So I'm looking to put a 6x8ft wooden shed on an empty bit of land I have in my garden and I was wondering if laying a few sleepers directly on the dirt would suffice for a base? I've done some reading and lots of people seem to suggest putting down a gravel base, then sand/cement mix and then patio slabs on top, but to me it just sounds like overkill for a shed I'll just be using to store garden stuff. My garden is also very steep so I'd like to avoid having to move a ton of gravel up and down the steps by hand. All I'm worried about really is the sleepers sinking over time.
Sleeper shed base?
- Thread starter ayrton532
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Yeh, a normal garden shed sat on bearers, it'll be fine 
I laid 2' x 3' 'council slabs' on a bed of mortar and used old railways sleepers to sit on top. There is a lot of weight in that shed and it hasn't moved in nearly 7 years.
I wouldn't put the sleepers directly on the soil -- not through fear of rotting, but through fear of them sinking.
I wouldn't put the sleepers directly on the soil -- not through fear of rotting, but through fear of them sinking.
Along the same lines as slabs, we used a plinth system on a large log cabin - several suppliers around but we used https://swiftfoundations.co.uk/
You would potentially only need 4 - same principle as ground screws but they work on distributed load instead of going into the ground so virtually zero impact.
You would potentially only need 4 - same principle as ground screws but they work on distributed load instead of going into the ground so virtually zero impact.
I'd have used some gravel beneath the sleepers at 600 centres or whatever just to be able to get them all level.
I have quite a steep sloping garden, and used a hand auger to make holes at corners and in between. It saved a lot of concrete compared to a flat slab. make a 6" hole to below the frost line, then fill with sand/cement/hardcore. I filled dry and watered them. shed hasnt moved.