Base for a wooden shed

Bases cause unnecessary panic for people when they consider buying garden sheds. This is especially true if you’re looking at getting a wooden shed. Unlike steel sheds, bases for wooden sheds are very simple. You just need to get the appropriate amount of blocks and we’ll do the rest. Let’s have a look at everything you need to consider when getting a wooden shed base in place.

Do we supply the blocks for under the shed?

Unfortunately not. With up to 7 sheds on the back of any delivery truck, we don’t have an awful lot of room left to be carting around upwards of 80 blocks a day. You can get your blocks from any good builder’s supplier, like Murdocks or Chadwicks.

 

How many blocks do I need for a base for a wooden shed?

If you’re getting an 8ft x 6ft wooden shed, you’ll need nine 4″ solid concrete blocks.
If you’re not getting this sized shed, you can find how many blocks you need on our block calculator.

 

Will Any blocks do?

Unfortunately not. You cannot use cavity blocks, blocks of differing sizes or old, decaying ones.
You should only use 4″ solid block. At the time of writing, one of these blocks should cost anywhere between €1-3.

Do I need to level out the ground for a wooden shed?

Not necessarily. Your base should be ‘reasonably level’. Once this is the case, our Wooden Shed team can build the shed upon the blocks.
We are aware that ‘reasonably level’ is open to interpretation to a certain extent, however it should be fairly obvious that our team cannot build wooden sheds on slopes or angles that would not support the building of an upright structure.

In a nutshell, if your garden has a slight incline you’ll be fine, but if it looks like your granny would roll away from you if she was to keel over,  you’ll need to level it out first.

Why does a wooden shed need to be raised off the ground?

Wooden Sheds that are built flush to the ground are at a massive increased risk of rotting. If you place a piece of wood (untreated or not) on moist, bacteria-rich soil for long durations, it’s inevitable that it’ll deteriorate. Raising a shed off the ground removes this risk. It also allows air to circulate under the shed and keep your floor in top nick, both above and below.

 

Can I get skirting on all 4 sides of the shed?

You can, but we do not recommend it.

We normally only offer skirting on three sides of the shed (with the exposed side usually hidden). However if you want to, we can cover up all four sides of the shed for you. We don’t recommend covering this up, as blocking off all four sides can prevent airflow, increase the chance of condensation formation, which can rot the shed from the bottom up.

If you are looking for an alternative to covering it up, we’d recommend chicken-wire. It prevents rodents getting in, but it stops the ill effects of covering it up with wood.

Stay away from the wall:

I know what you’re thinking? Why not? It will look nice and tidy against the wall. The truth is no shed sits perfectly against a wall. The majority of sheds will have something obstructing it from happening such as an overhangs or gutters. The problem that this leaves you is a small gap between the structure and the wall. This gap will soon become your worst nightmare. This gap is paradise for rodents, moisture and insects! Nobody wants any of those things anywhere near your shed. Of course, you always have a choice. If you insist on having your shed against the wall, chicken wire is your best bet to prevent pests, but there’s only so much it can do.

We don’t recommend that you build your shed against a wall.

 

Under your wooden shed

“Wud der be rats n’ dah under d’shed doe?” – a common question here in the showroom. While raised sheds do raise the possibility that vermin will take up place in your shed, this can be drastically reduced by using common sense.

• Again, don’t build your shed near a wall (you’re only giving them a nicer, warmer spot to nest in)
• Don’t store foods in your shed.
• Do inspect around the shed once every 2-3 months. Safely remove debris, nesting materials etc.
• Don’t Don’t scare off the neighbours cat if it’s plodding about in your garden.

Nobody can guarantee that vermin won’t get under your wooden shed, that’s what wildlife does, but by being sensible and not making the place inviting to them you can reduce the chances of them moving in.

 

Any questions?

You can call us on 01 864 4247 or message us on Facebook if you’ve any outstanding questions about getting a base for a wooden shed sorted. That said it’s basically as simple as buying the right amount of blocks.