I’m looking to build a 6m by 3m shed in the back garden. It will be jammed in between 3 neighbours’ gardens, so it will have to be less than 2.5m high. Roof will most likely be a low grade pitch with corrugated plastic (so not heavy). My budget for this is very small, so I’d need to recycle old materials as much as possible. I have a good amount of reclaimed bricks, and a friend has an old pre-cast concrete panel garage, which I could potentially have as well. I don’t think it will be large enough, so I might end up using a combination of both. Which is fine for me as any neighbour (incl. me) would only see 1 side anyway.
I am clueless as to what to do with the foundations, so I was hoping for some help. I don’t need planning or building permission, and since it’s only a shed I guess I can do whatever works. Which for me would be whatever is cheapest. Access to the rear garden is limited, and pumping concrete expensive. So that’s a no-go. Mixing concrete in the back garden is not impossible, but will be back breaking. So I’d like to keep the amount of concrete needed down.
I have plenty of hardcore and ideally I’d like to use some of the bricks to do some sort of masonry foundations, covered with a small amount of concrete if needed. Or use some of the pre-cast concrete panels. Or really anything to keep the amount of concrete I would have to use down. Any advice on how I would be able to achieve this would be greatly appreciated!
NOTE: I’d like to stick bricks or a very thin layer of concrete and DPC down on the floor anyway to keep my tools dry.
Best Answer
If you'd like to minimize use of concrete, don't use any. I have 4 sheds that have been sitting for 14 years on sections of pressure treated wood, set on top of the ground - and a 5th that's on 4 pressure treated wood posts set into the ground. No concrete at all. Wooden floors (not pressure treated - only the ground-contact wood is PT.)
Nice and dry.