How to move a heavy shed?
chris jung
We are getting a nice older shed (a solidly built homemade one, not a
commercial one) and have a spot picked out for it in our back yard. I've
visited our town's Building/Zoning office with photos, sketches & our lot
layout to fly this project pass the code enforcement officer (he said it
looked fine) and got advice on foundation requirements (4" bed of gravel
under the shed, 6" deep around the perimeter. After shed is in place, we
will attach it to the ground with 4 anchor ties).
One problem we will have is that we will need to move the shed onto our
property before we will have the foundation ready. It will be transported
by a tilting flatbed truck and placed on cinder blocks about 5 feet to the
side of the final spot.
Even though the sq footage of this shed isn't huge (8'x12'), it's solidly
built, is already insulated and drywalled and I betting weighs a lot -
especially a lot more than we could muscle around. We have no idea how to
move a solid beast like this five feet to the gravel foundation without
tearing up the lawn or messing up the foundation. Is there something that
we could rent that would help in this? Or does it make sense to scout
around for round poles (old telephone poles?) to roll it into place? Any
sage advice on this?
Thanks,
Chris
Jim Elbrecht
-snip-
>One problem we will have is that we will need to move the shed onto our
>property before we will have the foundation ready. It will be transported
>by a tilting flatbed truck and placed on cinder blocks about 5 feet to the
>side of the final spot.
That's too bad-- I'd be trying to figure out how to get it so the
truck can drop it right in place-- delay the truck or hire the prep
work out.
>
>Even though the sq footage of this shed isn't huge (8'x12'), it's solidly
>built, is already insulated and drywalled and I betting weighs a lot -
>especially a lot more than we could muscle around. We have no idea how to
>move a solid beast like this five feet to the gravel foundation without
>tearing up the lawn or messing up the foundation.
I wouldn't worry about the lawn- that heals in a few weeks. I move
a 10' square shed around [no sheetrock- but I've quit emptying it for
the last two moves] on a track of greased landscape timbers. I work
alone and use a 6' pry bar to scoot it along the timbers. I put
a 2x4 'skirt' around the bottom so the prybar doesn't mar the siding.
I've moved it 20 feet south, then 10 feet west, and then 10 feet
northeast over the years. It's none the worse for wear.
>Is there something that
>we could rent that would help in this? Or does it make sense to scout
>around for round poles (old telephone poles?) to roll it into place? Any
>sage advice on this?
I tried rollers & found that it always wanted to roll in the wrong
direction, the rollers would turn, etc. If I was working with a
crew of 4-5 people I might try several 24" long pieces of 2" iron
pipe. That *might* work without the mess of grease---- but for 5
feet I'd probably still go with 2 landscape timbers [those 3x5
cheapies are fine- just pick out a couple smooth ones] and a couple
pounds of axle grease. [crisco would probably work if you want to
stay 'green']
Jim
Pete C.
I'd guesstimate it weighs 4,000#-5,000#. I wouldn't put it on
cinderblocks since that will just make it difficult to get it down off
the blocks to move it. Put it down on a few PT 4x4s, just enough so you
can get a jack under it. Get a couple of the mechanical "Hi Lift" jacks
so you can lift it again. A half dozen 2" sch 40 PVC pipes will be
sufficient for rollers. The jacks will also be useful for the eventually
move to push / pull the shed into place.
I've done essentially the same thing with a 40' cargo container
(~10,000#), using one Hi Lift jack and some smaller logs for rollers
(what I had on hand), moving the container about 80' over pretty rough
terrain. I suggest two jacks for your shed, since I don't think a
conventionally framed wood structure will handle single point jacking as
well as a steel container.
It's not that difficult really, just plan each move carefully first, and
as with most all rigging, don't lift anything any higher than necessary.
Ralph Mowery
"chris jung" <cj...@twcny.rr.com> wrote in message
news:47caa841$0$17357$4c36...@roadrunner.com...
> Hi,
> We are getting a nice older shed (a solidly built homemade one, not a
> commercial one) and have a spot picked out for it in our back yard. I've
> visited our town's Building/Zoning office with photos, sketches & our lot
> layout to fly this project pass the code enforcement officer (he said it
> looked fine) and got advice on foundation requirements (4" bed of gravel
> under the shed, 6" deep around the perimeter. After shed is in place, we
> will attach it to the ground with 4 anchor ties).
