# 8x12 shed floor and foundation plans



## bionictony (Apr 16, 2012)

I'm planning on building a shed this summer. i'm in southern california and it doesn't rain too much here. I have narrowed it down to an 8x12 shed with normal gable roof. For the floor I'm thinking of using six deck pier blocks from Lowes or two pieces of 4x4x12 redwood. 

http://www.lowes.com/pd_19070-1662-DEK-BLOCK+BRAND+PIER_0__?productId=3613302

Foundation frame.. at first I was thinking 2x4's but now have changed it to 2x6 with 16"oc using douglas fir. Are simpson hangers need? or just 3 nails into the stud fine?

I'll probably dig 8" deep to set the pier blocks so the wood is 3-4" above ground.

My other option is to buy 4x4x12 redwoods and lay them instead of the blocks. Home depot does not sell 4x4x12 pressure treated so I can't do that. Is the 4x4x12 supposed to lay on 4 or 6 footings or on leveled dirt?










A few more questions about the rest of the shed..

Should my 2x4 walls be 16" oc or 24" oc? Is a 2x4 top plate needed?

what size should my roof rafters be? 2x4 or 2x6? my pitch is 3/12. Or should it be 4/12?

what size should my roof ridge beam be? 2x4x12, 2x6x12, or 2x8x12? I will use 2x4 collar ties across the 8' ceiling so the roof ridge beam should not bow down too much. Should the collar ties be 2x6? i'm just using felt paper and asphalt shingles.


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## sixeightten (Feb 10, 2009)

Lowes and Home Depot both offer shed packages. They also come with diagrams of what goes where. Some of them come with a floor/wall/roof truss setup that makes for a quick, easy, and strong install. Even the pros will go that route rather than piece meal the whole thing together. Start there and check back with us to keep us updated.


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## PoleCat (Sep 2, 2009)

4/12 would be the minimum pitch I would use on a shingle roof. Instead of redwood I would make box beams out of pressure treated 2X lumber. Excavate a few inches of soil out and back fill with pea gravel and the beams will last. Your intended use should dictate how strong you make it.


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## Gary Evans (Jan 27, 2014)

See that lower picture with the joist sitting on the 4x4's and cantilevered.
Do it that way........give you a much stronger floor.

Make sure the 4x4's are pressure treated, you can set the 4x4's on concrete blocks like in the first picture or if you set the 4x4's directly on the ground make sure the joist are pressure treated as well.
Use 2x6 for joist and you can set those 4x4's anywhere from flush to the outside ( which is no longer cantilevered ) to at the most 12" in.
and then you don't need hangers for the joist........a better way to do it.

You can use 2x4 for rafters 24" o/c with a single 2x6 ridge board with a 4/12 pitch ( or 5/12 ).
A 12" overhang would be nice to.......if you do that hang the ridge board and rafters past 10.5 inches, add your fascia and you have 12"
Use 8' 2x4's sitting on the top plates and nailed securely to the side of the rafters, these will be your collar ties and will hold the whole thing together.
Should be good for at least 50 lbs sq ft snow load.........oh yea your in southern California, oh well....with global warming soon you might need it.......lol.
Look at this winter in many of the southern states.


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## bionictony (Apr 16, 2012)

sixeightten said:


> Lowes and Home Depot both offer shed packages. They also come with diagrams of what goes where. Some of them come with a floor/wall/roof truss setup that makes for a quick, easy, and strong install. Even the pros will go that route rather than piece meal the whole thing together. Start there and check back with us to keep us updated.


I did see tuff sheds at my local home depot. An 8x12 is $1800-2300. I plan on building my shed at less than $1000 and make it a little bit better in terms of build quality. Looking inside, I could see where they kind of cut corners with materials and wood spacing. the metal reinforced door and floor look good though.


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## bionictony (Apr 16, 2012)

PoleCat said:


> 4/12 would be the minimum pitch I would use on a shingle roof. Instead of redwood I would make box beams out of pressure treated 2X lumber. Excavate a few inches of soil out and back fill with pea gravel and the beams will last. Your intended use should dictate how strong you make it.


