looking for tips on leveling land

[beenthere]

All wood is pressure treated to resist decay, I presume.

Not something I would do, but instead would keep the tractor on the gravel pad. No decay and no area that the rodents can play in under the floor.

But that isn't addressing your original question, and don't mean to divert the subject. Good luck on the leveling plan.

 

[Dan_w]

Wow I thought I had to use a gravel pad to support the tractor. I did not even think about sticking it right on the dirt pad. I thought that blocking it would not give the support it needed.

The skids and the floor joists will be treated wood the rest of the shed will be untreated wood.

I totally agree about sticking the tractor on the gravel pad over the wood floor. I plan to do this when I have the funds to build a tractor/implement shed. The first implement will be a PHD. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

It's all about priority's/funding...
1) keep tractor out of elements
2) reclaim my garage
3) storage

I can accomplish all three with prefab shed then come back next year and build a connecting building or another structure with gravel pad.

 

[millsnhills]

Dan,

Not sure where you are from or what type # of gravel you are using. If you just plan on using the gravel floor you may want to consider the crush and run stone. This will pack very nicely and provide an excellent base.

 

[Catmando]

If I understand you correctly. You are going to use some sandy back fill. Then place a layer of gravel on top of that. Then you plan to place, like heavy duty pallets or skids, on top of the gravel to park your tractor on?

Why do you want to make a wood floor for the tractor? Moisture? What I was thinking about doing is build up the area for the shed with some old clay that is heaped up in the yard. Then put down a layer of heavy plastic film, and put my gravel on top of that. The plastic should keep the moisture from making the gravel wet, and anything parked on it.

 

[Freds]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Why do you want to make a wood floor for the tractor? )</font>

The post has kind of taken a turn from how to level the land to the floor construction of the shed, but I think the whole key here is the word "prefab".
I agree with you, Cat. Why bother with a wood floor at all, but I imagine it ties everything together on the prefabbed unit Dan is looking to get and just can't be omitted.

 

[JJT]

Dan, Where are you located? If you get any kind of frost you are going to be in the releveling business every couple of years. I did this with a 16x16 shed for too many years. I finally poured a proper slab and have found other things to do with my time. My point - don't get too hung up on getting the site level to a fraction of an inch from end to end, mother nature will be moving the shed for you.

 

[Dan_w]

Thanks for all the input. I am glad my post took this turn. It has given me a lot of good information.

In the perfect world I would get two shed this year. One that is prefab up on blocks and the second would be posts in ground with gravel floor. The post in ground with gravel floor would be for the tractor and all the other big stuff (implements, wheelbarrow, other mower). The prefab on blocks would be for gardening tools and storage.

The storage shed needs something other than a gravel floor (pad or wood floor). The concrete slab is out because it would raise our property taxes significantly.

The fill dirt and the gravle will run me close to 1k after delivery. If I could forgo the gravel and just put it on a lot of blocks I could save $500.

I wish I had the funds to build both shed now.


Oh and I am located in Maryland. We get plenty of frost... I am originally from Michigan so I call it summer year around!

 

[penokee]

Dan - I have a hy-brid storage building which seems to work ok. Gravel floor for enite building, except one area where I made a floor out of treated green wood to store oil, herbicide, fertilizer, etc. Stays drier being off the gravel. Greenwood just lays on the gravel.
penokee /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[CajunRider]

Others have already given excellent technique to level and I don't have any thing to add on that. If it were me I'd forgo the gravel and use the gravel money for a cheap aluminum carport so I can use the prefab shed just for the tools. The carport will be in front of the shed for the tractor. It'll keep the tractor out of the weather yet you don't have to worry about the weight of the tractor distorting your shed's floor.

 

[hhw]

For what it is worth, in keeping with cajunrider's post on carport.

Most of my equipment is in a large garage. Hand tools seem to mostly get stored in a "pre-fab" shed I placed on a gravel pad of 2B for drainage, and the trimmed the perimeter with ornamental stone to keep the boss happy.

I was looking for something to keep direct sun and the elements off some attachments when I saw these carports "pop-up" at local outdoor business.

Anyway the one I got is 18'X21'- 4" galvanized square box tube bolted together with metal roof. Cost $850.00 installed/built on my lot by a crew in less than two hours. Structure is "pinned" to "relatively" level area. I added some gravel inside (mostly what I had laying around or left over from some customer jobs) for a floor as an experiment.

Well, it has been there for 3 years now and has just been great. I keep my PHD, BB, rake, harrow, roller, tiller, wheelbarrow and small carts in it. It has weathered well and works as intended. I put a small rubbermaid outside storage container in it for fuel containers and other Misc. items.

The way it is built I could "skin" the sides easily with the same metal as my garage, just haven't gotten around to it yet.