Photo: Kyle Roxas

Do you need gravel under a shed?

Having the area beneath and around your shed free from vegetation will prevent the base of your shed becoming damp and prone to decay. Drainage – Having the stone beneath the shed will make it easy for any rain or ground water to quickly disperse.

secrets-of-shed-building.com - Why do you need gravel beneath a shed? - Secrets of shed building

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Gravel beneath my shed

by Luis

(OK, USA)

Do I really need stones or gravel under my shed, if I do why is that? Also, how can I keep spiders and bugs from sticking under my shed?

Shedman says:

Hi Luis,

It is a good idea to have stones/gravel under your shed for several reasons. Rats – Having a layer of stone beneath the shed discourages rats as it makes it difficult to build a nest/burrow (see more below). Weeds – Installing a layer of weed suppressant fabric with a 4-6 inch layer of stone on top will discourage vegetation growth. Having the area beneath and around your shed free from vegetation will prevent the base of your shed becoming damp and prone to decay. Drainage – Having the stone beneath the shed will make it easy for any rain or ground water to quickly disperse. It also pays to make sure that there is a slight fall on the base of the excavation and that there is somewhere for the water to escape at the lowest corner. This will mean that water the water can escape and does not ‘pond’ beneath the shed. Damp – Having a layer of stone beneath the shed will enable water to quickly soakaway into the ground. Just to summarise, it is not mission critical if you don’t put that layer of stone beneath your shed but you may experience problems with the above if you don’t. It depends a bit on the type of shed that you have in mind. Finally, I can’t really help you much with the bugs and spiders. ;-) Just joking, you could fit a layer of plywood beneath the shed to minimise spaces where insects could enter and the underside of the shed would be flush too. However, spiders and sheds go together like peaches and cream. You don’t often get one without the other.

All the best

John

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Can I use cinder blocks for a shed foundation?

Now we'll look at a shed foundation type that we don't recommend: shed foundation blocks. The problem with using cinder blocks is that it can create problems with your storage building down the road. This is especially true for larger sheds.

siteprep.com - Shed Foundation Blocks Not a Good Idea | Site Preparations

If you’re preparing to have your shed installed, you’re probably wondering whether you need a foundation for a shed and, if so, what kind of foundation is best for your shed. We’ve already outlined our preferred shed foundation in this article and given an overview of all shed foundation options here. Now we’ll look at a shed foundation type that we don’t recommend: shed foundation blocks. Installing and leveling your shed on cinder blocks might seem like the easiest solution for shed site preparation. After all, there’s little preparation required if your site is already fairly level. All you need to do is make sure the installer has access to a stack of inexpensive cinder blocks. (Note: leveling the ground for a shed is a better solution) The problem with using cinder blocks is that it can create problems with your storage building down the road. This is especially true for larger sheds. We’ll now look at the potential problems and reasons not to use shed foundation blocks.