is mostly dry and level, you can place your shed on bricks or build a skid foundation made out of wood.
Waltons provide a kit called Portabase (you can get it from our online store – see Garden Shed Accessories ).
This kind of foundation is not as sturdy and durable as a concrete slab, but it can easily be relocated to another area.
A wooden base for a garden shed
Sometimes your garden shed is just a temporary structure and you need to have an option of moving it easily. This is where a wooden base for your shed becomes the best option.
The base, once constructed, is fastened into the ground (i.e. grass or soft soil) with metal posts. A wooden base is not suitable for every shed and every ground condition. It is best suited to smaller sheds, as the wooden base does not have the same weight bearing capabilities as a concrete base.
A wooden base would not be suited to conditions where the ground is wet, soft or very uneven. If the ground is wet, the base will rot quickly and your shed may collapse. For wet, uneven or soft ground, concrete pillars or concrete slab are a much better option.
Waltons offers a portable shed base kit – Portabase. The base is available in a variety of sizes, from 6′ x 4′ to 10′ x 8′. The Portabase is made of pressure treated timbers . The Portabase provides inexpensive, hassle free and incredibly easy to assemble shed base solution. Just watch the video below.