Miscellaneous Building a garden shed - plastic fantastic

[greenstripe]

We've desperately needed a new shed for a few years and I've always fancied one of the plastic ones that doesn't need any maintenance.

Last weekend we've finally taken the plunge and ordered one.

The full gravity of what I've done is starting to sink in as I'm going to be doing the groundwork prep foundation and building the thing.

We've ordered a Keter Ashwood Signature 11ft 2" x 7ft 2" (3.4 x 2.2m)

 

[greenstripe]

I've decided to go with one of the new-fangled interlocking plastic grid systems that you fill with gravel for the foundation this is a stock photo - not my garden.

I'll need to scrape out the ground so that the base of the shed will be almost level with the surrounding ground but slightly higher.

The grids will then be filled in with pea-gravel, this increases weight bearing capacity and will also keep the shed in place as it can get very windy round where we live. There are insert panels to go in to the grids in order to anchor the shed to the grid itself - this particular shed will be anchored by 8 bolts through the floor at pre designated locations.

I'm planning on building a winder base than required so that it spans the entire width of the garden at that point and then covering the exposed areas with slate chips. The base will be approximately 490cm (16 feet) wide with 75 cm (2 1/2 feet) exposed either side.

I don't want exposed pea gravel as the local cats are liable to use it as a toilet (don't ask me how I know) and our 2 pups are not on 24 hour patrol to expel unwanted visitors. Slate chips look nice and eradicate the problem.

 

[Digger2054]

Nice, I'm weighing up getting a similar 'shed' but to build inside my workshop to house my machines.

The unit is freezing in winter and not much better in summer, and rather than trying and heat the whole unit keep the shed warm, and if I move in future can take it with me 👍

Be interested to know how the assembly goes 👍

 

[DavidUK]

When we built a summer house (Lugarde) years ago I ordered some of the plastic interlocking grids, they arrived, I laid them out, I sent them back. Thing is... I can't remember why they were crap?

We then got our local landscaper to dig out and infill with 50mm x 600 x 600 concrete slabs, the tough ones, to form a proper base (MOT; sand/cement/slabs).

The grids are the cheaper option no doubt... if they work for you.

 

[greenstripe]

When we built a summer house (Lugarde) years ago I ordered some of the plastic interlocking grids, they arrived, I laid them out, I sent them back. Thing is... I can't remember why they were crap?

We then got our local landscaper to dig out and infill with 50mm x 600 x 600 concrete slabs, the tough ones, to form a proper base (MOT; sand/cement/slabs).

The grids are the cheaper option no doubt... if they work for you.

Do you have paving outside the summerhouse and utilities connected? I can imagine that might make things more complex when it comes to foundations.

 

[DavidUK]

No, there are no utilities. These could be accommodated in some suitable conduit before the foundation is laid.

 

[Vetinari]

I've got 2 Keter sheds both great. Had one of them for around 10yrs and moved to our current house 5yrs ago.
When I had to move it to a other part of this garden it was down a 15ft high ,1 in 3 slope. Just slid it dowm without dismantling, no problem.

 

[Vetinari]

Also when moving house I lost a hinge, contacted Keter, they sent 2 new ones FOC.

 

[DavidUK]

So you're not unhinged after all!

 

[Vetinari]

According to wife shed is re-hinged but I am not.

 

[Vetinari]

Older shed. Excuse rubbish in front of it. Garden was just a slope no steps or plants.

Newer one

 

[DavidUK]

The newer one looks very... convenient? 😳

 

[greenstripe]

The newer one looks very... convenient? 😳

Definitely not going to be a saxo-home

 

[Vetinari]

6ft x 4ft in rear yard used for yard brushes, car washing materials, jet washer etc.
Older one at bottom of front garden is 4ft x 6ft. Doors on 6ft side, wheel barrow, incineratator, hose pipe and othe gardening tools.

Ps. Our rear yard is all concreted over for car parking, just big enough for 2 cars.

 

[greenstripe]

And so it begins...

Old knackered shed meets a man with some pent up aggression and a 4lb hammer

 

[greenstripe]

20 minutes of 'therapy' later ...

The timber bearers under the old shed were completely rotted out and turned to dust in my hands as I removed them.

 

[Targa]

6ft x 4ft in rear yard used for yard brushes, car washing materials, jet washer etc.
Older one at bottom of front garden is 4ft x 6ft. Doors on 6ft side, wheel barrow, incineratator, hose pipe and othe gardening tools.

Ps. Our rear yard is all concreted over for car parking, just big enough for 2 cars.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLjS3gzHetA

 

[mizmar]

17 posts on sheds and not one word about their acoustic properties. Call ya'selvs saxophonists 😛

 

[Vetinari]

Sax kept nice and warm in it's own room in house.

 

[greenstripe]

Bit of an update:

I ordered 1 tonne of 10mm gravel -40 x 25kg sacks in order to make it easier to get in to the back garden. They delivered 45 sacks as some of them had holes in. You can see the bags stacked on my patio in the top left hand corner of the photo

I've removed approximately two metric tonnes of soil and gravel and many roots so of which have been very extensive and difficult to remove. I've put this on a sheet of damp proof membrane that I bought.

I'm worried about putting a skip on my resin bound driveway and have found a company called Hippo Waste: HIPPO - The UK's Trusted Rubbish Removal Service that do bags so we've ordered a Hippo skip - it's a big bag that they post to you and then you call them to collect when you're ready, so no weekly charge like a skip and they are happy to take soil/hardcore and the old shed. Some skip companies can be a bit picky about what you put in meaning that I may have trouble with a mixed load.

I've never attempted to do anything like this before and I'm rather unfit: trying to do this while doing a full time job and visiting family at the weekend is just about killing me.

I'm at a point now where I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and not quite sure how to get the ground level - there are far too many stones in the ground to scrape it with my 2 metre sprit level. I'm thinking of using some of the 10mm gravel I bought to fill in the plastic base and then possibly some sharp sand.

The shed itself arrived today.