I'm building a woodshed, 8 x 16. Posts will be 4 x 4 or 6 x 6, set in concrete. Floor joists will be 2 x 6's, 16" on center. Floor will be 3/4 ply. All pressure treated. I was thinking 6 posts total. I plan on storing six cord in it. By my calculations, the weight would be 140 lbs/sqft (one cord= 3000lbs; 18,000lbs divided by 128sqft). This should be enough support in the floor, you think?
Building woodshed, is this enough support?
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jebatty
Minister of Fire
What's the benefit of putting a floor in a woodshed? Why not use landscape timbers setting on leveled ground, or with a solid concrete block underneath, to support the stacks? You want lots of airflow through a woodshed.
bartlett920
New Member
That is plenty of support just make sure you use joist hangers or blocks in between joists to nail from the side. You should be fine I agree with jebatty though you really dont need a floor in a woodshed.
stanleyjohn
Minister of Fire
I just finished my woodshed a week ago and agree with others that a floor isnt really needed for storing wood piles.I placed landscape timbers on cement blocks and will be storing the wood on that.I built alittle moat around 3 sides of my shed to channel any water around it and this keeps the ground inside hard and dry.
Thanks for the replies- I should have stated this in the original post- it's on pretty sloping ground, going down front to back about three feet. Believe me, I wouldn't put in a floor unless I had to.stanleyjohn said:
steam man
Minister of Fire
brooktrout said:
Hold on there!! I think you better check out the weight of various species of wood. Go to: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/weigt-wood-d_821.html Let's say your wood weighs 5000#/cord. That works out to about 234# sqft. The typical floor design which you are using is rated to about 40# sqft. You can get away with more weight if it is a dead load vs a live one. I got to tell you, I would consider putting probably two more beams down the middle with at least 4 supports/beam. I am sure you can find some calculations for floor load design calculations online. This is a one shot deal-get it right the first time.
Mike
jebatty said:
The answer is embedded in your question. Where my shed went up, not only is the ground not level, but it's also a whole lot of solid rock...pretty much impossible to make level. We had to use an electric jackhammer to get some of the holes dug to set the pier pads down into. My shed is built pretty much liike you'd build a wooden deck, with extra wide spaces between deck boards, and up off the ground on the west side where the prevailing wind comes from. Plenty of air flow through it, to which I can attest from all the time I'm spending in there staining/sealing the inside surfaces. Rick
8' feet wide I think you'll be fine.
10 ' you might consider 6 piers under skid joists 18 to 24 inches in from the sides to better support the center.
that length you might want to use doubled perimeter joists on the long runs and the ends.
I'd want a peir every 8 feet (3 to a side)
Do your taxes increase on non-movable yard structures ?
Roof, snow and wall weight on those piers ?
(might want 6x6)
10 ' you might consider 6 piers under skid joists 18 to 24 inches in from the sides to better support the center.
that length you might want to use doubled perimeter joists on the long runs and the ends.
I'd want a peir every 8 feet (3 to a side)
Do your taxes increase on non-movable yard structures ?
Roof, snow and wall weight on those piers ?
(might want 6x6)
Starting my shed today. The 4x4 posts will be on pier blocks. I don't trust sinking posts in the ground and don't want to end up finding them rotten in 5-10 years. Fire wood will be stacked on palettes or landscape timbers. It will be built on the KISS principle. It's a woodshed, not a brick outhouse.
Elderthewelder
Minister of Fire
verne
Member
putting pressure treated for ground contact in the ground is fine , but never pour concrete around them. concrete holds the moisture next to the timber, back fill with stone or sand.
Yeah those doo-dads are handy, elder...provided you have ground you can actually hammer something into other than a rock hammer. We all have our different challenges to face, and different ideas on what the end product should look like where it sits on the property. In the end, they're all just "hard tarps" to facilitate our woodburning. Some are quite simple, others are relatively elaborate. Whatever the configuration, so long as it keeps wood off the ground and protects it from precipitation and pleases the owner/woodburner, then it's a good woodshed. Rick
jpl1nh
Minister of Fire
I could not agree more! I don't want it to fall down and it would be nice if it looked fairly decent but....IT'S A WOODSHED!! I'm just finishing my third pallet wood shed. Total cost runs me under $200 and 75% of that cost is the roof. That's the important part. Rest assured, no engineers were enlisted in the construction of these sheds.BeGreen said:
Carl
New Member
BeGreen said:
Ah BeGreen, you finally got brave and took the plunge. Super decision and you will be very happy this coming winter everytime you get wood for the house.
stanleyjohn
Minister of Fire
BeGreen said:
Nice Birdie! Im hoping your going to be snaping some pics of the shed in progress and complete.
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