Backyard Shed
(Page 4 of 12)
August/September 1993
By John Vivian
Place four concrete blocks inside the string rectangle with the long dimensions matching the long dimension of the building, outer corners at the "+" in the line. Place two more blocks at the midpoint of front and back lines. Mark holes 12" larger all around than the blocks. Then mark with ink where they cross, unloop them from one stake and coil out of the way.
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The footing of a large building must extend below frost (at least 6' deep in the north). In most soils, a shed won't have meaningful frost-heaving problems if you sink the footing through topsoil and several inches into the subsoil.
Remove blocks and dig out sod and dark topsoil (add it to your compost). Remove lighter-colored subsoil to a depth that's an even multiple of a concrete block's 8" thickness: 16", 24", or 32" below surface of the highest ground under your foundation. Pour in 6" of gravel. Tamp well with a 2 x 4. Mark on tamper, measure against a length of string, and add or remove gravel as necessary to get all hole bottoms on a level plane (deeper up-slope).
Replace layout string. Use the line level to adjust strings on stakes so all are level and touching where they cross. Now square the layout lines. (Don't skip this step, and do rely on the plywood floor to square the building; you want foundation and floor perfectly square to one another.) Double-check that opposing lines are an even 15 1/2' and 7'4" apart all along. With a helper or more stakes, mark 3-4-5 triangles at each corner to assure that all are 90° right angles; that is, mark 6' from the "+" on a side line, and 8' on the adjoining front/back line. When the diagonal between them is precisely 10', the corner is a right angle. You can also use a long cord to assure the diagonal distance between crossed lines (between right rear and left front and vice versa) is equal. Move loops slightly on stakes or relocate stakes to get the corners at precise 90° angle and diagonals to measure the same—only then will your layout describe a perfect rectangle. Sink stakes plumb (vertical to the ground in both front-to-back and side-to-side dimensions) at the outside angle of the "+" that marks each corner.
Note: These directions will give you a shed that sits at ground level. The PT-lumber floor frame will resist rot and repel bugs even in moist weather. However, if you live in termite country or a damp climate, you may want to raise the shed for more airflow and better access. For a 12" crawl space, make the hole 4" deeper or shallower and add a tier or two of blocks to the foundation piers.
Setting Blocks
For each hole, combine half buckets of dry concrete mix with water (follow directions on sack). Dump a halfbucket of mixture onto tamped gravel in each hole, spread it out, and then set blocks in mix. Use a carpenters' level to assure that the outer edges are lined up inside the string boundaries. Use a length of wood to make sure all of the block tops are on the same plane below the string. Check to see that each block is plumb and level.
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