>
In this area, the building movers have several pieces of PVC pipe and put it
under the building and roll it in place if they can not get the truck in the
exect place.
hal...@aol.com
so your getting a nice insulated and drywalled shed:)
DONT PUT IT ON GRAVEL! When it rains moisture will get underneath,
trapped in the gravel, and ruin the drywall and insulation.
pour a proper concrete floor. a nice slab...........
install foundation and move it just once onto the slab........
DerbyDad03
re: I've moved it 20 feet south, then 10 feet west, and then 10 feet
northeast over the years.
Why? (just curious)
Jim Elbrecht
>On Mar 2, 8:40 am, Jim Elbrecht <elbre...@email.com> wrote:
-snip-
>> I've moved it 20 feet south, then 10 feet west, and then 10 feet
>> northeast over the years. It's none the worse for wear.
-snip-
>Why? (just curious)
I knew I should have 'splained that.<g>.
I'm slowly- as in one wheelbarrow load at a time, and no more than 5-6
loads in a day- re-grading the back of my property to eliminate the
'river' that runs through my garage each spring.
First move was to get it out of the way. . . second move was after a
change of plans put it in the way again. . . and the third one has it
about where I want it. [this year, anyway]
Before I'm done I might just tear it down anyway, but moving it is
really not much of a project. One of the advantages/disadvantages of
working slow and alone is that plans change as the landscape changes,
so to speak.
Jim
Una
rollers. Fence posts or PVC pipes, not telephone poles; telephone
polls are too heavy. To control movement, you will need strong rope
or chain ties; hand winches are very helpful too. With the proper
equipment and time, one person can do the job without breaking a sweat.
You might find someone to do the job for you.
Una
mm
<teama...@eznet.net> wrote:
>
>
>re: I've moved it 20 feet south, then 10 feet west, and then 10 feet
>northeast over the years.
>
>Why? (just curious)
Likely reasons:
1) The shed is hiding from the police.
2) The shed is hiding from la migra.
3) Jim's also just curious
4) The shed is part of a set of 16 sheds, and Jim is playing chess.
HeyBub
>>
>> I've moved it 20 feet south, then 10 feet west, and then 10 feet
>> northeast over the years. It's none the worse for wear.
>>
>
> northeast over the years.
>
> Why? (just curious)
He has a wife.
hal...@aol.com
> > re: �I've moved it 20 feet south, then 10 feet west, and then 10 feet
> > northeast over the years.
>
> > Why? (just curious)
>
> He has a wife.
so so true:(
jim
ABS pipe worked well for me to move mine
Mike Paulsen
(snip)
> I move
> a 10' square shed around [no sheetrock- but I've quit emptying it for
> the last two moves] on a track of greased landscape timbers. I work
> alone and use a 6' pry bar to scoot it along the timbers. I put
> a 2x4 'skirt' around the bottom so the prybar doesn't mar the siding.
>
> I've moved it 20 feet south, then 10 feet west, and then 10 feet
> northeast over the years. It's none the worse for wear.
>
Spoiler space
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White. It's a polar bear.
HeyBub
>>>> feet northeast over the years.
>>
>>>> Why? (just curious)
>>
>>> He has a wife.
>>
>> so so true:(
>
> ABS pipe worked well for me to move mine
Hmm. Use pipe to move a wife... Hmm.
I don't think that would be as much fun as a paddle, but I'll give it a try.
SteveC
<sa...@dog.com> wrote in message
>>
>
> First lets see if you can get it on and off the truck without destroying
> it. It
> probably wasn't designed and built to withstand what you plan to do to it.
>
>
Yeah, I'd say reinforce it with braces inside for sure to keep it square and
intact.
Smitty Two
wrote:
> First lets see if you can get it on and off the truck without destroying it.
> It
> probably wasn't designed and built to withstand what you plan to do to it.
I'd agree with that. I have an 8' x 12' shed that I built. It isn't
insulated, but it's drywalled and has electrical, phone, and cable. And
a couple of windows, one of which opens; the other is a relatively big
picture window. It sits on pier blocks, to which 4 x 4 stringers are
attached, and the floor joists sit on top of those.
Obviously, the stringers are nailed to the pier blocks, the joists to
the stringers, and the plywood floor to the joists. The walls are built
on top of the floor. I have no idea how I'd pick it up without
splintering it.
Chris Lewis
> Even though the sq footage of this shed isn't huge (8'x12'), it's solidly
> built, is already insulated and drywalled and I betting weighs a lot -
> especially a lot more than we could muscle around. We have no idea how to
> move a solid beast like this five feet to the gravel foundation without
> tearing up the lawn or messing up the foundation. Is there something that
> we could rent that would help in this? Or does it make sense to scout
> around for round poles (old telephone poles?) to roll it into place? Any
> sage advice on this?
