Shed Foundation Kit Frame ! Do I need one?
How do you use a Shed Foundation kit for my Metal Canberra or Duramax
Emerald Shed? For Details on our Shed
Kits see
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.
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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.
JH Mc Loughlin & Co Ltd
Ballymany, Newbridge,
Co Kildare , Ireland .
Tel 045,447291.