Shed Foundation Kit Frame ! Do I need one?

Shed Foundation Kit  Frame !  Do I need one?

& 

A Foundation Kit Frame
for an Duramax 8x6 Shed

How do you use a Shed Foundation kit for my Metal Canberra or Duramax Emerald Shed?  For Details on our Shed Kits see

www.MclDirect.com

If you have bought an Lifetime HDPE, Trimetals or Tigerbox Timber  shed from us then you do not need an optional Foundation Kit for your shed.

If you have bought an Canberra or Emerald Duramax Shed then you might consider buying the Foundation Kit Frame.  

Most of our Metal sheds are sold without a floor.  This article might be of Interest to you if you are wondering about whether you should buy a Shed Foundation Kit Frame.

How do I use the Frame?

Ideally Metal Sheds are assembled on a flat level surface and then once assembled the shed is screw fixed to the ground.  The best base for a shed is always a concrete base as this gives you a great anchor point.  Ideally if you are putting in a concrete base you might design it to be exactly the footprint of the sheds base perimeter.  You might also design it to be slightly higher than the ground surrounding the shed.  This means that any rain water landing on the shed will run off down the sidewalls of the sheds and fall away from the shed rather than seeping inside the shed.  Keeping your Shed's floor dry is a good idea for many reasons mainly to avoid the floor being slippery and also to reduce any chance of condensation on the inside of the shed.

When building the concrete Plinth base try to add a plastic damp proof barrier membrane under the concrete or under your paving Slabs.  Again this will help with avoiding dampness. 

We have a good guide onhow to build a Shed Base at this link here!

Canberra Shed Foundation Kit
Showing Plywood Floor laid on Top

Now when you are buying your Metal Shed you will have the option of buying an optional Foundation Fitting kit frame. Once assembled the Frame will look like the photo at the top of this page.   Both Canberra and Duramax Emerald sheds have these optional Foundation kits.  Depending on the Size of the shed these usually cost between €50 and €100 extra.  Sometimes customers will buy the frame and then decide not to install it.  You could argue that installing the Metal floor frame makes for a better shed.   It will involve more cost and it’s important that the foundation frame is still anchored to the ground.  So you still need a solid base under the frame to screw fix into. 

Some people who want to install their sheds over their lawn will buy the frame and then pour Concrete into and over the frame using it as a screed to level the concrete.  The weight of the concrete then usually being an adequate anchor for the shed.  Always try to imagine the worst wind that ever came to your garden.  In February Ireland was hit by some big storms and this is why it’s so important to anchor fix your shed to a concrete base or deck.   

Advantages of using the shed Foundation Kit are

• It raises the shed floor some inches above ground level so this can help keep the floor of your shed dry.
• It does add integral rigidity to the whole shed structure.

 Disadvantages,

• Extra cost of the foundation frame
• Extra cost involved in buying good Plywood to sheet the Frame.
• Or extra cost of floating concrete over the Frame.
• Extra Time to build the shed.

I would recommend that you buy good Marine Plywood in 8x4 Sheets to sheet out the shed floor above the Foundation Frame.  Buy the heaviest Plywood you can get (23mm thick if possible).  Don’t use chipboard or MDF because it will go soft.  The Plywood will last a lot longer if you coat it with a sheet of Floor Varnish before you install it!  Coat both Sides for a really good job!

An 8x6 Rosedale Duramax Shed up on
its Foundation Kit.

Tipp: it’s often easier to install the Floor in Larger Sheets by installing them over the Shed Sidewalls before you put the shed roof on!   

The Same Shed with the Plywood floor
installed.  Almost Finished!

Thank you for reading this and I hope it will be of assistance to you in deciding if you need a foundation Kit for your Metal Shed.

Michael.

www.McLDirect.com

JH Mc Loughlin & Co Ltd

Ballymany, Newbridge,

Co Kildare, Ireland.

Tel 045,447291.

Garden Sheds in Ireland. Choosing a Shed Material and style.

Our Irish Garden Shed Blog.

On our site www.McLDirect.com  we offer a wide range & variety of garden sheds in many colours, sizes, styles and made from many materials.

