How to Make a Slab Base for a Garden Shed

Before you can put your garden shed in place, you'll first need to provide a sturdy and level surface to house the shed. There are several ways you can go about doing so including building a slab base. This process requires very few tools and takes fair less time than other base options.

What You'll Need:

• Yard stakes


• String


• Spade


• Wheelbarrow


• Level


• Soil tamper


• Masonry sand


• Paving slabs


• Rubber mallet

1. Mark off an area where you plan to install the slab base that is 4 inches wider and longer than the intended space. Use yard stakes to block the area off and tie strings between the stakes to create an outline.


2. Thoroughly excavate the area inside the strings to remove the sod a total depth of 2 1/2 inches of topsoil. You can use a spade to complete this step. Put the soil in a wheelbarrow to move it away and dispose of it.


3. Run a level all across the shed site and remove any additional soil in high points.


4. Use the soil tamper to pound it against the exposed dirt on the inside of the site. Doing so will compact the ground and avoid the slab from setting unevenly.


5. Take masonry sand and apply a layer about 1 1/2 inches thick into the area that has been dug-out and smooth the sand down using the back of the spade or a soil tamper.


6. Set the first paving slab on one corner of the site for the shed and put the level on top of the slab. Tap the slab with a rubber mallet until the slab has leveled.


7. Begin working outward diagonally, vertically and horizontally from the first paving slab. Follow the same method until you have applied each paving slab without any gaps between them.