Low cost shed base

I need a base for a garden shed but whats the cheapest and best way to lay a base down? The shed is 8ft x 6ft and want to lower costs by laying the base myself. Any advice would be appreciated.

Asked by duncan on 31st Mar 2020
Expert Trade Answers
"Hi there, there’s a few things I would say. First of all dig it out by hand, cost of digger for a day will be throwing money away. 4 inches of concrete will be completely fine. Knocked up by hand with a couple of bulk bags of ballast and some cement. Shuttering for the base, would be dependant on if you wanted the base to be out of the ground or ground level, all dependent on garden level.

I would use 4x2 timber with pegs every 5ft to hold it nice and tight, and easily removed when concrete has gone off.

For the sub base I would get a bulk bag of stone or type 1 mot/ rubble to spead in sub base as just mud will definitely NOT be any good.

I can give you a price if you like i can be a 1 man band and do it myself and won’t charge through the roof.

I hope this can help.

Kindest regards

Mark"
Answered on 31st Mar 2020 - Member since Mar 2020 - report
"Hi,
To make a garden shed base, I would suggest making a wooden frame the size of the base you wish to create, this can be dug into the ground however much you wish.

If you level the frame, making sure that you leave it at a slight fall so the water will run off, it’s then just a matter of filling with a concrete mix of ballast and cement being sure to pack it into the corners, you can use a concrete float to create a smooth surface, or the backside of a landscaping rake to create a non-slip surface.

So long as the frame is filled to the top, you will have a level base to place your garden shed in 24 hours or once the concrete mix is set.
This is by far the easiest method I have found to create a cheap level shed base.
Kind regards, Mike"
Answered on 31st Mar 2020 - Member since Feb 2018 - report
"A good garden shed base is some council flags or other flags on FB market (sometimes you can get them free) and lay the flags into the sand.

That's the cheapest option."
Answered on 31st Mar 2020 - Member since Jun 2019 - report
"Concrete or slab base would be the cheapest garden shed base, can get the big old council slabs for next to nothing, depends on your experience though, a concrete base is probably easier to get right the first time."
Answered on 31st Mar 2020 - Member since Dec 2019 - report
"The best shed base is concrete.
Use 4x2 wood to make the frame, spikes to level and fix into place. Then add the concrete using another piece of wood scrape the concrete back and forth until complete and level."
Answered on 3rd May 2020 - Member since Jan 2020 - report
"Lay the shed on a second hand flagged base. 3x2 flags you would need 8 flags, 5 bags of building sand, 1 bag of cement. Lay it on a dry mix :)"
Answered on 1st Apr 2020 - Member since Oct 2019 - report
"YouTube will help you!! :) lots of UK videos on there for tutorials on how to lay a shed base... Either make it out of wood, or fill frame with concrete and level it off! With concrete you will have to work out the volume required... It's not as hard as it may look, very easy and simple job to complete... Just be patient and take your time.... Best of luck"
Answered on 31st Mar 2020 - Member since Oct 2019 - report
"Get some offcuts of timber to make a frame to the required size and depth! Use sand around the edges to keep the concrete within the frame
Pour it and pull back with some timber on your frame as a guide for your level then leave till water starts to rise then get a float and gently float it off"
Answered on 24th Jan 2022 - Member since Mar 2019 - report
Find Tradespeople, compare up to 3 quotes!
It's FREE and there are no obligations
Ask a Trade
Got a question that only a tradesperson can answer? We have thousands of trades ready to answer any question you may have.
Ask your question
Ask a Trade

Are you looking for advice on a DIY project or have a question for our tradespeople?

We'll email your question to tradespeople who are skilled in your chosen category.

Your question will be made public - please do not include any personal details.

{{ first(ask.errors)[0] }}

By continuing you agree to the Community Guidelines.

Report Content

{{ first(reportForm.errors) }}

Thank you

Your report has been created and will be investigated shortly.

Ready to get a price for your home improvement project?
Get started

Over 1 million homeowners and over 50,000 tradespeople
use MyJobQuote nationwide each year