Often when you are looking for a new Shed you will be replacing an old one that has served you well for many years.  We notice that often a customer who has had say a timber garden shed will look for something different and perhaps opt for a plastic shed or a metal shed and vice aversa.  Often this decision  is for the sake of change and just to try something new.  Every shed material has advantages and disadvantages and I thought I would go through some of these here using the different models and brands of sheds that we offer.  Budget is also another very important factor.  Some of our sheds are great value per square foot and others are quite expensive and these tend to be extremely heavy gauge metal sheds.  We cover the entire budget spectrum stopping short of sheds made from concrete or blocks.   So here goes on our garden shed blog!

TigerBox Shiplap Timber Sheds.

Tiger 6x8 Sheds.

Personally I like timber Garden sheds.  I find them nice and warm to work in.  I like the way I can add and adapt them easily.  Timber sheds usually come with a wood floor so like the Lifteime Sheds once you have it assembled there is no more to be done.   They are very easy to assemble and two people can often have the Main Structure assembled in 30 Minutes after starting.  The only hard bit being the laying of the felt and the fixing of it with the cleat nails!    Again it’s well within the capabilities of an average DIY capable person.   Some customers dislike timber sheds because they do need to be painted every couple of years.  I see that as all part of the attraction of having a warm natural  timber shed in the garden. Another consideration about Timber sheds is if you are going to house a dog inside the shed.   The Timber floors can be hard to wash out and this might be something that might point you towards a metal or a plastic shed. 

Tiger Mini Barn

We only sell the Shiplap grade type of Tiger Timber sheds.  Shiplap is more expensive than overlap timber.  It makes a more airtight and draft proof structure.  Also a more secure shed!    Customers do notice that it’s more expensive (about €100 more)  compared to overlap but it’s just really worth paying a bit more for.  Tiger have some really nice timber sheds in their range.  My favourite is the Mini American Barn because it looks different and it has the double doors so it’s easy to park up the Lawn mower.  The Tiger garden playhouses for children are also very nice and are really huge compared to how they look in the photos! 

Emerald Metal Sheds

Emerald Metal 6x4 Shed.  

These apex metal garden sheds in green or grey are sold throughout the USA and Europe. They are fitted with sliding doors under the apex of the shed roof.  They are a very popular garden shed.   Once assembled and anchored to the ground they are very strong and designed to carry the weight of a full snow load on the roof.   

Emerald Sheds can be extended.

 Our Emerald sheds come in three width sizes (6 Foot, 8 Foot and 10 Foot wide).  The sliding doors are on this side and then the sheds being modular can be extended in length.  Our Rosedale model the 8x6 foot is very popular and many customers opt to extend it with extension plugs.  Each plug is 2 foot long so the Rosedale can be extended up to 8 x 10 foot long.  Duramax recommend a maximum of two extension plugs. Duramax Sheds come with a Non Rust perforation warranty of 15 Years on the panels.

Canberra 10x6 Apex Shed

Canberra Metal Garden Sheds.  Medium Gauge GardenCanberra Metal Sheds.

These metal garden sheds are made in Australia and sold worldwide.  These sheds are slightly heavier and are a taller shed than the Duramax range.   If you are a tall person this is important if you don’t want to have stoop your head when you enter the shed or when you walk to the corner of the shed. The extra height means more metal and this makes them slightly more expensive than the Duramax models.   We have a number of different styles of Canberra Sheds.  The Basic Apex Design with sliding Doors.  There are also sheds with hinged doors and Canberra sheds with pent (called Skillion in Australia)  sheds.  The Canberra Pent sheds work well at the side of Irish Homes. They are more longer than wide and ideal if you want a long narrow shed with sliding doors to store your children’s bicycles.  These come with sliding doors so you won’t lose space to doors being hinged open.  Canberra Sheds come in Green , Mountain Blue and a Wood Vinyl colour.

Trimetals Heavy gauge Metal Garden Sheds.

