The walls to this shed are very thin and I'm not worried so.much about them just the support of the 2x4x10 that supports the frame of the floor itself.
How do I repair a water damaged frame in my shed outside?
by Cheryl Ann
+7
I have a shed that the back side sits at the bottom of a hill. Only part of the main floor frame is rotted due to water damage, I am trying to repair the floor inside the shed with free wood I have and realised the big problem is the floor frame of the shed. I dont want to use any wood until I know the main frame of the floor is supported enough. If I use cinder blocks to support the sides of the shed would they also work for the support of the floor rather than the wooden frame where the floor frame is rotted?? See pics and thank you in advance.Cheryl A Reese
In this pic I have a cinder block under the 2x4x10 that's supporting the very thin wall of my shed
I have holes under the 2x4x10 so the block is far enough in the dirt or mud so hopefully that beam or side will hold and not sink anymore
You need to replace the footing under the studs. Also replace and damaged wood for the flooring. Cinder blocks will not work.
What about using metal sheeting? I'm not sure if that's an option, but it would keep it from rotting.
By the looks of things, you are dealing with sodic soils which have no bearing capacity when wet. The blocks probably are too small to 'float' on the muck. Best is to test the soil by taking a lump of soil, let it dry and then put it in a shallow dish of water. If the lump simply disintegrates you have a problem soil. Assuming it is sodic soil one has to dig a trench for the footing (William) and then treat the soil at the bottom at least 150mm deep, with gypsum at a rate of about 45kg/cubic meter. If the trench is 400mm wide, that amounts to 3kg of gypsum per square meter of trench. It can then be compacted with a hand-tamper. One can then add load spreading devices such as blocks or concrete strips. What is commonly used is galvanized iron stirrups to keep the timber out of the ground.
Good luck
Unfortunately, Cheryl Ann, you're not going to fix this with just free wood. First, address the problem of too much drainage. You'll need a French drain or similar trenching to route the water from the bottom of the hill to someplace other than your shed. With that out of the picture, you can replace the footing with framed up concrete - and yes, you can make the frame out of your free wood. You can then replace the floor joists at 18 inches on center for excellent support. If you're going to use plywood for the floor of the shed, you might consider coating the underside (and maybe the joists) with a waterproof treatment to prevent future rotting.
If possible I would replace the shed and move it to a space where none of the shed is at the bottom of a hill.
My neighbor put my shed in and I never saw one put in this way. He first put a french drain in for 8by 6 shed. Then gravel spread out to cover where shed would sit. Then concrete building blocks for each corner of shed. He told me if shed sits on ground it will absorbs water over time. The gravel helps with water drainage and concrete blocks keep off ground. Repair rotted wood with exterior grade wood. I hope this gives you some idea how to get shed repaired.
There is a lot of work to do my friend, I know this from my experience, terrible things. My new house (for that time) was flooded as it was built near a lake and it was full of water, I had no idea what to do and me and my family started to clean everything and to restore it little by little. Anyways, after 2 weeks we started to feel a strong smell of mold and it was impossible to stay inside the house. Then we found damage control 911 a disaster restoration company from Orlando Fl. and they repaired everything for a very good price.