I live in northern Ohio, with a 3' frost line. I have been wanting to build a 12x20' shed for some time. I plan to use 1/4 of it for a chicken coop and the rest will be a small work area that I can heat easily in the winter when needed. The site is on a slight grade with 10" fall over the 20' length. I had intended to dig post holes and sink 8 6x6 posts below the frost line, then place treated beams and floor joists a couple feet elevated off the ground. I would use a treated plywood deck too, and use conventional lumber above that. This would solve my grade issue, and give the chickens a place to hide under it. The new lumber treatments and the cost of treated lumber and stainless steel hardware is making me rethink this.
Can I pour a 12'x20' concrete slab with built-in 8"x8" footings and build a shed on it, disregarding full footers and frost? Will a slab with footing support a shed that size and float with the frost heaves without crumbling? By my estimates I can pour the slab and add a row of of concrete blocks to start the wall for the same cost as the elevated treated deck style. The slab is appealing since the shed would outlast me as long as it didn't crack and move too bad.
Does anyone have experience using slabs with footings in the north, for buildings this size? When pouring slabs with footings, do you cut joints or leave it as one solid piece?
Can I pour a 12'x20' concrete slab with built-in 8"x8" footings and build a shed on it, disregarding full footers and frost? Will a slab with footing support a shed that size and float with the frost heaves without crumbling? By my estimates I can pour the slab and add a row of of concrete blocks to start the wall for the same cost as the elevated treated deck style. The slab is appealing since the shed would outlast me as long as it didn't crack and move too bad.
Does anyone have experience using slabs with footings in the north, for buildings this size? When pouring slabs with footings, do you cut joints or leave it as one solid piece?