HOW DO WE BUILD and PREP for our shed?

[kkl]

Hi all. We are a preschool wanting to erect a shed. we need to prepare the space and lay concrete slabs first, but where to start? how much concrete do we need, which concrete? do we box it? with bricks, or wood? we have limited resources so this is very much a learn on the job kind of thing! 

The shed will be 3mX1.52m. 

Also what tools will we need? 

Any advise would be most appreciated and i will update as we go! 

Thanks!!

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @kkl. It's great to have you join us and many thanks for your question.

Here are some helpful step-by-step D.I.Y. tutorials on how to build formwork, how to mix concrete and how to level concrete which I trust you'll find useful in laying your shed slab.

Generally, you'll start by clearing the area of all debris and levelling it. If the ground is not solid it can be worth compacting the area with a machine. Once the area has been prepared you will install timber formwork of sufficient height for your slab. This formwork can either be rigid scrap timber or you can cut strips of Specrite Formply F17 1800 x 1200 x 17mm Plywood and secure them in place with Growies 50 x 50mm 450mm Hardwood Steel Cap Garden Stake 6 Pack.

I would advise positioning some Whites On-Site 1800 x 1050 x 5mm Light Duty Reo Mesh on Whites On-Site 50-65mm Plastic Reinforcing Bar Chairs 100 Pack in the middle of the slab to prevent it from cracking.

The amount of concrete you'll need can be worked out once you decide on the thickness of your slab. A suitable thickness for a shed slab would typically be 100mm. In your case that would be 0.5 cubic meters of concrete or 54 x Australian Builders 20kg Concrete Mix Bags. 

Some tools you'll find useful in laying a concrete slab are a concrete mixer, gloves, safety glasses, wheelbarrow, shovel, screed, float, tape measure, level, and buckets.

Please let me know if you need further information or had any questions.

Mitchell.

[kkl]

WOW! thank you! its a bit overwhelming HAHA.... does it work out better to use the wooden floors that can be purchased? or do those still need the concrete base?

[MitchellMc]

Hi @kkl,

It can certainly seem a bit overwhelming but I just wanted to outline the whole procedure for your reference. We are always here to provide advice and encouragement whenever you need it. Might I suggest you put out the word to the parents of the children attending to see if there are any handypersons, builders, landscapers and carpenters that could lend a hand with the project?

Another option for assistance, if you are a not-for-profit preschool, would be to approach your local Bunnings store to see if they could help with the costs of the project. 

Installing timber floors would most likely be more work than laying a slab and comes with its own set of requirements. An alternative to a slab would be concrete pavers as they would cut down the amount of preparation work required. Community member @BrendanB recently posted about their Absco shed built on block pavers which shows some great detail on the preparation they did.

@Adam_W has also posted an article on How to lay paving for a path and although he is using bricks a similar process will be used for larger concrete pavers.

Mitchell

[Adam_W]

Hi @kkl ,
Yes, the process for concreting always sounds complex but fact is it's actually pretty simple - clear, level, compress, build form-work, position steel, pour.
Timber could be an option but do bear in mind that concrete will give you the most waterproof/damp-proof option.
Maybe have a look at this video of mine from a few years back where I lay a timber floor for a greenhouse. This sort of technique could work for you.

https://youtu.be/zl42nHerP2Y