Looking at pictures and reading more. 4/12 seems more standard. I'll go with that. The reason I was thinking redwood was that i couldn't find 4x4x12 pressure treated at the time when i was price shopping. i have used 4x4 pressure treated but they tend to warp! That's why i was leaning towards 6 pier blocks.


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## bionictony (Apr 16, 2012)

Gary Evans said:


> See that lower picture with the joist sitting on the 4x4's and cantilevered.
> Do it that way........give you a much stronger floor.
> 
> Make sure the 4x4's are pressure treated, you can set the 4x4's on concrete blocks like in the first picture or if you set the 4x4's directly on the ground make sure the joist are pressure treated as well.
> ...


I have worked with 4x4 pressure treated before making a pergola and they warp a good amount. That's why i was leaning towards the 2x6 frame sitting on 6 piers. I found simpson strong tie deck hangers. Can i use that to further strengthen the floor with 6 pier method? 

I'll do the 4/12 pitch with 12" overhang. I'm also going to use simpson ties on the rafters to connect the top ridge board and the top plates. What's the nail spacing for the top plates?


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## Gary Evans (Jan 27, 2014)

You don't need hangers if the joist are sitting on a beam, if your worried about a 4x4 warping too much build a 3 ply beam using 3 pressure treated 2x4's on each side, this will be stronger anyways
And that sits on your blocks.
Use 2 - 3" nails every 16" to 18" for the top plate, every 12" for the the beam.
The true PWF pressure treated lumber is better, pressure treated lumber like ACQ is hard on common nails.......for that it's better to use galvanized or epoxy coated fasteners ( nails or screws)


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## Olcrazy1 (May 28, 2013)

I built this earlier this year, it is a 12x12 And just as solid as any house. Built on a 8" thick slab with pitched entry pad. J have detailed plans and lumber list if you want. Plans show options for wood floor or slab. Was a fun project and came out great. Also ran power with lights and garage door opener. Used 2x4 wall studs 16" oc, think 2x6 is over kill.


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## md2lgyk (Jan 6, 2009)

Now that's a nice-looking shed! But why an 8-inch slab? Gonna park a bulldozer in it?


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## Olcrazy1 (May 28, 2013)

Was worried about the weight of the shed on the slab. It's actually 6" on edges and goes to 8" in the center. Probably over kill but I was worried the weight of the walls would cause the center to buckle up. Also live in Cleveland so lots of snow freeze and rain so figured if over build so it lasts


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## bionictony (Apr 16, 2012)

Olcrazy1 said:


> I built this earlier this year, it is a 12x12 And just as solid as any house. Built on a 8" thick slab with pitched entry pad. J have detailed plans and lumber list if you want. Plans show options for wood floor or slab. Was a fun project and came out great. Also ran power with lights and garage door opener. Used 2x4 wall studs 16" oc, think 2x6 is over kill.


Thats a nice shed. Mine will be 8x12. I plan on using plywood siding instead of siding over osb plywood. More pictures of the build would be great. If you had done your floor plan with wood, what size wood and spacing did the plans call out on your 12x12?


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## md2lgyk (Jan 6, 2009)

I see nothing much to be gained by using plywood instead of OSB for a shed. It is unbelievable how expensive lumber has gotten - around here, 1/2-inch ply is almost four times the cost of OSB, which is itself nearly $10 a sheet.


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## Olcrazy1 (May 28, 2013)

On ur question with spacing and type of wood the floor plan called for, see attached. The 3 bases these are built on are 4x6x12 pt. see attached...


