12x16 Shed Sitting on Blocks Needs Attention

[Kansas Terri]

I had a similar problem with a home-made greenhouse. What I did was to firm up the support for the weakened areas to prevent it from getting worse and then left it alone. My reasoning was I am getting older, and if it lasts another 10 years then I will probably no longer be well enough to use it any longer. I walk with a can now, and in 10 years time my ankles will be..... not as good as they are now.

The main difference was that I had support all the way around the base. I increased the support around the weakened joints and then I left it be

 

[Al Kramer]

Hi, I had 2 thoughts when I read this. First, email “Ask This Old House“ and see if they can help you. But more practically, second, if nobody has mentioned this, before you work on the floor, not only do you need to remove the weight from on the inside floor but more importantly you need to try to get some weight off the side wall where the roof rafters are coming down on that outside rim board before you can really work on it. Basically you need to go outside and jack up as many rafters just a tiny bit to relieve the weight on that corner or it’ll be nearly impossible to move that outter rim back into place. Lag, screw and strap everything you can because screws are worthless. If you need a sketch i can put one into the thread. Let us know how it goes and good luck!

 

[JohnnyM1609]

I have moved a shed before. You need to empty it. Then buy or borrow some land scape logs. Usually around 6 inch in diameter. You will need at least 3, 4 better. I used a 4x4x8 to leverage one end and put logs under floor. I call it doing it the Egyptian way. after it's on the logs you can roll it where ever you want.

 

[Hexa Fox]

Why not run a 4x6 under the skids from side to side since the skids are supporting the floor frame to support the structure and then fix the corners

So I had a friend look at it and offer to help me out when he gets some free time. He mentioned something similar. We all know that when someone says that it means you maybe a decade down the road. So if you are facing the shed the skids are running horizontal. So whatever posts I use would have to be going vertical from front to back. The problem I have is that the back portion of the building is in the dirt. He said we might be able to run a 6x6 under the building vertically but that does not make sense to me because you are running it the same way the current skids are going and my thinking is regardless we are going to be sacrificing a lot of support.

A neighbor stopped by today and said he liked the original idea of getting it jacked up. He said instead of using lags to use carriage bolts through the 6x6. He said if I felt comfortable with the way it was jacked up I could dig a hole (36" is the freeze line here. Fill it with a quick drying concrete and then sit the 6x6 back down on it. I would really like to cut the 6x6 off flush with the skirt though. Then sit that down on blocks again and I do not think I will ever have to deal with it again. Plus I only need it jacked up long enough to put new blocks under it and run carriage bolts through it.

This way I would be sitting not only the skirt back down on blocks but the 6x6 post as well. I could even try to secure it from the top inside the building, which I was advised to do if I go this route.

 

[panamaguy]

Hey guys,

I was hoping you gentlemen could help me out with a conundrum I am in. So about twenty years ago my father and uncle built a shed, my father tried to get a permit and they turned him down and said he would have to wait. Long story short he couldn't wait because my uncle was here and they were ready to build it. So now I am stuck in this situation with this building sitting up on blocks. The problem is that the building has started 'slipping' off the blocks in the front. The boards are starting to splinter and I obviously need to do something.

I use this building for my equipment like my Ferris that I use to mow. Anyway I am limited on what I can do and was hoping you guys could give me some advice. I have talked to people about putting a slab of concrete down and moving it to the slab. However, the guy I talked to yesterday said there would be a good chance of it collapsing while trying to move it. It is also on 2x6 runners which complicates things further. So I run my Ferris in and out of this building all the time and we are getting close to mowing again so I would love to hear your guys thoughts.

1.) I was thinking about finding a neighbor with a large tractor and having them lift this side of the building putting a 4x4 or 6x4 post behind this area and driving lags or something in it to pull the structure back together.

2.) I was also thinking I may be able to accomplish this with a high lift jack or bottle jack. I have seen more people use bottle jacks so let me know if you guys have recommendations there.

