Concrete base for summer house

[Keitai]

A mate wants to put a summer house at the end of his garden . Is a concrete base easy to make with shuttering and mixing the cement in a wheelbarrow?

His summer house will be 3 x 4 metres or 3 x 3 metres. It's pretty rough raised ground at the top of his garden where he wants the base to go.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Does your customer know that he has hired someone who is asking how to do to his job by asking questions on a DIY site????

Andy

 

[scbk]

Is he wanting it done during lockdown?
Can you currently get materials?
All the quarries seem to be shut round here (quite rightly too)
And the merchants are either shut or low on stock

 

[d000hg]

Personally a concrete base might be overkill. Lots of people float them a bit like you would decking only a bit beefier. 3x3 isn't very big, I've seen people simply rest fence posts on concrete slabs or concrete these posts in and build on top.

Have you got a link to the cabin?

 

[pach1962]

A mate wants to put a summer house at the end of his garden . Is a concrete base easy to make with shuttering and mixing the cement in a wheelbarrow? View attachment 188230 His summer house will be 3 x 4 metres or 3 x 3 metres. It's pretty rough raised ground at the top of his garden where he wants the base to go.

 

[pach1962]

Best would be a raised base like I have just finished for my shed. A lot easier and better than concrete.

 

[Keitai]

Best would be a raised base like I have just finished for my shed. A lot easier and better than concrete.

Best would be a raised base like I have just finished for my shed. A lot easier and better than concrete.

Easy to make?

 

[d000hg]

I've seen a lot of people do it as a DIY project. Depends on your skills but wood is quite forgiving

 

[pach1962]

It's a lot easier than it looks, getting materials now is a different story, I always use the concrete dek posts from supreme concrete, never rot sold in different lengths, I use stainless steel bolts with dpm inbetween the post and timber frame, on the 3.6 x2.5 base I used 12 posts @£6 each from my local supplier, I have used these on different projects they are sold in different lengths, I always use the 600mm length ones. Make the timber frame mark out the holes set each post in a cement ballast mix. Rock solid and the frame becomes the floor which is ideal for a log cabin.

 

[d000hg]

I'd listen to @pach1962 he's actually done this not just watched others ike me

 

[pach1962]

This is the 3m X 5.5m summerhouse that I built last year on the same principle, 12 concrete dek posts, and the same 4x2 treated timber supporting frame, all off the floor and it's under the 2.5m height limit

 

[Keitai]

This is the 3m X 5.5m summerhouse that I built last year on the same principle, 12 concrete dek posts, and the same 4x2 treated timber supporting frame, all off the floor and it's under the 2.5m height limit

How about this concrete post?

Put them 2 feet into the ground?


Postcrete it in then bolt 4 x2 to it

Would you dig out the rough ground at the top of his garden?

I

 

[motorbiking]

Its pretty easy to do if you can get the materials.

I insulated mine with 100mm polystyrene

 

[pach1962]

There the posts, if the ground is unlevel the depth of the posts allow for depth adjustment, dig the hole approximately 200mm square especially if the ground is soft, the least disturbance the better, the frame this way allows for air flow underneath and no water can get to the frame. It's my personal choice instead of concrete, we live in a small close and deliveries are not easy, but being a carpenter I prefer wood, treated of course.

 

[Keitai]

It's a lot easier than it looks, getting materials now is a different story, I always use the concrete dek posts from supreme concrete, never rot sold in different lengths, I use stainless steel bolts with dpm inbetween the post and timber frame, on the 3.6 x2.5 base I used 12 posts @£6 each from my local supplier, I have used these on different projects they are sold in different lengths, I always use the 600mm length ones. Make the timber frame mark out the holes set each post in a cement ballast mix. Rock solid and the frame becomes the floor which is ideal for a log cabin.

Would postcrete hold these posts? And a normal weed membrane instead of a dpm?