# Base Under New Shed



## Dusty (Aug 9, 2006)

Gee 6" sure seems like some very deep gravel. I had about 3 or 4" at one house (along the side) and could barely get the lawn mower to roll through it. It was also slippery as the gravel shifted.

Just today I did a pea gravel area of my lawn (dead thanks to the dog so this is her new pooping place), with cloth under so gravel doesn't mix with dirt and 2" seems about right for walking on etc.

Anyway, here is the formula from a supplier here.

Length X Width (in feet) X Depth (in inches), divide by 12, divide by 27 = cubic yards needed.

Fast calculation is 1 cubic yard for every 100 sq. ft for a depth of 2.5 - 3"

I don't see any reference to tons on my info other than a dump truck holds 8 yards of dirt or 6 yards of rock but if you really want to play with a calculator, the bags I had were 44 lbs each and covered 5 sq ft, 1" deep.

As far as advice goes I would skip the pea gravel for a shed floor and go with what I think is usually called crushed rock (or maybe washed rock 3/8"). It's smaller and more jagged than pea gravel so doesn't roll around like gravel does. I had a path done in it at another house and we put it down (landscaping cloth under so rock didn't sink into the dirt) a couple of inches thick. Then I watered it and packed it a bit. That stuff was almost like concrete when it was done. Actually it's often used as a base layer before pavers because it does form such a solid layer. It's a bit cheaper too.


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## Rifeman (Mar 11, 2007)

I will agree with you on the crush stone, what do wou think of mixing the Pee Gravel with the Crushed Stone? What I want is a very stone base. One that will keep groundhogs out, and keep the shed from routing.


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## Dusty (Aug 9, 2006)

Well my knowledge of these things is very limited especially when it comes to groundhogs (we don't have those here I don't think...pesky squirrels yes, other trouble not so much). Of what I do know about gravel and such it doesn't seem quite sensible to mix a crushed with a pea/round gravel to me as the whole point of the crushed is that the flat edges end up jamming together to form a more solid base. I could be wrong though and it wouldn't be the first time.

If it were me, I'd be out at the stone supplier asking them what the best material would be for your shed. I've always managed to get some good advice from those places and they know which rock is best for what use. It could be using a base of crushed topped with the pea might be the answer, maybe it's using some sand to help... I don't know other than pea and other round gravel just seems to keep moving and tends to sink into dirt so it has to be topped up every few years.

As for ground hogs...if they are diggers maybe it's making sure you have a layer of chicken wire or something to discourage them.


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## Mikedks (Sep 13, 2006)

When I built my 12' X 12' shed last year, I used those concrete deck post blocks available at Lowes/HD. Worked great, very easy to build platform right on the blocks, saved me tons of time, money & energy. If you are building that type of shed, its worth a look.


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

You would order by volume, not weight. About 3 (3.11) cubic yards.
Ron


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## RippySkippy (Feb 9, 2007)

RE: critter burrowing; the only sure way I know is to pour a perimeter edge that goes 10-12" below grade, it's like a footing, but not full depth, pour it with the slab.


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