Quick but decent garden shed base

[Digsy]

One for the builders (or maybe just someone who has Done It Themselves).

The plan was to knock down a large wooden shed which was aat on a large concrete base and erect (no sniggering at the back) two smaller metal sheds in its place. This was to be done - GroundForce style - over a couple of weekends.

Metal shed #1 is built and getting a right old battering because of the rough weather we had recently (they aren't completely structurally sound until they are fixed down to a base). Wooden shed desctruction is proceeding. Unfortunately upon lifting some floorboards, we found that there is in fact no concrete base under it. It looks like the edges are supported on concrete lintels, but there is no "pad" under the floor.

So, we need to make a stable base for these sheds ASAP - or maybe even faster. What's the quickest way to make a decent shed base? We've got no time to dig the site out, level it, put a layer of hardcore down, compact it, lay wet concrete etc, etc, etc. so I';m thinking:

1) Clear the site:

2) Make a wooden frame up the size of the new base out of old shed parts.

3) Rake and level the soil inside the frame.

4) Hire a compactor and pound it as hard as possible.

5) Put down an inch or two of pre-mixed dry mix on top of the soil, rake it level.

6) Lay large (3'sq?) paving slabs on dry mix.

All that's pretty straightforward, I think. What bothers me is that the whole base will be pretty thin and also made up of individual sections, so it might be prone to settling in different places and becoming uneven. To stop this, could I:

A) Put a layer of reinforcing mesh in the dry mix?

B) Put down something to stablise the soil after it has been compacted? I've heard that stuff to do this is available, but I've not found it for sale anywhere yet.

I'd also like to put a membrane down on top of the soil to stop weeds coming up between the slabs.

Can anyone advise?

[ozz]

Make a frame up and get a lorry of cement in to chuck straight into base? You can prob get a premix in with aggregate for strength.

 

If you do, let me know the cost as I'm contemplating something similar!

[Digsy]

Make a frame up and get a lorry of cement in to chuck straight into base? You can prob get a premix in with aggregate for strength.

 

If you do, let me know the cost as I'm contemplating something similar!

 

No time to mess around with wet cement, unfortunately - hence the question.

 

I recently made a bombproof base for a fuel tank using delivered wet mix and it cost £100 for 0.5m^3, if I recall correctly. The bulk of this cost is the call-out charge. Adding more cement doesn't add alot to the cost, but they do charge yo for keeping the lorry on site for longer than planned, which is a concern if you are barrowing it out.

[JamieP]

By the time you mess about doing a sub base and laying paving slabs i think it will be quicker to do a concrete base, just did one at my new house for a 16ft x 8ft shed.

Scrape the grass off, 4x2 edging, couple of sheets of reinforced metal mesh and a meter of concrete delivered, afternoons work.