Ground screws for s...
 

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Ground screws for shed base

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I've been offered my old shed from where we moved from. It's a decent 10' x 8' shed so worth taking up the offer.

I'm going to have to sort things out quickly, as it's being replaced by a garden office by the new owners of our old place. We're still in the process of organising our new place so some extra storage room would be ideal.

I'm considering using a ground screw/pile type base for speed and simplicity of installation. There is no hardstanding area large enough that would take the shed. The shed may not be a permanent feature either...well, it would be there for a few years at least. The kits I've seen are pricey, but I am getting the shed for free

Has anyone used this type of base for a shed?

 
Posted : 09/05/2024 12:59 pm
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Never used them for the base of a shed but have used them for a couple of large fixing posts for a garden sail.  They are super solid but don't try and put them in the ground when it is hard :).   I would think they would work well for a shed

 
Posted : 09/05/2024 1:04 pm
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interested to hear too. I want to put a fairly big shed in the corner of the garden and there's a bit of a slope. It's mud at the moment and i'm not keen to do a proper hard standing because all the gravel has to be barrowed through the garage and across the lawn.

the adjustable screw foundations look like a good option, although as you say, pretty expensive still. The big ones have proper auger tools to drive them in

 
Posted : 09/05/2024 1:11 pm
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I’ve just built two sheds with them. Only reason I used them was the ground is sloping, so would need some brick/blockwork if supported on bricks. Not cheap at around £20 each, but far less work than building brick pillars. Dont believe what the Sellers say about how many you need (unless you are putting really heavy things in there) they said I’d need around 20 for one of the sheds, I used 8. The shed has got solid beams for the floor, flimsy floors will need more support. You dont need to buy the tool to drive them in. I used a bar of steel, around 30cm long to start them off (after hammering the first 10 cms in), then used a spade, sideways, to get the rest in. I used the flat top (sips panel) caps, the wood sits flat on that.

 
Posted : 09/05/2024 1:21 pm
leffeboy and leffeboy reacted
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For a temporary shed, if it's fairly flat ground would it not be better/easier to just chuck a few cheap concrete slabs down and sit the shed on them?

 
Posted : 09/05/2024 1:27 pm
 Ewan
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I have built a large shed (4x3.6) for storing garden equipment in on a wonky clay soil slope. Worked a treat - still level a few years later, regularly put 400kg of crap in it.

 
Posted : 09/05/2024 1:36 pm
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A friend used ground screws for his garden office. It's a substantial building, fully insulated, bifold doors, and it went up pretty easily. But, as ads says, for a small shed I'd just put some slabs down. Level the ground, bit of root barrier and some free slabs from Facebook.

 
Posted : 09/05/2024 1:37 pm
ads678 and ads678 reacted
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7n structure concrete blocks . Sink them in the ground to the appropriate depth to make a level base .
Put shed on top . Drill 6mm holes and wind in some concrete screws.
Unless your on a hillside you should be able set the highest ones in 2 in and the lowest ones on the mud
Couple fixings in each block .
Job jobbed . 3 hrs tops.

 
Posted : 09/05/2024 1:41 pm
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I need to use these, I want to put a shed on tarmac which is not flat, and I'd rather not pull the tarmac up.

 
Posted : 09/05/2024 1:44 pm
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I used a bar of steel, around 30cm long to start them off (after hammering the first 10 cms in), then used a spade, sideways, to get the rest in.

I bent a small metal bar into a U shape that I could screw onto either side of the ground screws that I had and then inserted a huge breaker bar that I have to drive them into the ground.  Not fast but worked perfectly well.  I would soak the ground first if is very dry

 
Posted : 09/05/2024 2:32 pm
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For a temporary shed, if it’s fairly flat ground would it not be better/easier to just chuck a few cheap concrete slabs down and sit the shed on them?

Level the ground, bit of root barrier and some free slabs from Facebook

This is never as easy as you expect it to be nor does the result stay level, in my experience. Hence looking at the ground screws

 
Posted : 09/05/2024 2:34 pm

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