Project guide
A pad that keeps a shed, generator or AC unit level and out of standing water.
Sheds settle. A shed set on bare Florida sand will be out of level within two wet seasons, the doors will stop closing, and the floor will rot from underneath because water sits against it. A compacted stone pad fixes all three.
Recycled crushed concrete or road base limerock, four to six inches compacted, with a two-inch cap of #57 rock if you want a clean surface. Crushed concrete is the cheaper and arguably better choice here because it cements itself together as it cures.
For an 8 by 12 ft shed pad, allow a foot of margin all round, so 10 by 14 ft = 140 sq ft. At 5 inches that is 140 x 0.417 / 27 = 2.16 cu yd plus 20 percent, so order 3 cubic yards.
Excavate six inches and make the pad a foot larger than the shed on every side, so rain dripping off the roof lands on stone rather than cutting a trench at the edge. Compact in two lifts. Check level in both directions with a long board; a pad that is out by half an inch over eight feet will show in the doors. Build it a touch proud of surrounding grade so water runs off.
Materials for this job
Cost-effective compactable base and fill. Sets up hard.
$18.75 / cu yd MaterialCompactable base under asphalt, concrete, pavers and driveways.
$31.25 / cu yd MaterialDriveways, French drains, slab base and pipe bedding. The workhorse.
$37.50 / cu yd MaterialBudget compactable base for drives, pads and access roads.
$27.50 / cu ydShed and Equipment Pads — common questions
Four to six inches of compacted crushed concrete or limerock base, extended a foot beyond the shed footprint on every side.
Not for most sheds up to about 12 by 16 ft. A properly compacted stone pad drains better than concrete and costs a fraction as much.
Four inches for a shed or AC unit, six for a generator or anything with vibration. Compact it in lifts rather than all at once.
Not on a compacted base. Sinking happens when material is dumped loose and never compacted, or when the pad is the same size as the shed so the edges erode.
Pick your material, enter how many cubic yards and see the delivered number before you talk to anyone.