Hi All,
I would like to install a shed in my garden. I have quite a few bikes plus tools plus garden equipment so I'm considering a reasonably large shed of 12ft x 6ft (3.7M x 1.8M).
The issue I have is that the location where I would like to place the shed is sloping away from the house towards a mini-retaining wall which is 30cm tall.
View media item 106872
Constructing a level concrete base in such circumstances would require a lot of concrete for a DIYer with no mixer and no access to the garden from the front to allow a concrete truck to supply the mix.
This is when I noticed the brick piers left behind by the previous owner. There are 4 in the picture which are 192cm apart parallel to the fence and 136cm apart coming towards you. They're level enough except for the one in the front left of the picture which is 20mm lower.
So I thought I could construct 5 more piers, 2 to extend the length to the side where I've removed the paving slabs on the right of the picture and 3 in the front. I could then install some timbers on top of these piers and screw some sheet material (OSB? Ply?) to the timbers and stick the shed on top.
Does this sound like a viable solution? What dimension of timbers should I use? Can the timbers be laid directly on the piers and be held in place by gravity once the shed is installed?
For the construction of the piers I was proposing to dig a hole 2ft deep, pour in some hand-mixed concrete, level it off and then build off it using bricks and mortar. Does the concrete need to be special for this purpose or can I use a standard 6 parts ballast + 1 part cement?
Do the bricks need to be engineering bricks? For the mortar I've seen a standard mix is 4 parts sharp sand + 1 part cement, is that okay?
Anything else that I've forgotten that is pertinent?
Many thanks for your help
I would like to install a shed in my garden. I have quite a few bikes plus tools plus garden equipment so I'm considering a reasonably large shed of 12ft x 6ft (3.7M x 1.8M).
The issue I have is that the location where I would like to place the shed is sloping away from the house towards a mini-retaining wall which is 30cm tall.
View media item 106872
Constructing a level concrete base in such circumstances would require a lot of concrete for a DIYer with no mixer and no access to the garden from the front to allow a concrete truck to supply the mix.
This is when I noticed the brick piers left behind by the previous owner. There are 4 in the picture which are 192cm apart parallel to the fence and 136cm apart coming towards you. They're level enough except for the one in the front left of the picture which is 20mm lower.
So I thought I could construct 5 more piers, 2 to extend the length to the side where I've removed the paving slabs on the right of the picture and 3 in the front. I could then install some timbers on top of these piers and screw some sheet material (OSB? Ply?) to the timbers and stick the shed on top.
Does this sound like a viable solution? What dimension of timbers should I use? Can the timbers be laid directly on the piers and be held in place by gravity once the shed is installed?
For the construction of the piers I was proposing to dig a hole 2ft deep, pour in some hand-mixed concrete, level it off and then build off it using bricks and mortar. Does the concrete need to be special for this purpose or can I use a standard 6 parts ballast + 1 part cement?
Do the bricks need to be engineering bricks? For the mortar I've seen a standard mix is 4 parts sharp sand + 1 part cement, is that okay?
Anything else that I've forgotten that is pertinent?
Many thanks for your help