3.) I have a guy that said he may be able to get it on his truck and move it to a slab of concrete that I have not decided on yet. I have also thought about looking for a guy with a mule which is a piece of equipment built for this.

Anyway before this get too crazy I would love to hear your guys thoughts.

Not sure if this will help but I moved a single gra

Hey guys,

I was hoping you gentlemen could help me out with a conundrum I am in. So about twenty years ago my father and uncle built a shed, my father tried to get a permit and they turned him down and said he would have to wait. Long story short he couldn't wait because my uncle was here and they were ready to build it. So now I am stuck in this situation with this building sitting up on blocks. The problem is that the building has started 'slipping' off the blocks in the front. The boards are starting to splinter and I obviously need to do something.

I use this building for my equipment like my Ferris that I use to mow. Anyway I am limited on what I can do and was hoping you guys could give me some advice. I have talked to people about putting a slab of concrete down and moving it to the slab. However, the guy I talked to yesterday said there would be a good chance of it collapsing while trying to move it. It is also on 2x6 runners which complicates things further. So I run my Ferris in and out of this building all the time and we are getting close to mowing again so I would love to hear your guys thoughts.

1.) I was thinking about finding a neighbor with a large tractor and having them lift this side of the building putting a 4x4 or 6x4 post behind this area and driving lags or something in it to pull the structure back together.

2.) I was also thinking I may be able to accomplish this with a high lift jack or bottle jack. I have seen more people use bottle jacks so let me know if you guys have recommendations there.

3.) I have a guy that said he may be able to get it on his truck and move it to a slab of concrete that I have not decided on yet. I have also thought about looking for a guy with a mule which is a piece of equipment built for this.

Anyway before this get too crazy I would love to hear your guys thoughts.

Not sure if this will help but one time I moved a single garage .we jacked the building up a bit and then backed a flat deck little trailer in the door and nailed 2x8 across from side to side as the boards rested on the trailer .took the jack's out and drove away to my place

 

[Rdr202]

Just use a basic lever
Get a 4"x4" x 10' Board and a good size rock and use it to raise up one corner at a time and place some cement blocks to hold it up level.

 

[Hexa Fox]

I have a small 20 gallon garage air compressor. I wonder if this would simplify jacking up the building? Certainly, I would be using some kind of board or post to distribute the load when lifting. Then I could even attempt to use my floor jack as a kid of safety.

20 Ton Air Hydraulic Bottle Jack

Amazing deals on this 20T Air/Hydraulic Bottle Jack at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[newbury]

 

[Xjdigger]

* First Question is -> Is the sill plates just single 2by material.
* if so this structure needs to be handled carefully because it is not strong enough and things can happen when jacking.
* And it doesn't look like the spikes were big enough. either
* Sometimes we don't have enough money to build something so we build something with the resources we have. It looks like it has T111 siding so it is a low budge building.
* I would beef up the floor before I jack it and try to move it.
* What I would do is find someone who has a sawmill and get some cheap boards like fir and saw out 2x8 or 10s and double them up and span the 12 foot at each end and the center to tie in your floor joists and sills and then you could do anything you want to jack level or move the building.
* You could also get 3 or 4 ft 4x4 to cribbing on your 4 corners and the center to stabilize the building and it would be safe to jack and move.
* when it comes time to level the building where its final resting place, I would get cement pads on crushed rock and then post up the building.
* to level, I use a water level and drive a reference point stake and mark what the bottom level of the sill you want and level out supports to the reference mark on the stake. I use a 50 foot clear plastic tubing and fill it with water and the level at each end of the tubing will be the same from the reference stake to each place the building is is supported.

