This was a really good product to use as a shed base and I would happily use it again, I hope this has helped you decide on your purchase or given you an idea on how to build a shed base
Had planned to install a small shed base myself but other videos I watched scared me off as they were all using heavy men with heavy machinery for digging and compacting etc - and I cannot afford men and machines! Your video has encouraged me to give it a go. Thanks :)
Thank you for your instructional video, it was very useful. I've just removed an old 8'x6' shed to make way for my new 16'x6' shed, being delivered this week. The ground is uneven and there are some large concrete slabs where the old shed base was. I'm not sure whether to remove these slabs and start from scratch or leave the slabs as is because they are solid and higher the ground without the slabs with sand and stone to put my plastic grid on top. A bit of a headache!
No wouldn't do anything different, it's all lasted well and no problems. The shed base was a pressure treated one on ours as they would last much better.
Ah sorry I can't help with that, as we just got bags of gravel from someone who was getting rid of their driveway!! The website we got the grids from might be able to advise. Good luck, it's a great shed base
Thank you, I'm going to be doing this with a 10 x 6 this week and I haven't a clue what I'm doing and I'm not allow concrete so this should be perfect for an idiot like myself
Might be a stupid question but I'm looking to do this and the shed itself has no flooring included so can I use something like plywood to put inside the shed as flooring on top of the foundation?
Ideally you want an air gap between the floor of the shed and the foundation, even if it is gravel. Water will evaporate out of the ground and condense on the bottom surface of the shed. Having some airflow under the shed minimises this. You can use plywood/osb but you want to use a grade that is for outside use. Even though it is the floor, technically it is outside. Depends how much effort you want to put in, some will just use one layer; Some will use the one layer, then a waterproof membrane and then add floor tiles or some other kind of flooring so you arent walking directly on the external wood.
Thanks for the video. I assume that you directly put the plastic base on top of the gravel. Won't it cause the plastic base to crack or break over time ? Or did you use something on top of the gravel before laying the base that comes with the shed.
We're going to be building the same foundation this weekend. Isn't the shed anchored to the base in any way? I'm afraid our shed will move when there's a storm.
Not a stupid question 😀 gravel is uneven and won't create a flat base, so can make the shed unstable or break it. The gravel inside this plastic base allows airflow and water to drain away from the wood 👍
You can secure it by putting some bottom plate 2x4s around inner perimeter of the floor, then using very long, large lag bolts into the soil or something similar
@craigcolahan no because that would be rude! Shed base acts as a soakaway, but we've even added a gutter with waterbutt system to collect water for the plants
People like you with no nuanced understanding of things. It was a legitimate concern not a Karen outburst. Maybe they hadn't thought about it, doesn't hurt to bring it to their attention. Not everything needs to be complaining over a nothing @@dmiikkeeyy. By your logic no one would bring up any possible issues for fear of being called a Karen.
If you look on amazon or ebay there are a million types of these bases to choose from. Local DIY stores may have some too, but usually there will only be once type.
If you check out the company you can see how much the plastic shed base pieces for your own area are www.thegardenrange.co.uk/p/garden-bases/shed-base/plastic-shed-base-panel/ - The stones were free for collection on Facebook!
I would second Renovation Bay-Bee's reply. Your shed manufacturer might say it may well be ok for directly laying on to the soil but it will definately rot out faster and be vunlerable to mould, rodents, beetles and other things that live in the soil, I speak from experience here, so best to get up out off the soil and have a shed that will last twice as long! Bare soil also has a tendancy to compress under weight and you may find that that nice level shed you once had doesn't stay level for long!
When they say 'flat ground' they probably mean on a patio. You should not put a wooden shed onto turf without doing anything to the ground. At the very least you need to remove all the grass and put down a weed membrane. You can just drop a shed onto an existing patio without needing to do anything else.
I think he means the gravel being put under the panels. Most examples don’t show that. Just the ground being dug out, membrane being put down then panels down. I have wondered myself though should I put a more solid base under the panels like in this video.
