Getting a prefabricated building takes a lot of the hassle out of your next structure, but the question remains – “where do we put it?” Don’t be one of those people that lets site prep go forgotten (until the builders arrive). In order to best prepare for our crew to deliver your newest purchase, we recommend preparing your site in one of the following ways.
Option #1:
Crushed Stone Pad
In our experience, the cheapest and easiest way to level and prepare a site for your shed is a base of 1” crushed stone, 3-5” thick leveled and stamped. It is a good idea to allow one foot of additional space around the building to allow for good drainage.
Option #2:
Concrete Slab
A solid, concrete slab for a pad makes an excellent and easy site base to place your structure. It will also not be nearly as attractive to rodents wanting to dig and live under your structure where they can be a nuisance.
Option #3:
Concrete Footers
This option is recommended for all larger structures, or if you are planning on adding plumbing to your structure. This is usually a 16”-18” wide trench dug 12-24” deep. The trench is then filled with concrete giving you a very solid footer. Footers need to be as low to the ground as possible and run perpendicular to our 4’x6’ skids. Footers should be every 8’-10’ apart. The area between the footers should be filled with dirt or clean stone.
Option #4:
Cinder Blocks
If the customer wants cinder blocks, they must provide the blocks and have them ready to be placed. Cinder blocks are not recommended for larger structures! Cinder blocks will settle some too, so you may need to re-level and shim up the building periodically.
Below is a guide of how to place cinder blocks, depending on building size:
We can also deliver your structure with no floor!
A concrete slab is the only option for this setup. The concrete slab should be the same size as the structure you ordered. The outside perimeter must be very even, without humps or dips, because this is where your wall sets on. Mid-America Structures LLC is not responsible for workmanship of the concrete. Concrete anchor straps, placed when the concrete is still wet, is the best way to anchor your structure. We can install anchors once the building arrives if needed. A floorless prebuilt model has construction, labor, and material modifications that equal the cost of the floor.
If you have questions, want to get our recommendation on what floor might work best for you, please reach out and we would be happy to help! While we are not responsible for your project’s floor/site prep, we’d be happy to give guidance where we can.
One response to “Setting up for Success: Site Prep for your Prefab Building”
[…] to a site prep pro in your area. If you would like to prepare your site by yourself, we created this guide to help with the […]