10-04-2011, 10:02 PM
I'd like to add a few suggestions to Jamie's idea, which overall seems quite a good one.
The floor has rotted out because it has absorbed moisture from the ground beneath. However, the rising moisture will also be drawn into the wooden walls. Then there is rainwater to consider. Perhaps you could arrange the following, which I will readily admit, may not be that easy actually to do.
Fit a damp-proof membrane on the ground underneath the shed so that is extends outside the walls by about 6 inches. Fit paving slabs - or anything similar - on this membrane so that these slabs also extend outside the walls. Then fit a membrane on top of the slabs but run it up the inside of the walls for about 6 inches. Fit / replace wooden floor. The moisture from the ground or rainwater running down the walls now cannot get to the floor
For a 'membrane' I would use roofing felt. Paving slabs are really heavy! Far too heavy for me to man-handle! I'd use those square re-constituted slabs that you get at the D-I-Y store / garden section: they're about 18" X 18" - and a lot easier to handle. I'd also use a sand / cement mortar for pointing them too.
Now as I said, that all sounds fine in theory, but could be difficult to actually do in practice. It might be a sensible alternative simply to dismantle the shed, fit the above 'foundations', then re-assemble the shed. Only you will know what is the best choice in your particular circumstances.
Al.
The floor has rotted out because it has absorbed moisture from the ground beneath. However, the rising moisture will also be drawn into the wooden walls. Then there is rainwater to consider. Perhaps you could arrange the following, which I will readily admit, may not be that easy actually to do.
Fit a damp-proof membrane on the ground underneath the shed so that is extends outside the walls by about 6 inches. Fit paving slabs - or anything similar - on this membrane so that these slabs also extend outside the walls. Then fit a membrane on top of the slabs but run it up the inside of the walls for about 6 inches. Fit / replace wooden floor. The moisture from the ground or rainwater running down the walls now cannot get to the floor
For a 'membrane' I would use roofing felt. Paving slabs are really heavy! Far too heavy for me to man-handle! I'd use those square re-constituted slabs that you get at the D-I-Y store / garden section: they're about 18" X 18" - and a lot easier to handle. I'd also use a sand / cement mortar for pointing them too.
Now as I said, that all sounds fine in theory, but could be difficult to actually do in practice. It might be a sensible alternative simply to dismantle the shed, fit the above 'foundations', then re-assemble the shed. Only you will know what is the best choice in your particular circumstances.
Al.