Trimetals sheds are our most impressive & expensive Metal Garden sheds.  They are hand made in Blanford Forum down in the sunny south of England.   Trimetals are a family owned and managed company and their range of sheds and garden storage boxes are well known throughout England.   The primary difference between these sheds and others and where the extra cost comes in is the thickness of the steel and the way in which it is shaped and formed. 

The Doors and their locks are very strong and some insurance companies offer discounts for Trimetals Sheds because they know the Sheds are strong and secure.   These Garden sheds are really solid and good looking.  Visit any Holiday Park in England and you will be amazed at how many Trimetals Bicycle storage units you will see.  Usually you will see one or two Bikestores behind each Mobile Home. 

The Trimetals Bikestores are available in colours to match the colour of the caravan panels.  Apart from the convenience & security the Bikestores offer part of the reason for their popularity in Holiday Parks is a requirement to be Fire resistant and to comply with local fire regulations.  I have yet to meet a Trimetals Customer who wasn’t delighted with his Bikestores or Trimetals garden shed. 

Plastic Sheds.

Lifetime Garden Sheds (H.D.P.E. Plastic).  Made in the USA

Lifetime Garden Sheds are an American company with a history of making things using HDPE (High-density polyethylene)   which is an ultra strong plastic material.  They started out thirty years ago  making basketball hoops and now their range encompasses sheds, garden furniture, adventure white water kayaks and lots more.  Garden sheds are their main line and again I have yet to meet a Lifetime shed customer who was not delighted with their Shed.  

Many Lifetime shed customers use their sheds as Laundry Rooms and I think the clean sealed plastic floors lends itself to this use.   Sometimes when we mention plastic people think that “it just couldn’t be strong”.  Really the best way to test that is to come and see a Lifetime Shed here in Newbridge.  The H.D.P.E.  plastic is very strong and reinforced by metal formers.  Lifetime sheds have an air cavity in the wall panels and this has an warm insulating effect and your lifetime shed will not suffer from any condensation problems.  Lifetime sheds are attractive and their modern looks blend very well with Irish Homes.    

Assembling a Lifetime Garden shed is faster than Metal shed  and slower than a timber shed.  Lifetime have some Great Videos up on YouTube showing how to it and you will save yourself a lot of time if you watch these 15 minute Videos.  

Additionally for all of our garden sheds we have uploaded PDF Assembly guides at www.MclDirect.com  .  Theses PDF Booklets can be downloaded  by clicking on the download link at the base of every Shed Description.  We would recommend that you download the guide for your chosen shed in advance of your shed being delivered. This will save you a lot of time when it comes to assembling the shed.

Thank you for reading this blog and I hope it will be a help to you when choosing your next Garden shed!

Michael.

www.McLDirect.com

JH Mc Loughlin & Co Ltd

Ballymany, Newbridge,

Co Kildare, Ireland.

Tel 045,447291.

Secomat Commercial Space Heaters: Indirect v Direct Fired Heaters ( Whats it all About? ) www.MCLDirect.com

Indirect v Direct Fired Commercial Space Heaters "Whats it all About? "

To See Our Full Range of Secomat Commercial 

Space Heaters  See  www.MCLDirect.com  

An direct D20 Space Heater

A Direct fired Space Heater has no flue duct ( Vertical Exhaust chimney ). All the hot air is mixed up with the exhaust & is then extracted out of the end of the cannon / torpedo heater. Therefore these should only be used in well ventilated buildings, largewarehouses with excellent ventilation, or in semi open buildings. (direct Models are Secomat D. 20 & D.30 & CD range & GM series . ) You cannot fit flexible outlet ducts to these heaters.

An Indirect Secomat Mobi 28 

An Indirect fired heater has a flue Chimney duct. This is a Vertical Exhaust Chimney and you and Connect an Flue to this and Exhaust externally.   

The heat exchanger & combustion chamber are completely enclosed which provides for a clean Hot air outlet at the end of the canon heater & you can fit flexible or galvanized outlet Heat ducts to these heaters. (Secomat Mobi range).

