There are two main points to make sure are accurate with all bases, no matter what the size of the garden building and they are as follows:
1. The base must be level, straight, and square and not be vulnerable to subsidence in the future.
The entire area of the garden building must be supported across its floor, in the case of log cabins this refers to the foundation beam running the perimeter. If a floor is being installed this must also be correctly supported.
2. The garden building base size should be to at least the buildings footprint in size and where possible exactly to it, this will mean that any rainfall will drain away in to the grass or gravel surrounding the base rather than hitting a solid base and splashing up against the side of the timber building. Another advantage of a building base to the exact footprint is that no water will be allowed to sit in any dips below the building, which may cause the floor to rot over time.
There are three main types of bases that are used for garden building; these are listed below with some examples products to give you an idea of the size of the structure that they can accommodate;
Paving Slabs Base: A simple and very popular method and is good if you may wish to move the building in the future, the base can be removed with minimal trouble. If the foundation is done correctly as mentioned above, this can support some very large buildings such as the
Riekko Log Cabin.
Timber Bearers Base: this is an extremely easy answer and costs very little. This method is only really suitable for smaller buildings such as garden sheds. Timber bearers could also be used on some of the smaller summerhouses or log cabins such as this model from Treetops –
The Stowe Summerhouse. As a rough guide if the garden building is over 10’ x 8’ it will need a more considerable base.
Concrete Base: This is always the superior method especially for log cabins and the larger garden buildings. This method is always recommended if you are having a timber garage or a larger log cabin where weight is a consideration.
Depending on which building you choose and its eventual use it is also advisable to include a damp proof membrane into the base, as another “protection layer” to avoid damp getting to your timber building.
I hope this is helps when choosing your garden building base. Of course if you have any questions, please
contact us and we’ll be happy to help.
