How to Put a Small Shed on Concrete Blocks
All sheds need to be set on solid foundations, but a small shed does not need an elaborate or expensive foundation to be a good addition to a residence. A small shed can be a handy place for garden work, to store pots and tools and materials, or storage for a lawnmower, bicycles and other items that need a place where they are out of the way but readily accessible. The simplest way to build a small shed is with a concrete block foundation. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Rake
- 2-inch-by-4-inch framing lumber
- Circular saw
- Hammer
- Framing nails
- Tape measure
- Level
- Concrete blocks
- 3/4-inch plywood
Instructions
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Pick a location for your shed with solid soil, good drainage and no rocks, tree roots, underground pipes or other impediments. Clear it of leaves and debris with a rake and smooth and level it as much as possible; it does not have to be perfectly level. Decide the orientation of the shed -- what direction it will face, where the door will be and similar considerations.
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Build a frame of 2-by-4-inch lumber to the dimensions for the shed. Use a circular saw to cut boards to fit and nail corners together with a hammer and framing nails. Make the outside edges of the frame the size for the shed. Square the corners of the frame with a framing square and tape measure. Put the square on the corners, but measure diagonally from corner to corner and adjust the frame until those diagonals are equal.
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Set the frame on the ground in the exact place for the shed. Put concrete blocks under all four corners, in the center of each wall and in the center of the shed. Use solid 4-inch blocks or full 8-by-8-by-16-inch blocks, depending on how high you want the floor to be. Lay a long board across the frame on top of the blocks with a level on it and adjust the dirt under the blocks until the frame is level in all directions.
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Remove the frame and fill it in with floor joists between the outer bands. Space the joists 24 inches apart from front to back of the shed. Nail joists through the outer bands. Cover the floor with 3/4-inch plywood, cut with a circular saw to fit the frame. Put the frame back on the block foundation, check it again for level and adjust blocks or add wooden shims to get the floor level. Then build your shed to sit on that floor and foundation.
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