@@rhodrijones5161 Yes. no need for all that gravel. The panels ARE effectively the sub base. Even filling the panels with gravel before sitting the shed on top is unnecessary.
You make that digging look far too easy! Try that on my sticky clay and see how far you get! especially when its dried out to the consistancy of concrete! Oh well... no pain , no gain!
Ohhhh yes I see he did do all the work, thank you for letting me know!! I will let my back surgeon know that I have an amazing husband that doesn't allow me to pick up heavy bags of gravel that will ruin the surgery he has done on my spine, as he really doesn't want to see me again anytime soon.
To me, it looked like there was a gap between the shed roof and the fence, so it wasnt over hanging into the neighbours garden. Would be an easy job to fit a gutter at the back and direct the water somewhere else, if you are worried about it.
@@Ironbuket The bigger issue is getting behind to do any maintenance such as re-treatment if the shed is timber. I inherited a shed with this issue when I moved. The shed I installed on the patio I made sure I could get around and fitted gutters over the door and rear only as it was a pent style.
@@madcockney It's an interesting point, your local authority will stipulate a number of regulations for positioning of a shed. Usually, it is required to be at least 1 meter away from a neighbouring fence / border, which can be seen as excessive and not practical in many gardens and places, and many examples where this is not followed. There can be subtle variations of the requirements per local authority. Practically, 50-75cm should be a minimum for a number of reasons. They will also stipulate the eaves height limit and distance from the fence/border, whilst the overall ridge height is also limited (ridge height not an issue in this example by the looks of it, its well within the limits). It's not just the run off and draining you need to be concerned about, its heavy rain bouncing back across the border from the roof (yes, sadly these things are often concerns in council regulations, but can actually be something of an issue and nuisance depending on the specific local impact to a neighbour), which is why eves height is considered and distance from border. One thing they are within and ok here, is the shed is at least ground level and not raised, as thats another issue the local authority would have an issue with, if there was ever a dispute with the neighbour. Come to sell or neigbour does, any eagle eyed surveyor/inspector may pick up on the location/proximity and recommend to be moved or removed, to avoid disputes. Finally, I hope those fence posts are solid and not needing to be replaced for years, otherwise the base is too close to them, and it will be undermined if a fence post needs digging out and replacing, leading to localised collapse of the base. There's good reason for doing things a certain way and good reason for the positioning requirements and regulations of some things, but it's likely only to become a problem, if you have a neighbour who complains or is impacted in some way. Otherwise, it was a good highlevel walk through and clean job of this type of base.
Plastic panels should be used as a sub base instead of gravel NOT in conjunction with it. Save yourself a bit of money buy not buying any of that gravel! Don't even fill the panel with gravel.
@@RenovationBayBee plenty of them do not say you have to . These are to replace the need for a sub base. That's the whole point. If you want to walk over it then you fill with gravel. Groundsheet, then panels. Then shed.
@@stevecompton6283 I ended up using gravel and sand underneath the plastic but nothing inbetween the base. Just some of the edges with handful of gravel. I was panicking until i saw your comment because i didn’t fill it all. Cheers for letting us know!
This was a really good product to use as a shed base and I would happily use it again, I hope this has helped you decide on your purchase or given you an idea on how to build a shed base
How did you fix the shed to the shed base?
@sscy2736t it's not fixed, it's very very heavy once built, it's not going anywhere!
Had planned to install a small shed base myself but other videos I watched scared me off as they were all using heavy men with heavy machinery for digging and compacting etc - and I cannot afford men and machines! Your video has encouraged me to give it a go. Thanks :)
Oh yes 100% give it a go! Glad it inspired you
The best guide I’ve seen on RUclips so far. All makes sense
Glad it helped, Thanks 😊
Great idea will do the same for a shed I plan to have built
Thanks very much for the video, perfect as we're looking to do the exact same thing! Also you have a voice perfect for ASMR! Thanks again!