These can be used in all types of buildings where people are as long as the flue duct is correctly fitted to the outside environment or the heater is outside with a small flue duct & a duct outlet is fitted to the end of the cannon heater to provide warm air inside the building or marquee.

An Indirect Secomat Heater with
ExternalTank  and Heat Duct. 

The D. Series (D20 &D30) use a compressor or heater air pump with rotating blades & a sparkplug to ignite. Also you can regulate the Air pressure on these two Heaters via a small screw at the back of the heater. 0,62 bars for the D. 20 & 0,95 bars for the D. 30 series.

Mobi 28 Indirect Heater
with a Heat Duct.

In the wet Fuel Secomat Space Heaters what Fuel Should be used.

These Secomat Space Heaters are designed to Run on K1 Grade Kerosene or C1 Grade Paraffin. Domestic Kerosene Heating oil is not K1 or C1 Grade. We recommend our own MCL ROLF Fuel which Exceeds C1 Grade and has a very low Aromatic content.

Ignition Control

There is a photo cell for the ignition control ( light sensitive resistor ) in all heaters.

Secomat Mobi Space Heaters can also be fitted External Thermostats  which we stock.  This gives you complete control over the Heater and allows you to place the Thermostat in the centre of the room that you wish to Heat. 

Why are CD Series heaters more Expensive than the D Series Secomat Heaters.?

The CD series CD17 & CD31 have large fuel tanks 42 litres so their autonomy before re-filling is much longer. The tanks are made of PVC so easier to move & lift. Also they have electronic ignition systems with more sophisticated controls & can be run automatically on independent External thermostats to stop & re-start the heaters to run much more economically. The CD Series have No compressor to regulate so they are easier to manage.

Michael.

www.McLDirect.com

JH Mc Loughlin & Co Ltd

Ballymany, Newbridge,

Co Kildare, Ireland.

Tel 045,447291.

Build a base for your new garden shed!

Building a Base for your Garden Shed

Some Tips from McLDirect.com  Ireland

To See our Full Range of Garden Sheds  Click on  www.McLDirect.com  

Why build a base?

It is essential that all garden buildings are assembled on a firm and level base constructed from an appropriate and durable material. Without the correct base buildings may be very difficult to assemble and in many cases may be assembled incorrectly leading to future deterioration of the product such as doors dropping out of square and becoming difficult to open/close or water leakage. Assembling a garden building on an incorrect base is also likely to invalidate any guarantee that your product may carry.

Where to build a base

When deciding where to place your garden building, you need to take a few things into consideration.

Firstly, please remember not to place the base too close to any walls or fences as there may be a slight overhang on the roof of the garden building. Secondly, placing the base next to trees or large bushes could also cause problems from overhanging branches especially if these are likely to grow and come into contact with the building in the future. In this case, please cut these branches in advance. Once the garden building has been assembled, please check overhanging foliage regularly as any rubbing on the roofing felt may lead to your garden building becoming susceptible to rain and extreme weather conditions.

Furthermore, when deciding the optimum location for your base and garden building please consider access – for example access around each side of the garden building in order to apply wood treatments or preservative. Try to visualise what the garden building will look like in the position selected – you may not want to carry large or heavy objects right down to the end of your garden. You may also want to consider where the building is most likely to receive natural light or a have nice view, especially for buildings such summerhouses or log cabins. Finally, if you intend to fit an electricity or water supply to your garden building, you may need to consider where would be most appropriate to cater for this (i.e. Distance to mains electricity/water supply).

How to build a base

To construct a professional base we would recommend using a reputable local builder or handyman however if you feel comfortable with the task then it is relatively straightforward to construct your own base;

The guide below will help you to prepare and complete a base for your garden building using the suitable material of your choice.

Please note: it is strongly advised that you build your base is made slightly larger than the dimensions of the garden building (add approx 30-40mm to each side).

a. Concrete Base Method

This method is strongly recommended for larger garden buildings.

1. Remove any vegetation from the area where you have chosen to construct your base
2. Use pegs and string to mark out an area for your base. Measure the lengths between opposite angles to ensure the area is square and not slanted. These lengths will be equal if the base is square.
   
