🏗️ How To Build A Foundation

A solid foundation is the key to a long-lasting shed. At Outdoor Living Today, we want to help you create a sturdy, level base for your shed—without confusion or guesswork. Whether you’re a DIY pro or first-timer, this guide walks you through clear, step-by-step instructions and multiple foundation options.

 Three Recommended Foundation Types:

• Patio Stones (Fast & Easy)
• Pressure-Treated 4×4 Beams (Durable & Elevated)
• Concrete Slab (Permanent & Weather-Resistant)

STEP 1: Clear & Prepare the Site

Before your shed kit arrives:

• Remove grass, debris, roots, and rocks.

• Make sure the area is flat and drains well.

• The ground should slope away from the site (approx. 1/8″ per foot over 10 feet) to prevent water buildup.

• For best results, excavate 4 inches and fill with gravel or crushed rock.

💡 Pro Tip: Use a landscape fabric under gravel to prevent weed growth and soil shifting over time.

STEP 2: Mark Out the Shed Foundation

• Pick one corner (Point A) and drive a stake into the ground.

  Use the 3-4-5 triangle method (based on the Pythagorean theorem) to ensure your layout is square—this method works for any shed size:

  • Measure 3 feet (or any multiple) on one side, and 4 feet (or same multiple) on the adjacent side. The diagonal between them should be exactly 5 feet (or the matching multiple).

  • For larger sheds, you can use 6-8-10 or 9-12-15—just maintain the ratio.

  Once your corners are square, outline the full perimeter using string and batter boards.

📏 Need help squaring? There are apps and online calculators that can assist with right angles using your shed dimensions.

STEP 3: Choose Your Foundation Type

Patio Stone Foundation

• Best for small to medium sheds on stable ground.

• Level the soil or gravel, then place stones under key floor joist points (see your floor plan).

• Adjust using sand or soil for leveling.

• Space stones evenly to support the shed’s perimeter and any internal floor joists for balanced weight distribution.

• Use a long 2×4 and a carpenter’s level to ensure all stones sit flat and level across the entire footprint.

✅ Quick to install, affordable, and easy to move or adjust.

 

4×4 Pressure-Treated Beam Foundation

• Ideal for slightly uneven terrain or areas where airflow is needed beneath the shed.

• Lay beams perpendicular to joists on a gravel base.

• Use rebar (½”) driven through pre-drilled holes to secure beams in place.

• Leave space between beams to promote drainage and prevent moisture buildup under the shed.

• Ensure all beams are level and aligned before attaching floor joists for a stable, even base.

🪵 Leaves room underneath for ventilation and helps prevent rot.

 

Concrete Slab Foundation

• Best for large, heavy-duty sheds or long-term placement.

• Excavate 6 inches: 4″ of gravel, 4″ of concrete slab.

• Include a plastic vapor barrier between gravel and slab.

• Frame your pour with 2x4s, level and finish with a trowel or bull float.

🔒 Most permanent option. Offers unbeatable durability and pest resistance.

⚠️ Final Tips Before You Start:

• Always check local building codes and permit requirements.

• Call your local utility provider before you dig to avoid underground lines.

• Don’t skip drainage—it’s your best defense against rot and frost heave.

🔍 Need More Specific Foundation Guidance?
While this guide provides general best practices for preparing a foundation, individual product designs may have unique requirements. For a more tailored guide for your specific model, please refer to the provided product assembly manual included with your kit or available above .

5 Creative, functional uses for a garden shed (that isn’t storage)

Is your home feeling small? A creative way to make more space in your home doesn’t require sacrificing the home square footage you already have or investing in extensive, disruptive home remodels. Have you ever considered turning a beautiful certified Western Red Cedar garden shed into a living space in your backyard? It’s a project you could complete as quickly as a weekend!

The traditional garden shed can be used for more than storing your outdoor and gardening equipment and supplies. You can roll up your sleeves (or hire a contractor) to turn a garden shed into a more functional space in your backyard. 

Here are five cool ways you can turn garden shed structures into functional extensions of your home. 

The home office 

If you work from home, you know how the “main house” can be distracting. Kids running around, doorbells ringing, and your fridge being close by can be distracting for most of us. 

Having a professional workspace separate from your main living area helps you manage your work-life balance. This separation helps define work and personal boundaries, leading to increased work focus and productivity and a more balanced life. 

Many garden sheds can be converted into home offices, complete with power, heat or cooling, and office furniture. This provides you with a blank slate to decorate and theme your office to your heart’s desire!

A she shed, man cave, or rec room

As much as we love our family and spouse, having a space to yourself can be incredibly beneficial. That’s why modern families create separate spaces for each family member in their homes. These are lovingly known as “she sheds,” “man caves,” and even kids’ rec or playrooms. 

If your main house doesn’t have space for the “She Shed” of your dreams, you can convert a garden shed for that purpose.v

• Imagine escaping to the shed after dinner to do some quiet reading, meditation or your hobbies in peace. 
• Imagine your partner having a place to watch the big game on TV without disturbing the rest of the family every time their team scores.
• Imagine your kids having a place to play games or watch movies while you’re hosting dinner parties in the main house.

Kids playhouse

Speaking of kids, you could convert a garden shed into a playhouse. If you or your partner is handy with a hammer, you could install cabinets, countertops, and furniture in the playhouse. 

You could also insulate the shed, add power, and use the shed as a playroom with all your kid’s favorite toys! Imagine stocking it with art supplies for the kids to craft outdoors without a crafty mess spilling into your freshly vacuumed carpets in the house!