Sliding it on greased rails or on skids is much safer than rollers.
Try your darndest to get them to drop it in the right place
to begin with.
Ask the people who built it for suggestions. My SIL had a similar
sized shed (no drywall, but it weighed a lot more than a simple shed
of the same size would have weighed), and I had all sorts of nightmare
pictures in my head of how to move the durn thing - I get roped into
doing that sort of stuff there.
Turns out that the builder had built it on sleepers (PT 6x6), and
would have been relatively easy to drag - at least in that direction
with a 4x4 in 4-low and/or a comealong or two. Especially on
gravel.
Fortunately, they dropped it in the right place, and nothing needed
to be done.
--
Chris Lewis,
Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.
jo...@phred.org
> First lets see if you can get it on and off the truck without destroying it. It
> probably wasn't designed and built to withstand what you plan to do to it.
Neither are most houses, but they get moved all the time.
When we had to move our shed (because we were raising our house and
installing a new foundation), we jacked the shed up, slid in some 4x4
runners, and slid it along with a backhoe. No damage other than screw
holes in the siding from jacking it up. (Didn't have clearance for the
jacks underneath at first, so we jacked against cleats screwed to the
outside of the shed.)
--
jo...@phred.org is Joshua Putnam
<http://www.phred.org/~josh/>
Braze your own bicycle frames. See
<http://www.phred.org/~josh/build/build.html>
Jim Elbrecht
>On Sun, 02 Mar 2008 10:40:18 -0500, Jim Elbrecht <elbr...@email.com>
>wrote:
-snip-
>>I'm slowly- as in one wheelbarrow load at a time, and no more than 5-6
>>loads in a day- re-grading the back of my property to eliminate the
>>'river' that runs through my garage each spring.
-snip-
>I've done jobs the same way as you're doing, but there are limits. My
>time is valuable too.
I'm in no rush. My dirt moving is part 'construction', part hobby
& part 'fitness program'. In the summer I work outside. In the
winter I continue on with the basement I started 20 years ago.
>For about $100 to $150 you could rent a skid
>loader for one full day and get the job done.
I rented a machine a couple years ago for a job that needed to get
done. In my part of the world I called around for 2 days and ended up
with a small backhoe/loader for closer to $400 a day. [and for the
job I'm doing by the wheelbarrowload I'd spend more time filling ruts
than moving dirt]
-snip-
>
>You still did not say the size of the shed.....
We both did-
OP- "this shed isn't huge (8'x12')"
Me- "I move a 10' square shed around "
Jim
KLS
>On Tue, 04 Mar 2008 07:47:37 -0500, Jim Elbrecht <elbr...@email.com>
>wrote:
>>OP- "this shed isn't huge (8'x12')"
>>Me- "I move a 10' square shed around "
>[cut]
>That's a SMALL shed. I have one about the same size that I moved from
>about 10 miles away. I needed a shed and they were going to destroy
>it. It was bolted to a cement slab. I had to grind off those rusty
>bolts. I put a wooden floor in it when I got it home. I have it
>raised about a foot off the ground. My cats use the underside for a
>place to get out of the weather.
We have one about 8'x8', speaking of small sheds, and it was
positioned almost exactly in the middle of our small back yard, very
poor feng shui. I finally got pissed off enough at looking at it that
I decided we should move it. Several people told me to just buy a new
one, but I couldn't justify that since this one was in perfectly fine
shape, with minimal rotting at the bottom of a couple of pieces of
T1-11, and why would I want to throw away $800 or more?
So I got some friends together, totaling 5 women and 2 men, and we
lifted up this thing and moved it along some 4x4 posts that acted as
rails on the ground. The job supervisor was a guy whose dad used to
move massive gravestones with not much more than a couple steel rods,
so he knew how to use leverage. We moved the shed about 10 feet to a
spot right behind the garage that is about 10 feet wide exactly, with
the garage to one side and a stone wall on the opposite side (and the
neighbor's fence on the back end, hence no room for a come-along).
None of the Internet resources I found were any help for our
particular situation, not even this:
http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/landscape/shed/move/xyard.htm. We
had NO room for any backhoes or come-along chains as we were moving
this thing; it was brute human strength, pretty much. We just barely
got the thing back there, and I am pleased to this day. Soon I'll
need to reroof it.