6/23/2014 Is a Concrete Shed Base what you need?

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Is a Concrete Shed Base what you need?
A concrete shed base i s wi thout a doubt the
strongest and most durabl e form of shed
foundati on. It i s al so the most costl y and l abour-
i ntensi ve (however i t shoul d be remembered that
the foundati on can al so be used as a concrete
shed fl oor).
Thi s arti cl e gi ves you the i nformati on you need to
deci de what type of concrete foundati on i s ri ght
for your si te and how to bui l d a concrete shed
base. Thi s arti cl e outl i ned the pri nci pl e that shed
foundati ons (i n contrast to house foundati ons) are
al l owed to move! As concrete foundati ons are at
the most robust end of the scal e you shoul d make
a choi ce i f the foundati on i s to be a 'fl oater' or
sol i d.
Apart from the smal l secti on bel ow the rest of thi s
arti cl e i s about 'at grade'/fl oati ng foundati ons.
Solid/frost proof foundations.
Desi gn of permanent foundati ons i s a ski l l that requi res knowl edge of l ocal ground condi ti ons, the causes of foundati on
movement and l ocal methods of constructi on that ensure movement does not occur. Because of the wi de vari ety of these
factors throughout the worl d I do not i ntend to cover i n detai l thi s type of foundati on i n thi s arti cl e.
If it is critical that your foundation does not move I recommend that you consul t a l ocal Structural Engi neer, who wi l l have
knowl edge of the most appropri ate type of foundati on for the prevai l i ng soi l i n your area. The foundati on desi gn wi l l cost a
smal l amount. Thi s remi nds me of a cartoon I once saw of a coupl e of Renai ssance Ital i ans standi ng i n front of the l eani ng
tower of Pi sa sayi ng 'I guess we shoul d have pai d the extra 1,000 Li ra for a proper foundati on desi gn'.
A concrete shed base doubles as a concrete shed floor.
A fl oati ng concrete foundati on i s typi cal l y four i nches thi ck (100 mm), whi ch despi te movi ng sl i ghtl y shoul d l ast as l ong, i f
not l onger than the shed bui l t on top. The sl ab can be pl ai n (un-rei nforced) concrete or a l i ght mesh of steel rei nforcement
can be added for extra strength and to control cracki ng.
Al though thi s type of foundati on i s more expensi ve than the types descri bed here and here a concrete shed fl oor does have
advantages;
There i s no need to bui l d a separate shed fl oor.
It can be hosed down i f i t gets di rty or wet.
The fl oor can be bui l t cl oser to ground l evel , thus mi ni mi zi ng the need for a shed ramp.
A concrete shed base i s very durabl e, damp garden machi nery can be l eft there and there i s no danger of the fl oor
rotti ng as a ti mber fl oor coul d.
A di sadvantage of concrete fl oors i s that they can be col d on the feet i f you are usi ng them as a work shop or hobby room. If
you i ntend to use a shed wi th a concrete fl oor for these purposes then a ti mber sub-fl oor or an i nsul ated screed wi l l make the
fl oor a l ot warmer.
How to build a concrete shed base
The mai n i tems of work are:
1. Excavati on
2. Formwork
3. Mi xi ng concrete
4. Pl aci ng and fi ni shi ng the concrete
1. Excavation
If the area of your shed i s fi rm and dry then remove the topsoi l to a depth of 100 mm. Pl ace a l ayer of stone to a depth of
50 mm. If the ground i s not so good you may wi sh to i ncrease the depth sl i ghtl y or i n l ocal areas to get ri d of soft spots. See
here for ti ps on setti ng out the excavati on, sel ecti on and pl aci ng of the stone l ayer.