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## Olcrazy1 (May 28, 2013)

Here is a rear view. The plans called for a window and optional man door, I emitted both to save floor and wall space for storage. Only problem with that is if power goes out or garage motor breaks I won't be able to get in. Then options will be to break a window and pull the release or remove done siding and cut a whole between studs. Power loss doesn't worry me but a broken motor does. Also wish I extended over hangs on sides longer so that rain falls further away from base. Oh well..,


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

an opener for a shed ? another battery-power'd remote to complicate 1's life :furious:

nice shed :thumbsup:


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

http://www.aaaremotes.com/key-release-lock.html


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

bow to joe's expertise/knowledge - that looks like a mechanical cable release to pull down on the disconnect ( ? ) bar,,, sure 1 turn is enough to release the door hardware from track ?

thanks, joe


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## Olcrazy1 (May 28, 2013)

Thanks! Need to investigate that further, guess I just don't understand how it works. Drilled into upper front of door I assume and connects to same release as the pull string. Would have to be no slack in cable for a 180' turn of the key to release. Hope it works! Thanks again


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

personally i like the chainsaw approach in the back wall so only your neighbor can see it :thumbsup: but joe's got a lot of experience ( he's older than most :laughing: )


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## md2lgyk (Jan 6, 2009)

itsreallyconc said:


> personally i like the chainsaw approach in the back wall so only your neighbor can see it :thumbsup: but joe's got a lot of experience ( he's older than most :laughing: )


Watch it! I think Joe's about my age. Don't mess with old guys; they'll just kill you.


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## Olcrazy1 (May 28, 2013)

Sorry, know we are getting off topic now but just watch a YouTube video in the cable key release. Very cool and will be getting one. Didn't realize the key unlocks the whole tumbler and you pull ye whole tumbler and cable through the hole to release the door. Simple and effective!


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## concretemasonry (Oct 10, 2006)

I see a lot of sheds here in the suburbs that are 10' high instead of 8' to get more wall space for hanging things and make the floor space more usable. Some areas have limits on the floor area(footprint) and keeping it under that makes things easier. Many are built close and behind an attached garage and do not project too far out into the back yard and the extra 2' fits in well with the height of everything else, especially if the siding and roof match.

The higher walls can handle the light bulky things like hoppers, wheel barrows, etc and leave more access to things like tractors, mowers and UTVs.

Dick


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## bionictony (Apr 16, 2012)

If the 2x6 rafters are sitting on the 4x4 pressure treated wood on gravel. do the 2x6 need to be pressure treated as well or just douglas fir is ok?


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## Olcrazy1 (May 28, 2013)

Does not need to be pressure treated 2x6s. As long as they are not on the stone or seeing constant water Douglas fir is fine.


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## bionictony (Apr 16, 2012)

I should use 16d nails to nail the wall frame (bottom 2x4) through the 1/2" plywood throguh to the rafter/floor 2x6 frame correct? what is the proper nail spacing for that? Is it every 16" through to the frame underneath?


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## bionictony (Apr 16, 2012)

For the roof rafters, is it ok to use simpson H1 ties where the roof 2x4 meets the top plate? Or do I need to cut a bird's mouth?


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## kwikfishron (Mar 11, 2010)

bionictony said:


> For the roof rafters, is it ok to use simpson H1 ties where the roof 2x4 meets the top plate? Or do I need to cut a bird's mouth?


Cut the birds mouth (seat cut). The purpose of that is so the load of the roof is distributed evenly on the top plate.


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## Olcrazy1 (May 28, 2013)

Guess I'm not following here. My plans didn't have me cutting any bird mouths. 2x4 stud walls. 2x4 top plate. 12' trusses with 4" over hang. The truss bottom sits on the top plate and attached with simson ties.


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## bionictony (Apr 16, 2012)

So my 4x4 will be PT wood resting on concrete blocks about 2" from the ground. the 2x6 on top of that will be douglas fir. should i prime and paint it for extra protection? should i use vapor barrier or paint the bottom of the plywood base? It will be 5/8" exterior grade plywood.


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## bionictony (Apr 16, 2012)

i guess i will paint the 2x6 douglas fir studs and bottom of the plywood. before is start foundation framing. i'm going to use hot dipped galvanized for PT wood and 16d and 8d for everything else. should i post pictures in this thread or in the project showcase forum?


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## bionictony (Apr 16, 2012)

commence building! i feel like i'm in an episode of the new yankee workshop.

4x4x12 are treated, the 2x6 rafters are primed and painted douglas fir.


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