Outside the box thinking: Moving a large shed..

Howdy do folks,


Have an issue in the garden that needs addressing in the next couple of weeks. Here are a couple of pictures of a garden shed that was put in place approximately 6 months or so ago:

Pic 1 (shows the concrete base the shed is sitting on)




Pic 2 (more recent photo)





So effectively, through a combo of rushing into getting the shed ready and in place, and not a whole lot of foresight, I have put the shed in the wrong place.

The shed (which is 11x16ft) needs to be moved forward about 8-9ft (where the bricks are in the 2nd picture is where the doors to the shed should be).

Effectively, the hope is to get to cracking on an extension to the rear of the house, but the shed blocks this (meaning that if i leave the shed, i can only extend out by half the width of the house).

The shed has the normal floor that comes with it, and also has two 18mm layers on top of that screwed into place (a layer of 18mm chipboard, and a layer of 18mm plywood). The walls are plastered, too (so there's the outside skin of the shed, the battens that line the walls to hold it all together, and then plasterboard screwed to the batons and then plastered over.

The ceiling is also plastered (same as the walls).

So my thinking is that the shed is generally 're-enforced' enough that it should be able to withstand a little bit of knocking around (may break plaster in places but patching it up should be okay, i am more concerned about damaging the wooden walls of the shed itself.


Access to the garden is via a shed with double doors restricting access.



So... I am at a bit of a loss as to what the safest way forward here is.

My theories are...

1) I read online that the best way to move a shed is to stick some pipes, pvc tubes, or anything 'pole' shaped under it. Idea is to jack the shed up using car jacks, and use the circular poles to roll the shed around.

This won't work because the shed is on a concrete base, which is a tad lower than the deck in front of it. (so effectively the poles will hit the side of the deck and get jammed, I believe).


2) Lift it into place. Problem here is that the garden doesn't allow access of a proper sized crane to get in, so I'd have to hire one of those mega monster cranes you see on construction sites, as it would need to bear the weight of the shed, and also be able to reach about 50ft to the shed in the first place (parked outside the garden walls). I am also uncertain about if lifting the shed will cause the floor to 'fall out' (though i imagine with an abundance of straps under it to lift it, it'd be safe enough?).



3) The only other theory I can come up with, is to try and put a load of lengths of wood under the shed, creating a ramp onto the deck (skids i believe people call them) and use them to try and push the shed forward.

Biggest issue here is the shed is 16ft which is equivalent to most wooden lengths, meaning they'll swiftly 'get lost' under the shed. I also am not sure that, even if i get the skids under the shed, I don't know how much man-power is required to push/pull it. Lack of space means I can't stick it on a car's tow rope and pull it, nor can I get a tractor to push/pull it either.




So I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts or ideas on this at all? I have to admit I'm a tad stumped.

the_pen_turner

take a pic of the underside of the shed so we can see the construction.


i presume your going to cut out the deck and build a propper base for the shed

melloa

dismantle shed,

cut away decking,

place new foundation.

re-construct shed on new foundation

jonon9

Have to agree with Melloa, 11x16 is a big garden shed and trying to lift it and move it would be a pain. There isnt even room on the other side for people to stand and lift with.

Sleeper12

melloa wrote: »

dismantle shed,

cut away decking,

place new foundation.

re-construct shed on new foundation

+1

The company that installed it will take it apart & install it properly

homingbird

Or else hire a crane company to strap it & lift it from the front of the house how ever that much cost.

The Mulk

I moved a 6x8 shed on my own using skids.
I took the floor off the shed first which was the heaviest part, there was about 20 nails drove down into the floor through the walls. The structure became quiet flimsy though.
With all the weight you have it think jacking it up and pipes would be the best.
Maybe fix heavy duty castor wheels to the sides

Howdy do folks.

Unfortunately dismantling isn't really an option I'd like to try out.

The inside of the shed is plastered and as a result the lads that installed it wouldn't be able to dismantle it as all the screws, nails etc are hidden behind the plasterboard. Re-plastering the shed would be pricey enough I'd imagine.

I did find a thing online called machine skates. they are effectively little blocks that can take a lot of weight, and have wheels on the bottom of them. I'm thinking they might work? (still need to Jack to up etc to get them under it).