Glad the video was helpful for you, good luck with your shed base! It has been said before about the asmr thing 🤣
thank you for nice and easy guide, exactly what I was looking for. Big love ❤
@@fishfaq thanks, glad it was helpful for you 👍
Thank you for your instructional video, it was very useful.
I've just removed an old 8'x6' shed to make way for my new 16'x6' shed, being delivered this week.
The ground is uneven and there are some large concrete slabs where the old shed base was.
I'm not sure whether to remove these slabs and start from scratch or leave the slabs as is because they are solid and higher the ground without the slabs with sand and stone to put my plastic grid on top.
A bit of a headache!
Yes that is a bit of a headache! I think I would start from scratch though as it gives good drainage without the slabs,
@@RenovationBayBee yeah, thanks for the advice, I will do that, but these slabs are huge Mo-Fo's, will take some shifting. 😆
@@257ian lol! Sounds like you've got your work cut out then! Good luck!
I'm confused, wouldn't you lay your weed matting then the interlocking base and *then* fill the base with gravel?
Would you do anything different if you did it again? Would it be a good idea to have a pressure treated ground contact wood base?
No wouldn't do anything different, it's all lasted well and no problems. The shed base was a pressure treated one on ours as they would last much better.
Did you anchor the shed or it just sits floating?
Just the weight of the shed on the base
Just put a grid base down and agree its easy to do and the results are amazing .
Brilliant 👍 glad you liked it too
One of the best videos in regards to doing this
Ah thank you very much 😊
Hi, love the base. Do you think it could be used for a base for decking?
Not sure on that one, you could always ask the company what they think 👍
Great stuff, thanks for sharing. How many kilos of gravel did you need, i'm going for this method myself after watching hours and hours of videos!
Ah sorry I can't help with that, as we just got bags of gravel from someone who was getting rid of their driveway!! The website we got the grids from might be able to advise. Good luck, it's a great shed base
@@RenovationBayBee No worries, thanks for replying :)
Thank you, I'm going to be doing this with a 10 x 6 this week and I haven't a clue what I'm doing and I'm not allow concrete so this should be perfect for an idiot like myself
Yes this is a perfect substitute for concrete amd it really is easy to do 👍
How has the base held up? everything still level?
Perfect 👍
Might be a stupid question but I'm looking to do this and the shed itself has no flooring included so can I use something like plywood to put inside the shed as flooring on top of the foundation?
Ideally you want an air gap between the floor of the shed and the foundation, even if it is gravel. Water will evaporate out of the ground and condense on the bottom surface of the shed. Having some airflow under the shed minimises this. You can use plywood/osb but you want to use a grade that is for outside use. Even though it is the floor, technically it is outside. Depends how much effort you want to put in, some will just use one layer; Some will use the one layer, then a waterproof membrane and then add floor tiles or some other kind of flooring so you arent walking directly on the external wood.
Do you have a video building the shed on the base?
No sorry we don't
@@RenovationBayBeethank you, I managed to make my plastic shed base using pea gravel to fill in the gaps , thanks for the tips.
Thanks I’m doing one tomorrow, very helpful. X
That's great, I'm glad it was useful. Good luck!
Thanks for the video. I assume that you directly put the plastic base on top of the gravel. Won't it cause the plastic base to crack or break over time ? Or did you use something on top of the gravel before laying the base that comes with the shed.
No we just put it on the gravel, and it's all fine 👍
Nice job, you make look easy well done.
Thanks!
Good clear vid, thanks
Thank you
We're going to be building the same foundation this weekend. Isn't the shed anchored to the base in any way? I'm afraid our shed will move when there's a storm.
Nope not anchored in, this shed isn't going anywhere! But we've got so much in it! Lol!
@@RenovationBayBee Thanks for the fast reply! I'm not anchoring it either then, haha. One more question: how thick was the first layer of gravel?
