Measured my shed foundation after 5 years and it was off by a half inch

I built a small workshop shed in my backyard back in 2019 (you know, during that first lockdown phase). Last weekend I was laying down new floorboards and decided to check the corners with my old Stanley level. Turns out the south wall settled a half inch lower than the north wall over time. Did any of you guys run into settlement issues with your structures? I'm wondering if I should bother shimming it or just let it ride.

2 comments

2 Comments

lily8923h agoMost Upvoted

Huh wait hold on, a half inch? Over just five years? Thats pretty wild honestly. I mean I get that ground shifts and all that but a whole half inch seems like a lot for a shed that sat there that long. Was your foundation just sitting on dirt or did you put down any gravel or compact anything before pouring? Cause if you just plopped it on bare ground that explains a lot. If it were me Id probably shim it up just to keep the floor from feeling wonky, but its not gonna fall over or anything.

laura_knight5420h ago

A half inch over five years on a shed with no real foundation is actually pretty good. If you poured directly on bare dirt with no gravel base, you're lucky it's not worse. Gravel and compaction are key, you need at least 4 inches of crushed stone to wick moisture away and keep the ground stable. If you just shim it, use a few layers of composite shims, not the wood ones that'll rot. Mine settled twice that amount on a gravel pad that wasn't compacted properly the first time, so I'd get under there and level it out before your door starts sticking.