{"id":168,"date":"2018-09-01T23:20:45","date_gmt":"2018-09-01T23:20:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/easybackyardoffice.com\/?p=168"},"modified":"2019-11-14T10:09:27","modified_gmt":"2019-11-14T10:09:27","slug":"backyard-office-foundation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/easybackyardoffice.com\/backyard-office-foundation\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Choose the Right Foundation for a Backyard Office"},"content":{"rendered":"
Every successful thing in life starts with a good, solid foundation! The same goes for a backyard office.<\/p>\n
Are you stuck with what type of foundations to use for a backyard office? If that’s the case, this article will help you choose the right foundations for your backyard office.<\/p>\n
Fairly small wooden backyard offices, 10 x 10 ft (3 x 3m) for example, can have a simple bed of gravel or stone as a foundation base. For slightly larger wooden backyard offices, concrete blocks and piers can be used for foundations. A metal framed office can have a bed of concrete as a foundation base (not gravel or stone). Similarly to wooden offices, larger metal offices should use concrete blocks or piers for foundations. Backyard offices constructed from bricks or concrete blocks should have deeper concrete foundations as the walls of the structure are much heavier than wooden or metal walls.<\/strong><\/p>\n Let’s dig a little deeper (see what I did there?) to find out more about the different types of foundations and how you can make the right decision.<\/p>\n As an architect, I personally feel that the number one thing you should NOT do is to build your backyard office directly onto the soil or ground.<\/strong><\/p>\n A wooden structure that makes direct contact with the ground can cause serious damage to your floor and framing. Rainwater and other moisture will cause the wooden floor joists to rot over time and depending on the size of your office, this could be a nightmare to repair. A metal office base will rust and corrode, and a brick structure will unsettle or possibly collapse.<\/p>\n Another factor to consider before laying a foundation, is the type of soil or ground that’s in your backyard. Colorado, for example, has a reputation for having expansive clay ground. What is expansive clay? Picture a regular sponge – When it’s dry, it’s hard and sturdy. You can rest a fairly heavy object on the dry sponge. Pour water over the sponge and you’ll see that same object begin to wobble and unsettle. Expansive clay behaves the same way as the sponge.<\/p>\n Now, this is just one example and we are fortunate to live in a time where there are enough professionals to resolve problems like this. Let’s use the expansive clay example again. Just one of the solutions for dealing with expansive clay is to dig a deep hole slightly wider than the footprint of your future office. They then fill the hole with much firmer and compacted soil so that the entire office foundation has sturdy ground to rest on.<\/p>\n If you’re not totally sure about the type of soil or ground that’s in your backyard, then you may want to consider a Soil Engineer or Land Surveyor to have a look and give their assessment.<\/p>\n You have a variety of backyard office types to choose from and the foundations will not necessarily be the same for all of them. The 3 most common types of backyard offices and their most suitable foundations are listed below.<\/p>\n Timber framed sheds and backyard offices are definitely the most common construction type, especially in the USA. Foundations for these structures can vary from a simple bed of gravel or stone, all the way to concrete blocks and piers.<\/p>\n The factors that have an impact on the type of foundation to use are soil type, the size of the structure, and also weather conditions. The below options are what I would go for:<\/p>\nSoil and Ground<\/h3>\n
Backyard Office Types – And Which Foundations Best Suit Them!<\/h3>\n
Wooden and Vinyl-Sided<\/h4>\n
1. Gravel Bed Foundation<\/h5>\n