   
3. Excavate the ground in the marked out area to around 6” (150mm) deep.
4. Within the excavated area, lay approximately 3” (75mm) of firmly compacted hardcore, scalping or brick rubble to act as a sound foundation and level with compacted sand if appropriate. You may wish to use a rake to aid with the levelling process. Remove the pegs and string. 
   
   
5. By measuring, cutting and fitting timber rails or steel shuttering to the shape of the base, board up the base as portrayed in the diagram. Use a tape measure, spirit level, and tri-square to ensure the base with shuttering is 100% level and square.
   
   
6. You should then lay approximately 3” (75mm) of concrete. Concrete can be produced using either bags of dry mixed concrete with small amounts of water added at a time, or making a mixture of ‘all-in’ ballast, cement and water. For this second alternative, it is mixed in the ratio of 1 part of cement for 5 parts ‘all-in’ ballast. ‘All-in’ ballast is sold in 40kg bags at most building merchants or DIY stores (Note approx 1.25 will be required to produce around 1 cubic foot of concrete). Do not allow the mix to become too wet as this will weaken the concrete.
7. Spread the concrete evenly in the shuttering, taking particular care to push the concrete into the corners and edges. Arguably the best method to lay the concrete is to do it a layer at a time and compact it until the shuttering frame is full. Leave the concrete flush with the top of the framework and smooth it out using either a wooden or plastic float.
   
   
8. The concrete must then be covered over with sheets to allow it to dry naturally. Please note however that the concrete must not be allowed to dry out too quickly and so spraying it with water may be necessary, particularly in warm and dry weather conditions.
9. Once firm and dry the base is now ready for you to begin assembly of your garden building.

b. Paving Slab Method

1. Remove any vegetation from the area where you have chosen to construct your base.
2. Use pegs and string to mark out an area for your base. Measure the lengths between opposite angles to ensure the area is square and not slanted. These lengths will be equal if the base is square.
3. Excavate the ground in the marked out area to around 2.5" (63.5mm) deep. Remove the pegs and string.
   
   
4. Within the excavated area, lay approximately 1.5" (40mm) mix of one part cement to eight parts building sand. This will create a dry sand and cement mix. Level this mix - you may wish to use a rake and a spirit level to aid with the levelling process.
   
   
5. Starting from a corner lay the paving slabs and tap down with a rubber mallet. The surface of the paving slabs should be slightly higher than the surrounding ground to encourage rain water drainage. Use a spirit level to make sure all the slabs are square, level and firmly butted together.
   
   
6. Brush off any excess sand and cement mix - the base is now ready for you to begin assembly of your garden building.

c. Timber Bearers Method

1. Remove any vegetation from the area where you have chosen to contrast your base.
2. Use pegs and string to mark out an area for your base. Measure the lengths between opposite angles to ensure the area is square and not slanted. These lengths will be equal if the base is square.
3. Excavate the ground in the marked out area to around 2" (50mm) deep. Remove the pegs and string.
4. Within the excavated area, lay approximately 1.5" (40mm) gravel or soil. Level this mix - you may wish to use a rake and a spirit level to aid with the levelling process..
   
   
5. Lay either concrete floor bearers or pressure treated (tanalised) timber bearers across the gravel/soil. These should be equally spaced at intervals of approx 400-600mm ensuring they are to run perpendicular to any floor joists which already come built in to your garden building.
6. Make certain that all floor bearers are level with one another by using a spirit level. Use a rubber mallet to tap down the bearers if necessary.
   
   
7. How many floor bearers will I need? 
   This is dependant completely on the size of your shed – here’s a few examples;
   • 6x4 garden building – 4 bearers at 1150mm (4ft) long
   • 7x5 garden building – 4 bearers at 1450mm (5ft) long
   • 8x6 garden building – 5 bearers at 1750mm (6ft) long
   • 10x8 garden building – 6 bearers at 2350mm (8ft) long
   • 
     

Michael.

www.McLDirect.com

JH Mc Loughlin & Co Ltd

Ballymany, Newbridge,

Co Kildare, Ireland.

Tel 045,447291.