I am planning on building a couple of garden buildings, one 30sqm, and another smaller 'practice shed' that is around 9sqm.
Both are on a hill, the smaller building on a steeper bit of land than the larger one (which is flat-ish mostly).
Due to the location, materials have to be transported by hand, and I can't get anything delivered nearby.
For foundations, I decided to go with solid concrete block piers, as I can move each block by hand, and they are cheap.
As I am on a hill, each pier will be at a different depth/height.
I have spent far too long digging out and putting in blocks, only to then remove them to dig out more to try and get them level. I also realised that once I concrete them together, the more blocks I have, the taller the stack of blocks will be.
One option I have thought about is using the blocks to fill most of the larger holes, and then pour concrete around and over them to get a level starting point for each, then have one block on top to keep the building above the ground. (i.e. the blocks take up space in the hole and mean I don't have to fill with so much concrete). It sounds like it defeats the point of the blocks, but I already have them, and its easier than mixing a lot of concrete (and buying the materials to do so - not feasible to have bulk bags delivered)
Questions:
Are there any clever ways to make sure that once I dig down far enough to hit solid ground, and then build up the blocks (some places need 6, others 1), that they come out level at the top?
How do I handle the concrete between each block altering the finished height (i.e. 6 blocks will have concrete between each, and final height will end up higher than 2 blocks with one course of concrete)
No matter how well I level the blocks, I assume there is no way they will be perfect, what do I do between the blocks and the floor joists for any gaps?
Should I just go with concrete pads, and fill the large holes with the mostly blocks and then pour concrete?
Both are on a hill, the smaller building on a steeper bit of land than the larger one (which is flat-ish mostly).
Due to the location, materials have to be transported by hand, and I can't get anything delivered nearby.
For foundations, I decided to go with solid concrete block piers, as I can move each block by hand, and they are cheap.
As I am on a hill, each pier will be at a different depth/height.
I have spent far too long digging out and putting in blocks, only to then remove them to dig out more to try and get them level. I also realised that once I concrete them together, the more blocks I have, the taller the stack of blocks will be.
One option I have thought about is using the blocks to fill most of the larger holes, and then pour concrete around and over them to get a level starting point for each, then have one block on top to keep the building above the ground. (i.e. the blocks take up space in the hole and mean I don't have to fill with so much concrete). It sounds like it defeats the point of the blocks, but I already have them, and its easier than mixing a lot of concrete (and buying the materials to do so - not feasible to have bulk bags delivered)
Questions:
Are there any clever ways to make sure that once I dig down far enough to hit solid ground, and then build up the blocks (some places need 6, others 1), that they come out level at the top?
How do I handle the concrete between each block altering the finished height (i.e. 6 blocks will have concrete between each, and final height will end up higher than 2 blocks with one course of concrete)
No matter how well I level the blocks, I assume there is no way they will be perfect, what do I do between the blocks and the floor joists for any gaps?
Should I just go with concrete pads, and fill the large holes with the mostly blocks and then pour concrete?