A bar or outdoor kitchen

If you enjoy outdoor entertaining, turn your shed into an outdoor bar or kitchen storage space? Install a bar counter, a mini fridge, space for your drinkware, and maybe some charcuterie boards for snacks. 

Using your shed as storage for your outdoor kitchen can save you many trips back and forth from your main kitchen during BBQ or entertaining season. 

A pool house

If you have a pool or hot tub in your backyard, drying off before returning indoors can be challenging. Your pool guests often track wet feet as they run inside to get changed after their swim. 

Instead, convert your shed into a private, comfortable pool house. Now, you and your guests have a place to change after their dip in the pool or hot tub, and you don’t worry about dripping pool water on your natural wood floors in the main house. 

Imagine the possibilities for your next “garden shed”

A garden shed doesn’t have to be for your lawn mower and bags of soil. It can be turned into an extension of your home, creating functional space for your needs. Whether you’re working from home, creating a personal space, or entertaining, a garden shed has so many uses beyond storage. 

Outdoor Living Today’s garde

n sheds are made from sustainable Certified Western Red Cedar. Our largest sheds are 12×16 feet, the perfect size to create the space of your dreams! We also have smaller sheds which are large enough for a small playhouse or home office space. Use your creativity to customize the inside (and outside) of your shed for any use you need, including adding insulation, power, and furniture.

What type of space is your home missing? A renovated garden shed may be able to fill the gap!

Check out our stunning selection of outdoor Western Red Cedar sheds and imagine the possibilities for extending your living space in the great outdoors!

Would you like to know how to build a playhouse? Building a playhouse and building a house are the same – it is just that a playhouse is on a slightly smaller scale. To make things simple, you can make the little house’s dimensions match the pre-cut lumber that you will be picking up from the home improvement store.

A plywood sheet is 4×8 feet and 2x4s in 8-ft lengths is perfect for a playhouse. So your little house will have a length of 8 feet with 4 foot walls and a roof. This will be a lot less math and minimal work, and your kids will love you for it!

Items You will Need

Shovel
Drill driver
Circular saw
4×4 pressure treated lumber
4×8- foot plywood sheets
2×4 lumber
Joist hangars
Pick
Speed square/rafter square
Landscaping cloth
Sandpaper

Lay the foundation: You will be keeping things simple, but it is still important to start off right. First, find a place in the yard where there is enough room for the playhouse, making sure that the ground is mostly flat already. Take your shovel and pick, break up the earth and making it level and compact. Make a weed barrier by laying down a sheet of landscaping cloth.

You may not want to build a playhouse directly on the ground. The moisture and earth will rot away the foundation of the playhouse just like it would a normal house.

Frame the floor: The next step is to set two pressure treated 4x4s (the 8-foot ones) on the foundation. Then cut four 4x4s of 4 feet each to fit between the 8-foot 4x4s. Attach the pieces together with joist hangars. This job is best done with pressure treated lumber because it is going directly on the ground, and that will ensure that it is protected from the elements as already mentioned.

You may want to have a cement foundation. You can look online or hire someone who knows more about that.

Frame the side walls: Make the bottom and top of each wall with two 8-foot 2x4s. Make the walls 4-feet high by cutting ten 2×4 studs and keep in mind that the width of the 8-footers need to be accounted for. You will need to make the studs 4 feet, taking away 1½ inches, which is a 2×4’s actual width, so 3 feet 10½ inches. Now, you can lay the lumber on the ground and screw the studs to the plates both on the bottom and top. Keep them 24 inches apart on each center.

There will be 5 studs on each wall. Next, drill a hole of 5/8th inches in the bottom plate in the open bay that is between each stud and drill another hole corresponding to the previous, in the foundation’s 8-foot lengths. As you make the walls stand up on the foundation, drive in a 5/8-inch sized bolt through each of the pre-drilled holes. To prevent the walls from falling outward or inward, secure a 2×4 between them temporarily.

Install the floor: The space between the walls should be perfect for a sheet of plywood, meaning it should be 8 feet in length and 4 feet across. Lay a sheet in the space and every foot or so, screw it into the foundation. While the walls are still open, this is the right time to install an indoor or outdoor carpet if you wish to.

Frame the walls: It is now time to frame the front and back walls. Build the end walls the same way that you did the side walls, but with the top and bottom plates at 4 feet. Each wall requires four 3-foot 10 ½ -inch studs, set so that bay in the square’s center is 2 feet wide. Drill 5/8 holes in the outer bays only and then stand the walls up and bolt them down. Next, screw the studs together where they meet at the structure’s corners and you can remove the temporary support.

Frame the roof: For this, 10 rafters (5 on each side) are required, so they match up with the studs you screwed on the side walls. Cut ten 2x4s to 2-feet 15/16 inches with an angle of 45 degrees on each end. To get the angles, mark them with a speed square/rafter square or use a miter saw.

Now match two rafters up, making a V and screw them through the angle. There should be 5 Vs in the end. Set the Vs on the side walls’ top plate so that they match the studs and screw them down. Finally, make a ridge beam by setting an 8-foot 2×4 the length of the roof in the rafters’ angle abs screw it down to each rafter.

Now, you have a completed playhouse skeleton, so the next steps are to skin the side walls, front and back walls and the roof with the plywood sheets. Once you have done that, sand down the rough edges so that the little ones do not get splinter in their skin. That can be unpleasant and ruin the day!

After that, you can add the finishing touches and give it the look you want. You can give it a rustic or polished finish – that is all up to you! You can get the kids involved by letting them help you paint the wood to protect it. If you can make it match your actual home, that could look pretty sharp! You can have loads of fun with your new playhouse.

Build a Playhouse