Would I be right in saying that the decking would collapse under the weight of the shed? or would I be okay putting a few blocks on the deck and the shed atop them? (I'm guessing it won't hold the weight).

The Mulk

I would cut away the decking and maybe lay down concrete beams/paving slabs to the same height as the current slab and a pallet truck each end of the shed and push. I've moved safes like this.

Sleeper12

I would assume that the plaster will crack & break as you move it. It's not a solid object & there will be plenty of movement in the shed in every direction as you move it

_Brian

Maybe speak to whoever is doing the extension and see if they would take on moving the shed too.

Machine skates are designed to run on ultra smooth concrete floors and won't be suitable for this job.

Calahonda52

Tasty foundations:D

Whatever way you do this it is going to cost and the pb will crack

Instead of timber lengths you need to think steel, maybe rectangular box section, more stable than square

The problem is compounded by no all around access and the fact that the move is less than the length so you have 6 or 7 feet of existing foundations that will remain under the shed, in effect you are only moving it half its length.

Moving it the full length would in fact be a bit easier as you could cast a proper concrete slab with the box sections, say three lengths cast in place, and then pull the shed up onto it.
If you made the slab a bit longer, with the steel sections well fixed into it then you have a good fixing for some Tifors or other winches, running the steel cables down the side of the shed and attached to a box section fixed to the back of the shed that protrudes out enough to take a fixing for the winch cables.

Its doable but will cost, and may take longer than a few weeks.


remove glazing and consider replacing it with ply of the same thickness.

Calahonda, I am mildly confused by your post, but from googling some of the words (Tifors, for example :P ) would my issue be effectively the same as moving a boat?




But on a smaller scale, of course. I can see no reason why the above wouldn't work? (I have about 5" free space between the shed and wall, and about the same under the shed, so could theoretically get ropes, straps or whatever the technical term may be, under the shed to lift it upwards).

the_pen_turner

calahonda is right. you need steel.


i would weld up a steel frame. galvinise it etc . then jack up the shed and fit the steel frame.
build some kind of fountation towards the house to it can go that way if it can.

then build a proper foundation where the deck is.
then winch the shed up onto the foundation


there is no garantee that the plaster wont crack or buckle , same for the glass

I'm confused.. are ye guys saying effectively make a steel floor, put it under the shed, and then use the steel floor to lift the shed (crane) and drop it into it's new location?

the_pen_turner

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm confused.. are ye guys saying effectively make a steel floor, put it under the shed, and then use the steel floor to lift the shed (crane) and drop it into it's new location?

yes.
you might not need a crane. a few palet trucks might work but a crane would make it easier

melloa

Deleted User wrote: »

Howdy do folks.

Unfortunately dismantling isn't really an option I'd like to try out.

The inside of the shed is plastered and as a result the lads that installed it wouldn't be able to dismantle it as all the screws, nails etc are hidden behind the plasterboard. Re-plastering the shed would be pricey enough I'd imagine.

I did find a thing online called machine skates. they are effectively little blocks that can take a lot of weight, and have wheels on the bottom of them. I'm thinking they might work? (still need to Jack to up etc to get them under it).

Would I be right in saying that the decking would collapse under the weight of the shed? or would I be okay putting a few blocks on the deck and the shed atop them? (I'm guessing it won't hold the weight).

just break out the plaster from the inside corners to access the screws/nails,

then dismantle shed,

cut away decking,

put down decent foundation, rebuild,

replaster corners,

and bob's your uncle

asteroids over berlin

Crane hire is not cheap, you should dismantle the shed and rebuild it - you have a somewhat enclosed space, a fair big shed. It is the sensible option!

DublinDilbert

Angle iron is cheap from a steel merchant, make up a frame that surrounds the base, even screw the shed to it. Then drag the angle iron with a winch, maybe some rollers under it.

Cantona's Collars

The builder should have some long scaffolding tubes,I used two to move my shed. Basically I jacked it up,put the tubes underneath and slid it along the tubes to where I wanted it,you'd be amazed at how easy it can be,you'll need some helping hands though.

Cheers for the replies, folks.

