[will04]

I'm building a shed and will be using concrete blocks as my piers. My question is what is the easiest way to make sure all the blocks are level with one another (I know using a level and string line) but I'm assuming in order to have all my piers level with one another each footing will be different in thickness?The area I will be building my shed is on a slight slope. I'll be digging footers for the blocks, I just don't want to end up having to shim each pier if I can help it. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks

 

[ZTMAN]

any reason why you dont want to use a sonotube.

 

[will04]

I'm only finding sonotubes in 4' lengths. I wanted to use sonotubes and then use a laser level to cut them all level. but my frost line is around 3.5' and I'm only finding the tubes in 48" lengths.

 

[Daniel Holzman]

You say you are building a shed, and you are considering supporting it on concrete placed using sonotubes. And frost is 3.5 feet, so presumably you want to go down 3.5 feet with your footers, and stick up perhaps 6 inches above grade. So that would be four feet, which is the length of a sonotube. So I don't understand what the problem is.

 

[gregzoll]

You can get longer ones at a concrete yard. 4' is standard for piers.

Personally just use an auger to bore the hole and then use a shovel to cut out on the sides a angle to give the piers a footer to keep them from lifting.

 

[carpdad]

Stake and hold the tubes up to the string. The tubes are hanging and the concrete just dumps into the hole. Using posts are easier and cheaper than using longer tubes then cutting them.

 

[will04]

You say you are building a shed, and you are considering supporting it on concrete placed using sonotubes. And frost is 3.5 feet, so presumably you want to go down 3.5 feet with your footers, and stick up perhaps 6 inches above grade. So that would be four feet, which is the length of a sonotube. So I don't understand what the problem is.

My building is on a slope so although the 6" that would be leftover would work on one end it would not on the other I'd have to do some shimming.
I'm sure I could find a way to make them work though.

 

[gregzoll]

Will04 You can use the adjustable brackets to level out the shed. You would then be able to use them to anchor the shed to the piers, so that it would not move during high winds.

 

[SeniorSitizen]

When building on a slope, address the rain water management first then build rather than building and then attempt to correct that inevitable problem.

 

[WhatRnsdownhill]

I'm only finding sonotubes in 4' lengths. I wanted to use sonotubes and then use a laser level to cut them all level. but my frost line is around 3.5' and I'm only finding the tubes in 48" lengths.

just buy some extra sonotubes and cut and connect them ontop of the others..a few wraps of duct tape and they are secure for pouring concrete in them..

 

[ChuckTin]

I like Grezoll's solution. Figure out where your "highest" corner will be.
This will be your shallowest hole. Approx 4' deep _plus_ a reversed taper cavity at the bottom, as a footer, that you will have to cut by hand.
Now layout where your lowest corner will fall. This will be 4' deep, the same reverse taper at the bottom for the footer _and_ another piece of Sonotube sufficient to bring the rim of the lowest and the highest Sonotube corner level with each other.
The other Sonotube will be the same length as the one you put in the lowest corner or a little less.
And if you choose the right hardware to join the Sonotube piers to your floor joists there will be some flexibly there to make up for error.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

 

[FatGans]

I'm building a shed and will be using concrete blocks as my piers.

How big will be your shed?
I built 12x14 shed on deck blocks using adjustable deck supports.

 

[FatGans]