 

[Xjdigger]

* First Question is -> Is the sill plates just single 2by material.
* if so this structure needs to be handled carefully because it is not strong enough and things can happen when jacking.
* And it doesn't look like the spikes were big enough. either
* Sometimes we don't have enough money to build something so we build something with the resources we have. It looks like it has T111 siding so it is a low budge building.
* I would beef up the floor before I jack it and try to move it.
* What I would do is find someone who has a sawmill and get some cheap boards like fir and saw out 2x8 or 10s and double them up and span the 12 foot at each end and the center to tie in your floor joists and sills and then you could do anything you want to jack level or move the building.
* You could also get 3 or 4 ft 4x4 to cribbing on your 4 corners and the center to stabilize the building and it would be safe to jack and move.
* when it comes time to level the building where its final resting place, I would get cement pads on crushed rock and then post up the building.
* to level, I use a water level and drive a reference point stake and mark what the bottom level of the sill you want and level out supports to the reference mark on the stake. I use a 50 foot clear plastic tubing and fill it with water and the level at each end of the tubing will be the same from the reference stake to each place the building is supported.

 

[Death Row Dave]

Funny thing , I just raised mine ! Lots of work remaining but it’s up and time to recover it also

 

[FloridaGent]

Hey guys,

I was hoping you gentlemen could help me out with a conundrum I am in. So about twenty years ago my father and uncle built a shed, my father tried to get a permit and they turned him down and said he would have to wait. Long story short he couldn't wait because my uncle was here and they were ready to build it. So now I am stuck in this situation with this building sitting up on blocks. The problem is that the building has started 'slipping' off the blocks in the front. The boards are starting to splinter and I obviously need to do something.

I use this building for my equipment like my Ferris that I use to mow. Anyway I am limited on what I can do and was hoping you guys could give me some advice. I have talked to people about putting a slab of concrete down and moving it to the slab. However, the guy I talked to yesterday said there would be a good chance of it collapsing while trying to move it. It is also on 2x6 runners which complicates things further. So I run my Ferris in and out of this building all the time and we are getting close to mowing again so I would love to hear your guys thoughts.

1.) I was thinking about finding a neighbor with a large tractor and having them lift this side of the building putting a 4x4 or 6x4 post behind this area and driving lags or something in it to pull the structure back together.

2.) I was also thinking I may be able to accomplish this with a high lift jack or bottle jack. I have seen more people use bottle jacks so let me know if you guys have recommendations there.

3.) I have a guy that said he may be able to get it on his truck and move it to a slab of concrete that I have not decided on yet. I have also thought about looking for a guy with a mule which is a piece of equipment built for this.

Anyway before this get too crazy I would love to hear your guys thoughts.

Watch “Maine Cabin Masters”. They use bottle jacks and rebuild cabin infrastructures almost every time they rebuild a cabin.

 

[Hexa Fox]

Funny thing , I just raised mine ! Lots of work remaining but it’s up and time to recover it also

That is awesome.

1.) May I know whereabouts you live?

2.) What kind of compressor do you have? I am worried about my little garage one.

Your pictures tell the story but I would love to hear more. Like your overall thoughts on using this jack? Also a problem for me personally is it looks like my runners are going the opposite way of yours. So I would have to go from the front to back, unless I do some other reinforcement. Also the back of the building is also basically in the ground now. So that is a problem.

I also know another user already recommended it but this is an awesome idea because it looks like you can set your footer beside the building and begin you support before you even try to lift the structure.

 

[RandR10]

Screw jacks work best for this kind of job, especially if you need to leave it for any length of time. No chance of creep and you can leave them in there as long as you need to.

 

[bigwave]

Hey guys,

I was hoping you gentlemen could help me out with a conundrum I am in. So about twenty years ago my father and uncle built a shed, my father tried to get a permit and they turned him down and said he would have to wait. Long story short he couldn't wait because my uncle was here and they were ready to build it. So now I am stuck in this situation with this building sitting up on blocks. The problem is that the building has started 'slipping' off the blocks in the front. The boards are starting to splinter and I obviously need to do something.