@Zhornax couple of inches I reckon. Enough to cover the membrane and to become more solid
@@RenovationBayBeeThanks again, now we can make it just as sturdy as you did!
Nice summary. Much appreciated video - thanks!
Thank you very much 😊
Brilliant! Thank you!
You're very welcome!
Looking to do a plastic shed and have a stupid question..
What is the point of these interlocking plastic bases? Why not just go with just gravel??
Not a stupid question 😀 gravel is uneven and won't create a flat base, so can make the shed unstable or break it. The gravel inside this plastic base allows airflow and water to drain away from the wood 👍
@@RenovationBayBee thank you
Did you use a different grain of gravel for filling in the plastic base to laying the base? Cheers
No its the same gravel 👍
@@RenovationBayBee is a fine gravel you used? Thanks for the reply
@@scummyman69 just the pea shingle type size 👍
Great video 👍 maybe a silly question, but how did you secure the shed to the plastic base?
We didn't, the shed is so heavy it won't go anywhere!
This question has been on my mind for so long! 😅
Ok, fingers crossed, about to buy mine from DunsterHouse now! (garden shed and plastic base)
Except if you live in a hurricane or tornado prone area. Just put mine up. Need to figure this out.
You can secure it by putting some bottom plate 2x4s around inner perimeter of the floor, then using very long, large lag bolts into the soil or something similar
Thank you
Does the rain water from your shed roof run over into your neighbours' property?
@craigcolahan no because that would be rude! Shed base acts as a soakaway, but we've even added a gutter with waterbutt system to collect water for the plants
hi, how did you fasten the shed floor to the base?
We didn't, its really heavy so don't think it will go anywhere
Nah,you don’t have to.
Just noticed you've got the rain run-off going into your neighbour's garden! Are they okay with that?
Its ok, it runs into the gravel 👍
Ok Karen
People like you with no nuanced understanding of things. It was a legitimate concern not a Karen outburst. Maybe they hadn't thought about it, doesn't hurt to bring it to their attention. Not everything needs to be complaining over a nothing @@dmiikkeeyy. By your logic no one would bring up any possible issues for fear of being called a Karen.
@@TheycallmeMrWonka three years too late. 😉 have a wonderful day!
Can you tell me where I can buy the plastic base
Its from The Plastic Shed Base Company
If you look on amazon or ebay there are a million types of these bases to choose from. Local DIY stores may have some too, but usually there will only be once type.
I wonder why the roof sheds water over on to the neighbors yard? Setbacks aside, it will destroy the base of the fence and wash out any grass.
It doesn't run onto their side, it runs into the gravel base. Also we plan on installing a gutter and water butt
This is a great alternative to a concrete foundation! Can you share with us the cost of building this foundation? Thank you!
If you check out the company you can see how much the plastic shed base pieces for your own area are www.thegardenrange.co.uk/p/garden-bases/shed-base/plastic-shed-base-panel/ - The stones were free for collection on Facebook!
@@RenovationBayBee that’s fantastic, thank you!!
Thanks 4that clear video guide. A great help. Will this base also work with gulvanised metal sheds I wonder 🤔
Can this base be used for plastic shed too do u know please
I can't see why not
Thank u, did u use pea gravel or does it have a specific name please
I used 10mm pea gravel .
Hi how much gravel did you used?
We got it loose from Facebook but I would say a big bulk bag worth
@@RenovationBayBee thanks
i was told the shed base panels does not need a sub base? just a flat ground.
We put the plastic grid panels directly onto the floor. I didn't want to put my wooden shed floor directly onto the ground as it will rot quicker.
I would second Renovation Bay-Bee's reply. Your shed manufacturer might say it may well be ok for directly laying on to the soil but it will definately rot out faster and be vunlerable to mould, rodents, beetles and other things that live in the soil, I speak from experience here, so best to get up out off the soil and have a shed that will last twice as long!
Bare soil also has a tendancy to compress under weight and you may find that that nice level shed you once had doesn't stay level for long!
