Wood Shed Advice Needed

[walhondingnashua]

I need some opinions on the two ways I am planning on building my wood shed. I am going to build a 30'x10' Pole type shed. I am planning on 3 10'x10' bays with a single slant, shed style roof. I am going to enclose the ends but not the front or back for plenty of air flow and so I can load it or unload it from both sides. Floor will be gravel with pallets to stack wood on.
My debate is this. Do I bother burying posts below the frost line (about 30" here in southeastern ohio) or will I be ok with a floating style, just setting the posts on concrete at or above the ground. if I am going to dig through the clay (all the soil is clay), I will pour footers like with a conventional deck. To be honest, I don't want to do that lol. I would prefer to make it "floating" on the surface. Looking through the wood shed thread, there are a lot of people building like that. I just need someone to tell me that I won't be making a mistake building it that way since it is the way I prefer to do it.
Thanks for all advise in advance.

 

[moresnow]

Definitely update this with progress pics! I am in your shoes. I need a woodshed. I am thinking slab with carport. Extended slab out each end. One end for splitting on (easy cleanup). The other end wood get a small shed to store the saws/splitter etc.

 

[Highbeam]

If you don’t put the posts into the dirt then how do you expect any lateral strength? Won’t the whole thing just blow over?

 

[walhondingnashua]

It is going to be timber-frame type style without the actual mortis and tendons. Just like a basic pole shed with 45 degree braces off the top of the posts. I am going to anchor the posts to the concrete "feet" with steel and bolts.

 

[begreen]

If you don’t put the posts into the dirt then how do you expect any lateral strength? Won’t the whole thing just blow over?

Our has being working for us for almost a decade with posts bolted to pier blocks. It hasn't budged or shifted an inch.

 

[Highbeam]

Without burying posts, the pier pads offer only vertical resistance also known as a pinned connection so you would need to provide something on the sides to lock in the frame. Called bracing. With open sides on the op’s 10x30 he must consider lateral strength.

 

[The.Devo]

I built a 10x20 shed floating on concrete piers. My intention was to stack the wood on pallets but I could lift the shed no problem and worried about wind, so I installed a floor and stacked the wood on that to hold down the fort.

 

[vtwoodheater]

auger some holes, put a cap block in the bottom, set the posts. Plumb, square everything up, backfill.

 

[begreen]

Without burying posts, the pier pads offer only vertical resistance also known as a pinned connection so you would need to provide something on the sides to lock in the frame. Called bracing. With open sides on the op’s 10x30 he must consider lateral strength.

True dat. I added side braces and our shed is a measly 8' x 16', but that easily covers our wood needs.

 

[Vikestand]

I'd do poured pads, pin the vertical posts to the pads. It keeps the wood out of the dirt and will last forever.

 

[Ashful]

Our has being working for us for almost a decade with posts bolted to pier blocks. It hasn't budged or shifted an inch.

Around here, we call that a sail, or a projectile. It’d be your neighbor’s new shed, after the first hurricane.

 

[peakbagger]

I am in high wind zone, in the open, winds can and do flip over storage sheds but I can get away with sheets of tin on top of my woodstacks as they have woods on the prevailing winds side.

Note clay is real PITA if you have frost as the clay expands when it freezes and will lift the posts every season. Even with footers, the frozen clay can also lift up the footers. Only option is install footers below the frost line or excavate the area and put in some well draining gravel. There are also some tricks to do with foam insulation. This video is old but covers the basics on frost heaving

http://www.hotandcold.tv/resources/Frost+Heaves+Primer.pdf

Dick has passed away but Tom is member of hearth.com

 

[walhondingnashua]

I think I am going to pour a concrete base on the surface and set a steel angle iron in the concrete, leaving a foot out to anchor posts to. I'm going to us 8' long, 4" pressure treated fence posts. They are cheaper than dimensional lumber and I think they will last longer. I will post pictures as it progresses.

 

[walhondingnashua]

Have the 8 concrete piers poured. They only go in the ground a few inches to hold the tube until the concrete set. A 3.5’ piece of rebar was pounded in and 6” at the top. The posts will be drilled out and set on the rebar. The posts will be held to the rebar with gorilla glue.

 

[iron]

Have the 8 concrete piers poured. They only go in the ground a few inches to hold the tube until the concrete set. A 3.5’ piece of rebar was pounded in and 6” at the top. The posts will be drilled out and set on the rebar. The posts will be held to the rebar with gorilla glue.

gorilla glue? good luck with that. not sure what the intent is here, but durability is clearly not in your favor.

 

[walhondingnashua]

Posts are up and anchored. Started framing with 2x6s (84 got a bad load so they are straight but half priced). Left side will be 6 or 8 inches lower for fall. Running 12'ers across and then stringers across them. Steel roofing on top.

 

[weatherguy]

gorilla glue? good luck with that. not sure what the intent is here, but durability is clearly not in your favor.

What would be better? I was thinking of anchoring the posts to the wood filled pallets, theres no way I can get concrete posts in the ledgy ground where it's going. I'm going to use what BG used to anchor the posts.

 

[vtwoodheater]

A polyurethane adhesive would work. Even better is a product called brickstik.

 

[Ashful]

What would be better? I was thinking of anchoring the posts to the wood filled pallets, theres no way I can get concrete posts in the ledgy ground where it's going.

Where there’s a will, there’s a jackhammer.

 

[edyit]

jack hammer with an H thread drill rod, oversize the hole, cement threaded rod into it and use an ab44 or ab66 from there.

 

[walhondingnashua]

There is a 3' piece of 3/4 rebar in the middle of those cement tubes. 6" of it above the cement and a hole drilled in center of post. Put gorilla glue in the post hole and set on the rebar. Next day, couldn't pick the posts up so holding well enough for my needs. I am sure there are plenty of other adhesives that would work also.

 

[zig]

Hope it holds for you. Think it would have been better to pin the post to the pier though.

 

[walhondingnashua]

Its been "done" for a few months now. Just never posted a picture. Still want to put rough cut up to close off the back bay for storage.
I figure I can get about 4.5-5 cords in each bay.

 

[BIGChrisNH]

That shed looks great, nice work!