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  • The joists will be part of the floor panel (buying sectional).

    You could just throw the shed onto bare earth but you would drastically shorten the lifespan. There are a number of things you can do to prolong the life. Each one with it's own benefits and the different combinations/extremes come with differing diminishing returns.

    Level foundation - I went for a professional concrete base so I know it will be level, solid and long lasting. This is important because an uneven base will put strain on isolated parts of the structure which will fail more quickly

    Dry Foundation - Stops moisture coming up from beneath and damaging the floor, walls and shed contents. My concrete base is 4" above the surrounding earth and the additional bearers will hold it up even off that. I may also run strips of damp course membrane between the bearers and floor joists as suggested previously. Raising the shed up will also allow air to circulate, letting any damp bits dry out.

    Weather protection - pressure treated and slow grown timber is more expensive initially but will far outlast dip treated cheap wood. Also, repeat treatments of cheaper wood may prove to be a false economy. For the roof, the main panels will be tongue&groove like the walls covered with felt. I will wait to see how long the stock felt lasts.

    Security - I will be fitting solar powered PIR lights and the door has a proper locking latch & handle. Windows are toughened glass and lockable. Concrete floor also provides the option for some kind of ground anchor. Go for for the thickest wall and frame material you can afford.

  • Out of curiosity, who are you buying from and what are the material dimensions you've gone for?

  • I was planning on putting a pressure treated frame, 40 x 90 mm section, down onto an existing base and chipboard panels on top of that? Is that sensible?

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