Want to move location of shed, and add it a framed floor to both stiffen present floor, and provide higher level of insulation.
Shed is approximately 12ft X 18ft, and was constructed 10 years ago. Existing/ original floor was framed using 4 X 4’s, 24″ OC.
Will need to jack the building. My plan is to add new framed floor joists (2X6) underneath existing 4X4’s. May also have to install footings to support building. Have not had eyes on what the building is presently resting on? Interior of floor is finished with 1X8 pine boards I’d like to retain.
The building needs to be moved approximately 3-4 ft in one direction and 2 ft in a direction 90 degrees to first direction of movement. While I have renovated many homes, and performed many construction techniques, I am not a professional. Any thoughts or tips on this project would be greatly appreciate.
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You have not provided any detail about the shed itself.
I would take it all apart, set the parts to one side, and start over.
If the shed has an engineered truss roof, you may be able to have a crane lift it and set to one side for reuse. (after setting some cribbing to support the roof while you prepare the footings and floor.)
This would mean two trips with the crane.
You can look at the structure and estimate the weight.
Shed is conventionally framed, 2X4's 16" OC. Roof is not trussed but stick framed. Clad with wood siding. Porch is integral with shed.
Given location of shed in yard, it would be difficult to access with a crane.
I have included a picture.
Is the porch floor integral to the structure?
Find used phone poles, jack up, roll long direction then side dimension.
Jack up to finished height, add new joists, set it down (on whatever foundation you choose).
It will be important to understand how the walls are joined to the existing floor, and how that floor relates to the ground.
Whatever part you try to move, you may want to add some bracing to help it stay in the same shape it is in now.
How the porch floor structure relates to that under the main part of the shed is important. It may be that the porch floor and columns can be removed before your move.
If the entire structure (or just the main part with the porch removed) sits flat on the 4x4s that each extend for the length of the structure, you may be able to lift and move
If these support elements are attached to posts which are embedded in the ground, it may be harder.
Electric hookup and snow on the ground indicate to me it is likely there is some below grade support to deal with.
If you have to separate the wall and floor joint, and move the upper part, it will mean lighter structure to move, but more complicated.
Please let us know what you find out as you dig into this.
Dimensions provided do not include porch, which extends an additional 30 ", the entire length of shed.
Inside of shed is unfinished so studs are exposed.
No interior walls.
The walls have been set atop the pine floor boards.
Inside of shed is unfinished.
Bracing will be added prior to move.
The porch floor is shared with the rest of the structure.
From what I can ascertain, the shed is sitting on 2X2 patio slabs.
Will respond back with further details when able. Thanks for your attention to this.
Thanks for the response. Great idea.
Yes, the porch floor appears to be part of building floor. If it ever stops snowing, would like to get at this project.
Must be important for you, lot of work for a few ft. Best of luck.
Just keep thinking…..how’d those people build those pyramids?
Agreed. Building should have been placed on property line setback to avoid wasting yard space. Also, I have a sycamore tree coming in the spring, and unfortunately the ideal spot for same is just beyond sheds present location. And,.... it keeps me off the street.
Do the 12' x 18' dimensions include or exclude the porch?
Are the exterior wall studs exposed inside?
Are there any interior walls?
What does the stud-to-floor joint look like?
More investigation is necessary, but it's probably doable by yourself with a fair amount of time & sweat. Follow-up concept sketch is in the works.
Follow-up sketches posted (5 pages). I'd use 6x6 landscape timbers - one piece, NOT spliced. These sketches are a simplified summary - the details for prep & moving are a bit more nuanced than what I explain. No doubt your answers to my previous questions will influence the details.
It's not a very heavy building for the method I propose.
To use this method requires a more careful analysis of the details & methodology.
Thank you for taking the time to create the sketch. Certainly appears to be a viable method to reposition building. Had not considered one transit that satisfied movement in both directions, to final location.
Echoing Calvin. I did this with a 12x20 or so shed/workshop with similar construction as yours that my dad had built. I needed to get it out of the way for a build of a new workshop. A guy with a flatbed tow truck was interested in taking it, but it was behind the garage. My brother worked for the utility company and got me 5 utility pole sections. I used a car jack and a bottle jack and hoisted up one end, slid in a pole, and worked my way down. I moved it using a long 4x4 as a lever. Thinking back I was shocked how easily I was able to nudge it along using simple physics. I got it turned and sitting parallel with the garage. The guy came with the flatbed, and he wrapped two straps on the end and pulled it onto the flatbed and drove away.
Thanks for your comments. It sounds like the majority of the work will be in preparation for the move, not the actual move itself.
I have been involved in foundation replacements in CT (due to bad concrete). You are correct - the major part of the work is in the preparation. The actual move (or lift) is rather anticlimactic. The "devil is in the details" of the planning & prep.
Exactly what is involved in the prep really depends upon how the platform (floor) was constructed and how the shed walls are connected to that platform.
As an engineer involved in this kind of stiff, I see it as rather simple in execution but very involved with respect to the planning.
In my case, the platform was 2x6 joists cross-wise mounted on 4x4s running the length, with 3/4" plywood flooring on the 2x6 joists (and walls attached to that). So the 2x6 and 4x4 platform was acting like a big pallet that stayed together rather well when lifted in different places.
The shed was constructed by local Mennonites for the previous owners of our property.
From a cursory inspection, it appears they used 4X4's, 24" OC for floor joists. This results in a floor with "flexibility".
You might want to remove any glass and perhaps the door.
After the move and before calling done, reinstall the sash and door for fit.
Edit: take and post some more action pictures!
Thanks for those tips. Windows not an issue as they are a type of thin plastic. Not known for their R value.