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Help, Anchoring future shed to asphalt.

Nealcrenshaw

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Mar 20, 2008
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Cleveland,OH
I'm putting a shed in the back for storage and im not sure how to anchor it to asphalt. I'm thinking drilling some holes in the asphalt and using Concrete anchor bolts to secure treated lumber for use as the bottom plates.Will the anchors hold in asphalt or should i go about it another way?
 
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dwilliams35

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Sep 27, 2008
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Pattison, TX
no anchor that I know is going to hold in asphalt if you ever put any kind of load on it: maybe just cut a trench around the perimeter of the building and pour some concrete with anchor bolts in it??
 

Junkman

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Dec 18, 2006
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Northeastern CT
I'd recommend not putting it on asphalt. It will sink into the asphalt eventually and when you move the shed, the asphalt will have permanent marks where it was. Set it on the grass and just put some concrete patio blocks under the corners. Level once a year, and forget it. After a few years, it will stop settleing...
 

timgr

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Dec 19, 2006
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Medford, MA USA
So your idea was to use the asphalt as the floor to the shed? Can you locate the shed elsewhere? For an 8x8 shed, you don't really need a frost-proof foundation. That small a building is a rigid enough structure that settling or frost heaving won't damage it, and you don't need a 'real' foundation. Typical construction would be on grade, either on piers, timber framed (rectangular wooden frame sitting on gravel), or on skids.

IMO - you can just build it and not anchor it. My Dad built a 9x12 shed like that on a brick patio, with no real anchoring and ordinary stick-built construction. I took that shed down a decade later and moved it to another town, and except for the termite damage it's still a fine shed. Make the sill wide enough so that it doesn't sink in to the tarmac in hot weather.
 
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Steve in Mi

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Mar 13, 2007
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Mid Michigan
If you attach pressure treated 2X ? to the bottom of the walls to distribute the weight it may not sink all that much into the asphalt but remember that the 'new' pressure treated products are very corrosive so a seperating membrain (tar paper) would be a good idea I think and of coarse proper double or triple coated fasteners for joining the wood to the (metal walls ?) shed. Then using some of these 24" to 42" long tent stakes (with heads) driven in at an angle should hold it down.

http://www.hogantentstakes.com/

4 or 6 of them driven thru loops of hardware strap will offer a lot of resistance to the shed moving. Will it pass your local code - I can't say.
 

kbs2244

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Nov 11, 2006
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14,065
I can't remember where I have seen them, but the make a big screw, like a corkscrew or one of those dog chain things, for just this purpose.
It has a 3/4 inch thread on the top.
These earth screws can take a good load.
All those guy wires you see on power poles are anchored that way.
 
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nissan_crawler

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Jan 12, 2008
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Wichita, KS

That's what I used for my shed. TSC carries them.
DSC00318.jpg


They work great, I've had to retension them once in 3 years of kansas wind.
 

Torque1st

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KC Metro, Kansas
Regular long landscape timber spikes driven at an angle will penetrate asphalt. Drill 3/8" dia holes at an angle thru your 2x to start them. Asphalt will flow over time under load leaving a mark where the shed sits.
 
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Nealcrenshaw

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Mar 20, 2008
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Cleveland,OH
What type of drill bit is best for drilling in asphalt? Does asphalt dig up easily? I'm also contemplating digging up the asphalt and laying concrete down.There is no grass availabe.
 

Torque1st

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You don't need to drill thru asphalt. Just drill most of the way thru the wood and hammer a spike thru the asphalt. The ACQ lumber will eventually eat up any fastener that touches it that is not stainless or heavy hot dip galvanized. ACQ is nasty stuff. If you can find a local dealer get TimberSil wood instead.
http://www.timbersilwood.com/

BTW- Don't bother with those metal sheds. Build a shed from wood.
 
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rickgreen

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Nov 11, 2012
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1
Something to look at- Drive in type anchors (Arrowhead) Can be driven through asphalt with or with out a pilot hole. Used by the military for years. milspecanchors.com
 

Brett K

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Jan 29, 2009
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Location
PA
I would build it on skids with a plywood floor rather than attaching t directly to asphalt.
 
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