Before installing the prefabricated garden house in our garden, a base must be placed so that the soil is flat and durable, and above all the roof should be raised so that there is no damage in case it comes in contact with wet soil. There are 2 basic alternatives: a concrete slab or a wooden structure (raised floor).
Cement slab
Cement ensures the tightness of the roof and easily creates a flat surface even if the ground is sloping.
The concrete slab is also adapted to all plots as well as wetlands. This solution lags behind the aesthetic result and the difficulty that will arise in the future if you want to remove this installation.
Equipment: shovel, concrete mixer, frame boards, waterproofing tape, expansion joints, water, sand, cement and gravel for concrete.
1. Determine and delimit the position in which the base will be placed, which may be slightly larger than the surface of the shelter. Dig a rectangle at a depth of 10 to 20 cm where the base will be placed. We press the soil to leave any gaps.
2. We use large boards that we will place against the edges of the rectangle we have dug to make a wooden frame. The frame should exceed 5 to 10 cm in surface area of the hole.
This way we will be able to drop the concrete higher than the surface of the plot to raise the canopy.
3. Place a sealing tape at the bottom of the hole and against the boards to prevent moisture from rising and the concrete not to spill when we throw it. If the concrete slab is large in size, we may need to install expansion joints at a height corresponding to our frame.
4. When the whole skeleton is complete, prepare the concrete with a concrete mixer (the dosage is 1-2-3 + ½: 1 part cement, 2 parts sand, 3 parts gravel + ½ water), and pour the concrete into the skeleton until the surface. Spread the concrete evenly on the surface with the edges of the frame as reference points to keep a uniform height. Allow to dry for at least 24 hours.
5. Remove the frame from the plate and fill the gap left with soil. The concrete slab is ready to withstand the weight of the roof.
Wooden base
The main alternative to the concrete slab is the installation of a wooden floor raised with plinths. This solution is easier to implement than the concrete slab, gives a more natural result and is more ecological.
Equipment: spirit level, stakes, plinths, special floorboards, beams.
1. We start by determining where the shelter will be placed. The point should be exactly the same size as the canopy, it should not be larger. We delimit the space as accurately as possible by using 4 stakes connected by ropes so that we can see its straight lines well.
2. At this point we place plinths at a distance of 30 to 50 cm between them and fix them with gravel and soil.
We place pebbles under the plinths so that there is support in case of falling soil.
The distance between the bricks is important so that the water leaves easily under the roof in case of heavy rainfall.
We make sure that the plinths at the ends stop exactly at the dimensions of the housing. Now we place the plinths right next to the ropes that connect the stakes.
3. At the time of installation, we ensure that it is perfectly straight horizontally: The plinths must compose a flat surface regardless of the difference in surface area of your plot.
If the plot is sloping, we need to put the bricks deeper into the soil at the highest points of the plot. With the spirit level we check if they are flat and that all the plinths are at the same level by placing some boards from our future floor to see if all the plinths touch the boards.
4. When the base with the plinths is ready, install the beams that will effectively support a large roof. No small beams are needed for a small shelter.
5. Place the wooden floor following the manufacturer's instructions to secure the boards together. Attach the floor to the beams. When the floor is ready, we can install the canopy.
The weight of the canopy will keep it stable on the floor. For best aesthetic results, we can place a board on the facade in front of the plinths that protrude from the soil.