Do it Yourself: [DIY] Re: Ongoing Shed questions

02 August 2014

[DIY] Re: Ongoing Shed questions

Posted by: "Carmen Stuart" johnandcarmen@bellsouth.net

> The Home Depot shed has been placed on solid concrete
> blocks sitting on the concrete slab foundation we had poured.

Hi Carmen;

Now, I understand.

> It's height from bottom of shed structure to concrete slab
> is about 26.

And the floor joists and subflooring probably add
another 8" or 10" to that. So, the floor is around 3ft
off the ground. So, you can span your corridor,
between the two structures, as a bridge, open under-
-neath, not needing its own foundation.

> "Terminology?" This open area under the shed
> is called what ????

"Open area under the shed" works ;O) However,
you might also call it an open crawlspace. And, since
there is a slab, you might consider enclosing it to use
as storage.

> Any creative suggestions on how to approach this
> structure space? We will put lattice under the porch
> section.

Does the porch have a slab under it, too?
Lattice gives the visual look of being partially enclosed,
but doesn't do much to protect things against inclement
weather, and vermin. With the slab, you might fully
enclose and insulate the crawlspace walls, instead of
insulating the shed floor, so that the crawlspace is
a particlly conditioned space, so that you can store
things that need to be indoors, instead of it just being
a place that rain will blow into, during storms. In fact,
if you did not mind a step up or two, or your corridor
being a ramp, you could raise the shed even higher,
to increase the functionality of the space under it.

> I'd love to be able to have a stone-work look under
> this shed but it might be price prohibitive.

It does not have to be. For instance, it does not need
to be continuous stone, to get the effect. So, you might
just put a stone veneer over the outer face of the block
piers, then fill the spaces between the piers with some-
-thing else, probably a darker color, so that it will not
stand out as much. The material might be lattice, stained
a medium to dark tone, or it might even be rough sawn
cedar, cypress, white oak, or some other rot resistant
wood, that you could buy directly from a local saw mill.

If there is ledge rock in your area, you might even be
able to pick up enough, for free, to do it. For instance,
when I was building a house with stone walls, there was
a wonderful pile of fieldstones, out by the road, at the
entrance to a farmer's drive. I did what the book told
me to do, and I went to ask permission to take some
of the rocks. I saw the tractor, out in the field, so I
walked out, and he stopped to see what I wanted.
I introduced myself as a fairly nearby neighbor, and
told him that I was in the process of building my new
home, and wondered if there might be a way that I
could use some of the rocks he had by the road.
He looked me, like the naive city folk that I was,
and said "What the hell you think I threw 'em out
there by the road for? ;O) Where there is a lot
of stone. It is often not valued, highly. Ledge stone,
for small (non-structural) projects is fun and easy
to work with. Veneer stone can make a wonderful
hobby project, that will have maximum "show off"
value, and will be durable enough to outlive you.
I am currently planning multiple stone veneer
projects for our new/old house that will receive
extensive remodeling over the next few years.
(first project will be replumbing with PEX)

> I had thought about the concrete board that comes
> in sheets but then I'd like to have it look a bit nicer than
> just a concrete bottom. I know it needs to be vented.

There are two ways to "vent it". One is to vent it to
outdoors, which is the old standard, which we know from
building science, is not a good way to do things. The vents
that are supposed to carry moisture out of the crawlspace,
actually bring warm damp Summer air in, so that it contacts
the cool surfaces and deposits its moisture in the crawlspace,.
So, venting to outside does the exact opposite of what it is
supposed to do. It was a good idea in the days of dirt floor
crawlspace. But with your slab, that has a poly vapor barrier
under it, venting to outdoors can bring in more moisture than
it can carry out. Instead, treat the crawlspace as a low ceiling
basement. Insulate and seal it from outdoors, and let it vent to
and from the living space. Make it a conditioned space, and
not only will it be more functional, it will be healthier for the
building, and the air quality inside. During the heating season,
most of the air inside a house comes up through the floor,
from the crawlspace. If that is a nasty space, the air will
be nasty too. Treat your crawlspace well, because it is
where the air you breath will come from during the heating
season, when the windows are closed.

-Laren Corie-
Natural Solar Building Design and
Solar Heating/Natural Cooling/Energy
Efficiency Consultation Since 1975
www.ThermalAttic.com (many new
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