I use this building for my equipment like my Ferris that I use to mow. Anyway I am limited on what I can do and was hoping you guys could give me some advice. I have talked to people about putting a slab of concrete down and moving it to the slab. However, the guy I talked to yesterday said there would be a good chance of it collapsing while trying to move it. It is also on 2x6 runners which complicates things further. So I run my Ferris in and out of this building all the time and we are getting close to mowing again so I would love to hear your guys thoughts.

1.) I was thinking about finding a neighbor with a large tractor and having them lift this side of the building putting a 4x4 or 6x4 post behind this area and driving lags or something in it to pull the structure back together.

2.) I was also thinking I may be able to accomplish this with a high lift jack or bottle jack. I have seen more people use bottle jacks so let me know if you guys have recommendations there.

3.) I have a guy that said he may be able to get it on his truck and move it to a slab of concrete that I have not decided on yet. I have also thought about looking for a guy with a mule which is a piece of equipment built for this.

Anyway before this get too crazy I would love to hear your guys thoughts.

Hi Hexa Fox, whatever you decide to do, DO NOT get under this shed, while it's in the present condition. I'm sort of amazed that it hasn't self-destructed just from running the mower in and out. There's some good ideas posted on here for repairing it, but I recommend that you get someone who has at least some experience doing this type work to do the repairs, you can help them.

 

[Hexa Fox]

Screw jacks work best for this kind of job, especially if you need to leave it for any length of time. No chance of creep and you can leave them in there as long as you need to.

Hi Hexa Fox, whatever you decide to do, DO NOT get under this shed, while it's in the present condition. I'm sort of amazed that it hasn't self-destructed just from running the mower in and out. There's some good ideas posted on here for repairing it, but I recommend that you get someone who has at least some experience doing this type work to do the repairs, you can help them.

Yeah I have a couple friends that are knowledgeable, now the only problem is getting one of them to agree to help lol. Also yeah I saw the screw jacks are the way to go for a job like this. I really like the look of what Death Row Dave has going on. It would allow me to pour footers where I want them and get setup before even doing anything. My problem is I am probably going to be forced to go front to back because of how my runners are.

 

[Death Row Dave]

My joists are all setting on the new 2x12 (2) laminated beam , supported by 6x6 posts 3 ft into soil with 3 ft square of cement around them . I doubled all floor joists 2x8 while I had the building up . I finished mine today . I’ll get images tomorrow .

I used 30 ton air jacks . Cribbed up the structure , with RR ties as I was lifting in case of a fall . I used a 6 x 6 actors the front to support the jacks and raise the front .

I’m in NKy , south of the Mason Dixon Line . PM with contact info , you you’d like to discuss in pvt . Safety is of the upmost , importance . You can build a new building , but you can’t replace your losses

 

[Death Row Dave]

Finished raising , residing and cleanup next .

 

[bcp]

Just need to get the right equipment.



Bruce

 

[sunandsand]

I second the idea of "do *NOT* get under this thing".

About 60 years ago (lord, where did the time go?) I saved a guy's life.

He was putting a Hurst floor shift into a 1957 Ford (game sound familiar?) and had it jacked up with ONE bumper jack on an asphalt driveway and he had the rear wheels off.

I just happened to stop by a minute or so earlier and sat down on the curb to watch, and I saw the car start to move. "Mike! Get out! It's Moving!"

He didn't stop to ask any questions, and shoved himself out immediately.

About a second later the car crashed to the ground, leaving maybe two inches between the driveway and the steel frame of the car.

If that wasn't an "Oh s**t" moment, I don't know what would be.

To this day, I am reluctant to crawl under things. When I do work on stuff, I use multiple jackstands, slide the tires and wheels under the car (belt and suspenders approach), brakes set, wheels blocked and work on a concrete floor - no dirt or asphalt floors.

Be careful. There are no exceptions to the law of gravity. None.

Best Regards,

Mike/Florida