Flood proofing new shed

[glenfield2]

A year ago much of our village flooded in Storm Babet. We were 16ins in deep in he house and the garden shed at the end of our sloping site nearly 3ft under!

I want to build a replacement - it’s a shed, tool store, bike store etc. How can I mitigate flood damage. Hopefully we won’t get another Babet but who knows.

It will be a timber shed. I could raise it off the ground on ground screws maybe but realistically only 9-12 ins. I can keep vulnerable stuff hung up etc. Any thoughts on how to make the structure itself more water resistant?

 

[Fitzroy]

Beware making it watertight will create a boat, a 4mx4m shed in 1m of water will need to weigh more than 16tonnes before it doesn’t float!

Raising off floor and storing stuff up high sound very sensible, also not using absorbing insulation or glass wool, and having the base ventilated underneath to aid drying.

 

[dzj]

Make it buoyant. A shed/ raft.

 

[Pedronicus]

Perhaps you need to build it on something like those concrete mushrooms that farmers used to install to prevent vermin getting into the barns/grain store!

 

[Orraloon]

The sad truth is any place that has flooded will be prone to doing it again at some time. Climate change making those floods more frequent. Site it as far up the block as you can and build it up on legs as tall as allowed. At the very least aim for the floor being above the peak of the last flood.
Regards
John
PS
This kind of thing but with the floor as high as needs be.
DIY Pole Barn Shed from Start to Finish - YouTube
.

 

[niall Y]

The consensus seems to be to build it as high off the ground as possible,

My own workshop has flooded a few times with flash floods, and the basic observations I would make would be to keep your electrics well off the ground and have everything stored in watertight boxes , that is below waist height.

Another approach would be to build in concrete block and waterproof render it and put in a flood barrier across the doorway.

A customer of mine used to have the lower part of his garden flooded on a regular basis. He resorted to having a small, clay embankment/ polder built, which seemed to cure the problem

 

[Amplidyne]

Make it buoyant. A shed/ raft.

Indeed. Make it from ark welded steel.

 

[TRITON]

Legs

You have the shed safe above the water level, plus you can use the space underneath for storage.