When they say 'flat ground' they probably mean on a patio. You should not put a wooden shed onto turf without doing anything to the ground. At the very least you need to remove all the grass and put down a weed membrane. You can just drop a shed onto an existing patio without needing to do anything else.
I think he means the gravel being put under the panels. Most examples don’t show that. Just the ground being dug out, membrane being put down then panels down. I have wondered myself though should I put a more solid base under the panels like in this video.
@@rhodrijones5161 Yes. no need for all that gravel. The panels ARE effectively the sub base. Even filling the panels with gravel before sitting the shed on top is unnecessary.
You make that digging look far too easy! Try that on my sticky clay and see how far you get! especially when its dried out to the consistancy of concrete!
Oh well... no pain , no gain!
Yes this bit of soil was nice a easy!! Our soil is clay further down, and yes it's terrible to dig isn't it!!
Husband did all the work I see
Ohhhh yes I see he did do all the work, thank you for letting me know!! I will let my back surgeon know that I have an amazing husband that doesn't allow me to pick up heavy bags of gravel that will ruin the surgery he has done on my spine, as he really doesn't want to see me again anytime soon.
Bet you neighbours luv you using there garden as your gutter, why put it so tight upto the fence.
It's OK, the gravel is great for that as it acts as a soak away, the water doesn't go near the fence
To me, it looked like there was a gap between the shed roof and the fence, so it wasnt over hanging into the neighbours garden. Would be an easy job to fit a gutter at the back and direct the water somewhere else, if you are worried about it.
@@Ironbuket The bigger issue is getting behind to do any maintenance such as re-treatment if the shed is timber. I inherited a shed with this issue when I moved. The shed I installed on the patio I made sure I could get around and fitted gutters over the door and rear only as it was a pent style.
@@madcockney It's an interesting point, your local authority will stipulate a number of regulations for positioning of a shed. Usually, it is required to be at least 1 meter away from a neighbouring fence / border, which can be seen as excessive and not practical in many gardens and places, and many examples where this is not followed. There can be subtle variations of the requirements per local authority. Practically, 50-75cm should be a minimum for a number of reasons. They will also stipulate the eaves height limit and distance from the fence/border, whilst the overall ridge height is also limited (ridge height not an issue in this example by the looks of it, its well within the limits). It's not just the run off and draining you need to be concerned about, its heavy rain bouncing back across the border from the roof (yes, sadly these things are often concerns in council regulations, but can actually be something of an issue and nuisance depending on the specific local impact to a neighbour), which is why eves height is considered and distance from border. One thing they are within and ok here, is the shed is at least ground level and not raised, as thats another issue the local authority would have an issue with, if there was ever a dispute with the neighbour. Come to sell or neigbour does, any eagle eyed surveyor/inspector may pick up on the location/proximity and recommend to be moved or removed, to avoid disputes. Finally, I hope those fence posts are solid and not needing to be replaced for years, otherwise the base is too close to them, and it will be undermined if a fence post needs digging out and replacing, leading to localised collapse of the base. There's good reason for doing things a certain way and good reason for the positioning requirements and regulations of some things, but it's likely only to become a problem, if you have a neighbour who complains or is impacted in some way. Otherwise, it was a good highlevel walk through and clean job of this type of base.
Plastic panels should be used as a sub base instead of gravel NOT in conjunction with it. Save yourself a bit of money buy not buying any of that gravel! Don't even fill the panel with gravel.
Thats not what the company say who make the plastic panels. I would imagine that crates a stronger base with the gravel in
@@RenovationBayBee plenty of them do not say you have to . These are to replace the need for a sub base. That's the whole point. If you want to walk over it then you fill with gravel. Groundsheet, then panels. Then shed.
@@stevecompton6283 I ended up using gravel and sand underneath the plastic but nothing inbetween the base. Just some of the edges with handful of gravel. I was panicking until i saw your comment because i didn’t fill it all. Cheers for letting us know!