Can you build a shed on grass?

The short answer is no, you cannot put a shed directly onto grass, I know what you’re thinking, you see most garden sheds on grass. However these Sheds that go onto grass encounter a multitude of problems including (but not limited to) damp rising, severe condensation, warping, cracking, and rotting.

Today we’ll look at all the reasons that you can’t put shed on grass – and offer simple alternatives that’ll get you out of a lot of work.

 

Can you build a Wooden Sheds on Grass?

No. Almost every wooden shed in Ireland is built up on blocks. The blocks can sit on the grass, but the shed should not touch the grass directly. Raising a wooden shed is the norm because it prevents it rotting from the ground up.

Imagine placing a wooden shed directly onto grass. The entire frame would be in contact with the soil. Any time it rains, the wood would become wet; as soil generally holds water, long after the rain, has passed it would be exposed to wet condition. Even with the best pressure treatment, it would only take several months of constant dampness to degrade the wood. The base of the shed would rather quickly come weaken and your shed would fall apart from the ground up.

What CAN I build my wooden shed on?:
The answer is simple – blocks! All Wooden Sheds go on blocks. This is a simple way to get a shed built in the garden without going to any great length to prepare a foundation. In fact, we do not recommend that you build your wooden shed directly onto a concrete slabs either. In the image above, you can just about see the four blocks under the wooden shed, between the shed itself and the neat concrete base. Need to know how many blocks you need for your wooden shed? You can see how many blocks you need for your Wooden Shed here.

 

Can you build a Steel Sheds on Grass

No, but Steel sheds are a different beast to wooden sheds, altogether. Their frames are made from steel, so it’s not a rotting issue per se that’s the main reason you can’t put a steel shed onto grass. Instead the main reason is assembly and warping.

Assembly

Assembly of a steel shed on grass is nigh on impossible. Our Steel Sheds are built upon a metal frame. This frame needs to sit flat, or it won’t line up with the panels of the shed. The image below shows a base frame from one of our steel sheds. We’ve changed the colours of the panels so that you can see how many individual pieces go together to make it (don’t worry, they’re not this colour really). For the wall panels of the shed to all sit correctly, all these pieces need to be in flat, level and in the right position:

Now imagine trying to flatten this on even slightly uneven soil. The smallest divot or stone could throw your entire shed out. When panels don’t line up correctly, sheds can leak, warp, crack or become very damp. In fact, the vast majority of our 1-star reviews over on Trustpilot are are from people who didn’t assemble their sheds on a solid, level base and who were then furious that it was leaky or that the doors wouldn’t line up.

So if nothing else but for your own sanity (and ours) do not even attempt to assemble your steel shed on an unstable base, like grass.

 

Warping

Right, so if you’re a big thick eejit who went ahead and managed to somehow build your steel shed on grass, you’re not out of the woods yet. Your base is sitting on soil and soil shifts and your shed will sink over time. If your shed should sink on one side quicker than the other side, the panels will very slowly begin to be pulled apart. They’ll warp slowly as they’re pulled apart and eventually the panels will crack.

A solid foundation is required for the longevity of any structure. This goes doubly for any building that’s built in a country with a weather that’s as temperamental as ours.

What CAN I build my steel shed on?:
Steel Sheds need to be build on solid, level bases. This can be concrete, paving slabs, tarmac, concrete or even treated decking. There are also heavy-duty plastic bases that can be laid and filled with rubble, poured concrete etc to act as a base. These can vary in quality, but most readily available ones are suitable. If you’ve any concerns about one, get in touch with us and we should be able to advise if they are useable or not.

 

External References:

• Shedstuff.org: Can you put a shed on grass?
• GardenProjectsAdvice.com ‘“Can a Shed Sit on Grass? We ask the Experts”
  
• Quora: “Do you need a solid foundation for a garden shed?” (there is some AMAZINGLY bad advice from random punters in here)