How should I relocate my shed?

Question

The property that I bought recently had two sheds. The older one was closer the to the fence and it is already demolished and the other one which is currently blocking our view and it is too big for our needs. The plan is to cut it in half and try to relocate one of the halves on the blue area marked on the picture

The resulting structure will look like this:

Here are my questions:

1. Is the above a good idea ? What difficulties can I expect?
   2 The house has no slope build around the walls to lead the water away of the walls. That is something that I want to improve in the near future. Do I need to build a slope under the off the wall shelf ?
2. Considering that I will have to move a prebuilt structure what is the best type of base that I should build for my new shed (the blue square)? I am thinking about a skid base.
   The current shed has its own base frame and it lies on top of solid concrete blocks. Considering that the half of the shed that I am moving has to slide into that space I don't think that another type of base is a good idea
3. Do I need to lie gravel under the shed? The area was previously used as a storage area, gravel was stored there before the first shed was build. I already cleaned the place and collected all the gravel in two garage bins.
4. The old shed base is still in place, it has a gravel bed on top of which concrete pavers were added. They are not level anymore. I could probably use them to build a base fore the new shed (in the blue area) or try to drive the water away from the house in the greyed area under our windows.
   The question is, if the old shed does not need a base (either gravel or concrete slabs) which of the two is the best to cover the grey filled area in the first picture: concrete slabs or gravel? (I guess they will both need a sloped bed before anything

Update (2017): I ended up cutting the shed in half and reinforcing the structure so it could stand by itself (worked well) After that I used conduit pipes to move it in place. A friend of mine got some leftovers from work and they where just good to roll the whole thing on them I ended up moving the structure twice since when I first moved it in place it was late in the season and I had to wait till next year when I built a base by the book (sand, gravel, slabs) It stands strong no issues to far.

Answer 1

I think:

1. No, it is not a good idea. You can expect all the difficulties of renovation, new construction, and building relocation, combined. Perhaps also conflicts with land use regulations as well. Without tying the roof to the adjacent structure, expect water damage to both the shed and the home.

2. Support for the shed should be suitable for the soil and drainage conditions local to the site. A proper foundation would be the preferred solution. Whatever is constructed should be in accord with current building codes and meet the requirements for wind and seismic forces.

3. A concrete slab might provide better long term performance.

4. See answer 3.

Answer 2

Do you have sufficient variance between the house and your property line to allow for the addition of this shed there? Is there a zoning or housing code you need to check?

Are you getting a permit for this? Most parts of the country require a building permit for anything that attaches to the residence. Having it permitted protects your future resale value.

How would the height of your shed foundation compare to the height of your residence foundation? You might want them to be the same.

Are you going to tie the shed joists into the house joists?

If you weren't attaching this shed to your residence, some of these questions would not come to mind. If you still want to attach it, you really should consult a contractor/builder. Wishing the best for you.

Answer 3

Sticking to item 1 : what difficulties might you expect:

Practically speaking, cutting it in half and moving it will be a problem (or a "challenge" as the folk who like to pretend that problems don't exist like to euphemize.) Moving a shed is awkward enough when it's a complete structure. Once you cut it in half you'll lose a good deal of what structure it has (especially cutting through the peak of the roof like that), and it will be torn between moving and collapsing at every application of force. As a crude model, play around with a sealed (taped) cardboard box (preferably fairly large) - then cut it in half and see how much less rigid it suddenly becomes. You will need to brace the open side in some manner in order to have any hope of moving it.

From your comment, extracted for contrast:

• No I don't want to connect the house and the shed in any way.
• so I can attach the shed to the house

Pick one - you cannot have it both ways. Either you build a wall for the shed and it's not attached to the house, or you attach it to the house wall and it is attached. If the latter makes it not legal, you have to do the former.

Answer 4

I'm actually really impressed with your diagrams here haha! The storage situation is pretty well illustrated! But like a lot of the commentors here, I think that to if you're attempting move the storage shed in part, you're really going to be looking at a fair bit of work, and possibly a bit of unsightliness having to deal with the left over base of the existing shed. Why not move the whole thing somewhere else or think about a better way to organize the items inside the storage shed and do away with it completely?