2. Formwork
The formwork for a concrete shed base wi l l most l i kel y be 18 mm (3/4") pl ywood wi th 50x50mm ti mber stakes knocked i nto
the ground at two feet (600 mm) centres. The formwork shoul d be set up off of the l evel stone/earth base, so that the top i s
l evel al l the way around and that none of the posts sti ck up above the top of the formwork. The formwork needs to be
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suffi ci entl y robust that i t wi l l be abl e to contai n the wet concrete and act as a gui de for the ti mber strai ght edge tamper
when i t comes to l evel i ng the concrete surface. The area of the pour shoul d be l i ned wi th a PVC Damp Proof Membrane
(DPM). The purpose of thi s membrane i s two fol d;
- To stop l oss of water from the wet concrete i nto the ground duri ng pouri ng (thi s woul d weaken the concrete)
- To keep the contents of the shed dry by stoppi ng water from the ground penetrati ng up through the fi ni shed fl oor.
The speci fi cati on for the pol ythene DPM wi l l be 1200 gauge, the brand-name 'Vi squeen' i s commonl y used i n the UK. If
l aps are needed i n the membrane these shoul d be a mi ni mum of 350 mm and seal ed wi th a sui tabl e tape obtai ned from a
bui l ders merchant.
3. Mixing concrete
The mai n methods of getti ng concrete are; mi xi ng your own or getti ng a ready mi xed suppl y i n.
If you are mi xi ng your own, hi re a concrete mi xer for the day, i t wi l l make thi s heavy work a l ot easi er. Each cubi c metre of
concrete wei ghs about two and a hal f tonnes. A 10'x 12' shed base four i nches thi ck wi l l have over a cubi c metre of concrete
i n i t, so be prepared for some work here!
Concrete i s a mi xture of cement, sand (fi ne aggregate) and coarse aggregate. Mi xes vary i n the proporti ons dependant
upon the properti es requi red. For concrete for a shed base order 'bal l ast' from your bui l ders merchant,thi s i s pre-mi xed fi ne
and coarse aggregate. Mi x the bal l ast wi th cement i n the rati os recommeneded by the suppl i er, 1:5 by vol ume i s typi cal .
Add water to the mi x i n smal l amounts, keepi ng the mi x on the dry si de (a sl oppy mi x wi l l be hard to handl e and resul t i n
poor qual i ty concrete.)
Al ternati vel y contact your l ocal ready-mi x suppl i er and order a sui tabl e truck mi x. Ready mi x concrete suppl i ers have a
range of concrete mi xes, for a shed base speci fy a mi ni mum of C20. Thi s means that i t wi l l be desi gned to have a crushi ng
strength of at l east 20N/mm after 28 days. Be prepared for a bi t work transporti ng the wet concrete to the si te and consi der
what ramps etc you may need to get the wheel barrow up steps etc.
4. Placing and finishing the concrete.
Pl ace the concrete from the barrow starti ng at one corner and worki ng outwards. The con crete shoul d be pl aced evenl y and
sl i ghtl y proud of the formwork. The concrete i s fi ni shed usi ng a ti mber strai ght edge (4"x2"). Starti ng at one end of the sl ab,
l evel the concrete off movi ng the edge si de to si de as you progress. Wi th the concrete shed base l evel ed off you now have a
'rough tamped' fi ni sh.
When the sl ab i s compl ete, cover wi th pol ythene or damp Hessi an sacki ng. The purpose of the coveri ng i s to keep the
moi sture i n. Concrete does not dry, i t 'cures', i f the surface becomes dry duri ng the earl y days (fi rst 3 days) i t wi l l become
dusty and weak.
Concrete gai ns strength sl owl y. The l onger you keep the covers on the better. The concrete wi l l be sti ff the next day but the
surface wi l l mark i f you wal k on i t. Concrete gai ns i ts desi gn strength after 28 days (thi s i s a standard strength test on
commerci al concrete pours) however after seven days i t wi l l be fi ne for the next stage of constructi on.Wi th the concrete shed
base fi ni shed you are now ready to start bui l di ng the rest of the shed.
Related posts:
Ever thought of usi ng a pl asti c shed base?
Bui l di ng a foundati on on a sl ope
Bui l di ng a shed foundati on on concrete pavi ng sl abs
Bui l di ng a pi er type foundati on for your shed
Return from Concrete Shed Base to the Shed Foundation page
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