I got a quote from a Crane company who said it can indeed be done, and it'd be €750 to do it.

That's a tad more than I'd anticipated (I budgeted around €500) so i may contact a couple other companies or such and see if i have any luck. I live close to the coast and have clogherhead (a fishing place) nearby, so i may see if someone in there has the gear for moving boats that could do it.


The steel floor idea above seems like it could be cheaper and perhaps a better option in terms of reducing potential damage, but i have no idea where i would start looking to get a steel floor made up for it.


Zerks, you make scaffolding tubes sound so easy. was your shed big? A builder i use regularly moved a 6x4 shed before by simply jacking it up, sliding a sheet of mdf under it, and pushing it around the (grass) garden. I asked him about this, though, and he is stumped.

11wingnut

A decent Hiab type truck crane if there is a back lane with room for outriggers . a tractor unit with about a 100 tm..

Cantona's Collars

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Cheers for the replies, folks.

I got a quote from a Crane company who said it can indeed be done, and it'd be €750 to do it.

That's a tad more than I'd anticipated (I budgeted around €500) so i may contact a couple other companies or such and see if i have any luck. I live close to the coast and have clogherhead (a fishing place) nearby, so i may see if someone in there has the gear for moving boats that could do it.


The steel floor idea above seems like it could be cheaper and perhaps a better option in terms of reducing potential damage, but i have no idea where i would start looking to get a steel floor made up for it.


Zerks, you make scaffolding tubes sound so easy. was your shed big? A builder i use regularly moved a 6x4 shed before by simply jacking it up, sliding a sheet of mdf under it, and pushing it around the (grass) garden. I asked him about this, though, and he is stumped.

The wood slides easy enough on the steel.My shed was 8x6.Bracing it before any move is important to stop any twisting of timbers.

Here's a video of a timber mobile home being craned. https://youtu.be/2rKOukbdIy8
Perhaps a hiab could work too.

It's a bit of a shock to see it's nearly three months since I asked this question! :eek: And only today has the shed actually been moved.


I bought some dollies on wheels from Homebase. They were a steal at €14 each, and each rated to 400kg (i bought three of them). My plan was to jack one side of the shed up, stick the dollies under it, and then use two pallet trucks (which i planned to hire, at €20 per day each) and pull the shed along, like a trailer of sorts.


I went out to jack it up to put the dollies under it, before hiring the pallet trucks, and i couldn't even move the shed. I'd get it about an inch or two off the ground and whatever I used to lift it (I couldnt get the jack directly under the shed, so had to use a length of timber, decking,and even another car jack, at one stage) to wedge under the shed to try lift it.


I quickly realised I was on a hiding to nowhere.

In vain, I rang two more crane companies. One Dublin based one, and one Called Slane Crane Hire.

Dublin one said it'd be about a grand to do it. Would be a two, maybe three, person job, would require X, Y and Z (they sounded like they were a tad over-cautious on the old health and safety front, and im guessing all of their work is building site related). However, Slane Hire said it'd be €550 and took a much more realistic and relaxed approach when discussing it.


I had a good feeling, as he sounded like he knew his stuff. I emailed a few pictures, and he said it'd be fairly straight-forward.

I cut the handrail off the decking, disconnected the relevant wiring, etc. and got everything as ready as I felt I could.

Arranged a time, and he showed up on time. He had a crane that was arguably bigger than I'd have needed (but better safe than sorry), he didn't rush anything, had a bit of a laugh, was friendly in general and spent time making sure everything was done right. He had no issue with re-lifting it up and down and holding it in the air for a little while so I could adjust the blocks and such underneath it. He was very friendly.


Two hours after his arrival he was away off into the sunset, and the shed was in it's new position.















So I am a happy camper and now I have the space I need for the extension.

I'm also pleasantly surprised, that the plaster inside the shed never cracked or broke at all (well, with the exception of a half-inch hairline crack on one wall, which is effectively nothing really). I was fully sure there would be enough movement to cause the plaster to crack and break. So I saved a few Euro there in a roundabout way (as I was anticipating to have to pay to touch it up).


Can't complain with that experience at all. Hopefully the last time I'll be needing a Crane hire.