Shed Foundation On Slope

bradjacob

I've built sheds, but never one on sloped ground. I'm wondering the best way to go about this? Tube footings, then with what - long 6x6 posts? How does the entire shed stable? A deck with ledger board is one thing, but this is different (for me). Any info on the steps would be greatly appreciated - or online tutorials that anyone knows are wothwhile?

Thanks.

AutumnWood Inc.

There was a artical in one of the more recent Fine Home Building magazine about doing something similar

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Kgmz

What are you talking about a shed with walls, or a shed roof on posts(no walls).

If I am assuming right you mean no walls, just a roof on posts. The easiest way to do this is to build it pole building style. Depending on how big this thing is, set some green treated posts in a hole in the ground about 2 to 3 feet deep with the posts long enough for your roof height. Put some compacted gravel at the bottom of the hole, or some concrete. Then set the posts with bracing at your building line, corners. And then fill hole with concrete.

dkillianjr

I recently built one of those vinyl sheds on a slope, well acctually it was a hill! I basicly built a deck the proper size to set the shed on with burried 6x6 posts on concrete footings. But around here the code calls for posts to be burried and not set on sono tubes for just about anything. If you have to set the posts on tubes, plenty of cross bracing should stiffen it up.


Dave

PA woodbutcher

Whats with the long 6x6s? Shoot the sono tubes with a laser so you have the same grade, set post bases on top of them. Frame your deck using the post bases and build on top of the deck the same way you would anything else

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rotarex

are you pouring concrete or using post, if its post it will be easy, if concrete you have to make your pour box nice and strong level it and the best concrete would be ready mix, then use a wet saw to make the cuts.......................last time i did a shed took me over a week just for the foundation, for some reason when i show up to work it rains, and one day the homeowner got fed up of me and said pour the cement anyways, after i did that the biggest storm ever came down, ripped off the tarp and destroy the cement, i couldn't stop laughing knowing i am DOOMED

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bradjacob

Yeah, I'm going to build a shed (with walls). A regular shed that sits on piers. The front will be proper grade, so the two front corner piers will be flush with the ground. The two back corner piers will be on the slope. This drops off about 3-4 feet over a 12' length. So the best way to do this is to dig a 4 foot hole and drop in the 6x6 posts on a bed of concrete - and then fill with concrete? Then should I rest the rim joists on the piers and use joist hangers to fill in the rest? Or does a shed require a proper beam and joists resting on that?

PA woodbutcher

Build it the same as you would any deck.....I say use 2 or 3 posts because I have no idea of what your trying to span. Double or triple your rim joist accordingly.

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dlcj

either way is good just remember that there likely will be more crap stacked in a shed than in any room in a house so it does need to be a fairly beefy beam or rim.

Im designing a shed right now. It will be 12x30 on a slope of about 30" the length of the shed. I will hand dig 8 24"x24"x8" footings pour level with quickrete (cant get a truck in there) and dry stack 8x16 block up to floor level then build the floor. I will set rebar hooks in the concrete to use for tie downs and cross bracing after done. The metal walls will continue to ground for undepining.

bradjacob

I'm just reading some different approached and want to know which is the best (and even the most common) way to accomplish it.

If I only back-fill with dirt, won't the whole thing want to lean and then fall - even if braced?

1. Is it bad to stick the posts in and concrete them in place?

2. What about filling a sonotube (that's buried 3 feet in the ground) and reached all the way up to grade - is that a good solution?

dlcj

So if you still want to go with post i'd dig holes 3-4' deep and 18" dia, compact 8-12" clean pea gravel in bottom, set post fill and tamp with more pea gravel. Ive done this on big barns and the post are tight, water will not stay on post and gravel will fill in itself when post shrinks

bradjacob

This makes sense. Thanks DLCJ!

One last question - what are your thoughts on using a sonotube for the whole pier (i.e. - into the ground 3-4 feet, and out of the ground all the way up to grade)?

Is it just a matter of cost - to use 6x6 buried? Or would the poured piers be even better?

dlcj

You could use the tube insted of 6x6 all the way up. It just will be more unneccessary work to mix and fill the tubes.
The only advantage will be it will last forever but the 6x6 will last 20-25 years by that time someone will have tore it down anyway.

Disadvantage of concrete will be if someone wants to underpin the shed. You cant nail very easily to concrete. and
More work (mixing and pouring)

bradjacob

Quick question on the beams...

First, the drop is only 23" over 12 feet. So the 6x6 posts will be in the ground 3 feet and sticking up only 2 feet. That's fine.

But for the beam, am I correct to use a 6x6 for the two long (from to back) beams that the joists will rest on?

I'm thinking that it should be fine for a shed that is 12x16 (HO increased the size from 10x12) with three piers on each side. Which would be a an 8-foot between piers.

dlcj

few years ago i built a small shed for myself (8x10) on a slope front to back with a 6x6 for the beam on the back 10' side with two piers 1' in from each end. The front beam sat dirrectly on the ground. I have a ton of in there and its holding fine. That being said. Just remember that just cuz a 6x6 looks beafy its not really the best choice for a horizontal beam. Four 2x6s properly laminated together with no joints will be much stronger even though it will be only slightly bigger (5.5x6) to the 5.5x5.5 of the solid timber.

barnbuilder1

Tell me shed dimensions and give me ground description and I can guide you thru it. I use runners and joists on 1 ft. centers. Set eye bolts in concrete and run turnbuckle cable over the runners to anchor. Probably block up runners every 4 ft. using concrete blocks treated wood and shingles, use 3 runners set at 1 ft.,6 ft. and 11 ft. for a 12 ft wide building. Runners are treated 4X4 and joists are treated 2X6.