Shed base tips

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mrk

mrk

mrk

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I've bought a big metal shed, just under 10ft by 10ft. It is going on grass so the base needs to be well sorted!

I have done some research and come up with the following after speaking to garden centres etc:

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Items:
10ft x 10ft Base Kit (includes panels + membrane):
https://www.thegardenrange.co.uk/p/garden-base/shed-base/shed-base-kit-10ft-x-10ft
£199.75

MOT Type 1 sub-base stones:
5x https://www.wickes.co.uk/Tarmac-Granular-Sub-Base-Mot-1-Jumbo-Bag/p/131895
(Each bag is approx. 800KG, 4000KG is needed)
£313.50

Gravel to fill the base kit panels, optional:
3x https://www.wickes.co.uk/Tarmac-10mm-Gravel-Pea-Shingle---Major-Bag/p/131882
£15.75

Concrete slabs:
48x https://www.wickes.co.uk/Marshalls-Richmond-Smooth-Natural-Paving-Slab-450-x-450-x-32-mm/p/144650
£182.40

Total: £711.40 before discounts
Discounts: 7% Wickes via gift card discount + 0.85% cashback via TopCashback
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My question is, would people do anything different here? The base kit listed first is basically a sure go, everything else is swappable I guess if the effectiveness of the replacement is almost as good but the cost can be reduced even further. The shed is mostly being used to store the usual garden stuff and car care stuff/bikes.

Cheers!
 
Are you sure you need the slabs? I thought they wouldn't be needed if you have a plastic base. Also, I don't know anything about building shed bases, but 4,000 kg of type 1 sounds like a lot to me
 
The shed itself has no floor, so I'd be placing flooring on it either way, I figured the best way would be to use concrete slabs and then fix the shed to the slabs. The alternative is wood panels instead I guess? Or do you mean just fix the shed onto the plastic base, then lay the flooring on the inside as I was planning on anyway with a liner or similar suitable for shed use?

The 4000KG was calculated with an aggregate calculator and confirmed by the garden centre, the stuff weighs a lot and once spread out, racks up I was told. They recommended 150mm for the type 1 depth!
 
alexakasloth said:
Looks good!
I think you could save a few pounds by buying the grids from ecodeck on eBay and membrane from Screwfix/Wickes etc

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GRAVEL-G...p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

£50 for 20 grids / 5sqm

Weed membrane shouldn't be more than £15.

I used those for my 8ft X 6ft shed and filled with 10mm gravel, it's solid.
Click to expand...

Assuming I get the 10 sq/m pack option which is what I'd need, that's £89, a decent saving for essentially the same thing, cheers! Membrane seems to be around £15 everywhere too so can jus get that on its own.
 
Found AMS who do just that, they are closed now but will ring tomorrow cheers!
 
You can save even more money by finding a local warehouse place and asking if they have any plastic pallets they don't want. Bury those and fill with gravel.
 
Surely you need a concrete slab for one of those metal floorless sheds as they need to be bolted down to it. Next door used to have one and they had to have a slab created.
 
mrk said:
My question is, would people do anything different here? The base kit listed first is basically a sure go, everything else is swappable I guess if the effectiveness of the replacement is almost as good but the cost can be reduced even further. The shed is mostly being used to store the usual garden stuff and car care stuff/bikes.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Interested as I need to build a bigger shed as the last one was to house my ride on mower (only just fits). Its really only for kids bikes and usual shed stuff. Trying not to spend a ton on it, may have to get ghetto again.
 
Cheers all, some good suggestions to check out. Ultimately it seems local merchants cannot match the online prices I've found already but will keep searching, got that other place t ring tomorrow I guess so maybe that will be suitable, if not Wickes it is.

As for concrete slabs, I was told slabs are fine as you can still secure it down into slabs using the fixing bolts.

The aggregate is the bulk of the cost too, so if that can be say halved by going used, then that would be a big saving on its own.
 
mrk said:
Cheers all, some good suggestions to check out. Ultimately it seems local merchants cannot match the online prices I've found already but will keep searching, got that other place t ring tomorrow I guess so maybe that will be suitable, if not Wickes it is.

As for concrete slabs, I was told slabs are fine as you can still secure it down into slabs using the fixing bolts.

The aggregate is the bulk of the cost too, so if that can be say halved by going used, then that would be a big saving on its own.
Click to expand...

Try and find where local builders/driveway contractors are tipping off their old concrete/ bricks etc...
These are crushed and resold.
We can buy 40mm crushed concrete for £20 per tonne.
Mot type 1 is usually about £45 per tonne
There is usually also a local company that will deliver sand, ballast type 1 etc... these also usually have crushed concrete ( you will want the smaller crush concrete, not the bigger stuff)
Google aggregate suppliers near me (try the smaller guys first)
I would also say 100mm deep is more than enough for a shed base
1 tonne will do 10m2 at 50mm deep, so 2 tonne will be enough
 
Cheers that sounds very promising! Looks like I have some more searching around to do :D
 
Well the grid pack (10m/sq) has been ordered, £89 with a suitably sized membrane sheet which was actually £23. That's still saved a chunk by not getting the kit above at £200.

Next up is the aggregate. Will have to phone them Monday. Seems like the total price from my OP could very well be halved without compromising the end result!
 
Total price so far has come down to £463.12, quite a big saving from the original tally!

Now the only big expense in that total are the concrete slabs for the floor, if there is an alternative anyone can recommend for that then I'm all ears but I think I just need to decide on whether I should use concrete slabs or deck it out with wood beams I guess. Affixing the shed walls to wood would obviously be easier than concrete, but concrete would be tougher...
 
We replaced my mums sheds for metal years ago. I'd avoid wood as the base, as half the benefit of metal sheds is zero maintenance. Would you secure the slabs to the base with mortar?
 
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