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Should I anchor my shed?

28K views 17 replies 7 participants last post by  Red Squirrel  
#1 ·
I'm building a shed and I want it to be fairly easily movable in case I want to move it in the future, so it's being built on top of 3 6x6 which sit on deck blocks that I leveled out. I decided to save work by not going below frost line so I'll just shim as required when it settles. Basically city told me I can't build it against the fense due to easement yet all my neighbour's sheds are there. They're on super crackdown mode on bylaws right now so when that slows down I might move it to line up with the neighbours so it does not look so out of place.

Problem is, we get lot of random wind bursts here so I'm wondering if I need to anchor it to avoid it getting tipped over by the wind or do you think a typical shed would be heavy enough to not be an issue? Not really sure how strong the bursts actually are, maybe 100km/h for like half a second? Total guess though. I just know when they hit, the house makes lot of noise. It's like it's being hit by a truck. Trees outside will be bending and shaking violently for maybe 1 second then it stops and goes back to calm. These bursts hit without warning every now and then.

This is the base now:



Idea of this base is that the 6x6 is not really considered as part of the shed, it's just a solid level surface for the triple 2x6 beams to sit on while concealing the blocks for aesthetics (probably put lattice around or something). I want to be able to move it if ever I choose to so I would jack it up, take the 6x6 out and place them in the new location, level them, and then drop shed on top. But then I'm also wondering if I should find a way to anchor it but need to be able to easily unanchor it so if I put tie downs from the beams once the floor is in it would be hard to undo them. Or would filling the centre joist cavity with concrete actually weigh it down enough so it has a lower centre of gravity? Or am I worrying too much and can I just leave it as is? The shed will be 2x4 construction with 1/2" plywood sheeting. I will probably double up the floor.
 
#3 ·
If the 6x6s are treated for ground contact I would have removed the grass and set them on the dirt. I think you have built that frame a little over kill. no actually a lot over kill.
You can join to the beams with twisted hurricane tie inside and or flat straps on the outside.
Ask the neighbors what they have done for anchoring, they have what works.
 
#5 ·
Their sheds are on cement pads, I was thinking of going that route but I went with a floating design so it can be movable, and way cheaper. For a proper cement pad you need a footing that goes below frost line etc so it can get complicated fast. I was thinking of putting the beams directly on the ground too but figured even though it's PT I don't really want it directly in moisture.

Though now that I think about it maybe I can anchor the 3 beams down then I can anchor shed to the end of the beams with straight ties. Then if I want to move the shed I can just pull the ties out. Then the shed would be placed on it's new base and then I'd have access to the ties for the existing 3 beams and just pull them out.
 
#4 ·
What would be the best way to do it so I can easily move it? If I do it that way once the floor is in then I won't be able to access it. I guess I could put a floor hatch and then can have lengths of chain from the anchors to the joists. How is this normally done on a building that may need to be moved?
 
#10 ·
So I went to Home Depot and they didn't have anything but also ran into someone I know and between him and staff we figured a wood shed really does not need to be anchored here and most people don't bother as it's heavy enough especially with all the stuff in it. They said even the vinyl prebuilt ones they sell arn't usually anchored even when installed by customers. The ones outside just have a couple concrete blocks in it and that's it. So guess I may be over estimating these winds. The houses around are higher too, so it does take the brunt of it, the shed being lower will probably not see the wind as hard as the house does.

When I think about it my parent's shed is not anchored either, and it's been there since I was a little kid. It's crooked now, but that's because of frost heave over the years and it settling.

So decided to proceed without doing it, though if I feel inclined after the fact I might look at a way to anchor it after from under or the sides. I can probably get those auger anchors as a special order. I guess I could drive them from the sides as close as I can to the wall then anchor it to the sides as suggested.
 
#12 ·
You did not say how big the shed will be.

In 2003, I built a 10x12 ft shed with 8-ft walls. The floor is 2x6 PT joists 16-in OC covered with 3/4 in PT plywood. The walls are wood framing with T-111 siding and the gable roof is shingled over OSB sheathing.

The whole thing sits on 30 concrete pier blocks which is on a gravel base. We have had numerous storms over the years, a couple near tropical storm strength, and I have had no issues at all with the shed moving.
 
#13 ·
I agree with the weight of the shed, it may never move. One of my clients bought one of those metal carports. Installers just drove 2' of rebar with a washer welded on the end into the ground. Client gets horrible winds off the mountain and into their valley. I had to install augers and cables just to keep it from parachuting into the next county.
 
#17 ·
8 x 12.5? Plywood and lumber comes in units divisible by 4 so that extra .5' is going to be a real hassle and cost extra due to all the cut off material.
As far as anchoring, look at all the stuff blown around this week in Florida and the Caribbean. If you're getting those kinds of winds, then heck yeah you need to secure it! But, if you're in a milder climate and the shed is protected you can probably get away without it. You have to make that call based on your own wind exposure.
 
#18 ·
Oh yeah we don't get hurricanes or tornadoes here so it's not quite that extreme. Not much you can really do to protect from that given it will lift cars right off the ground. If your building stays in place, it's the debris that gets it.

And yeah now that you mention it that extra .5 foot might be an issue as 12 is divisible by 4 so I em left to make a 6" cut. Though with some creativity I'll figure that out. Don't have to do 4' increment cuts the whole way, just need to follow the 16" OC increments. Either way any scraps I end up with will be rectangular and clean so I'll find a use for them.