Getting it square

by william
(Aiken sc)

I have worked on building house all my life but I never started at the beginning so my question is how do u get just say all 4 posts in line together so it will be square?

John's Answer:

Hi William,

This is a great question! Naturally one would think the first thing to do would be to measure for your foundation post holes, then dig your holes and set your posts. Right?

Wrong!

The easiest way to get all 4 posts in line, or 2 or 6, is to first build your floor structure completely. Lay your skids out, your band boards, rim joists, joists and build your shed floor. Don't nail on the floor sheeting yet as this will be done later after your posts are set.

Nail your floor structure together, level it up by placing blocks under it, then you will know exactly where your post holes need to go that support your skids. Slide your floor over a foot or so, keeping it level still, dig your holes where you have marked for post locations, set your posts, and run a level over from the bottom of your skids to the posts and mark your cut line.

Pull each post out of the hole, cut it at the line you just marked, stick it back in its hole, and repeat for each post you have.

Once all your posts are cut and in place, slide your floor back so that the skids line up perfectly over the posts. Attach the tops of the posts to the skids with metal mending plates.

Double check to make sure your shed floor is still level. If need be, block up the floor to re-level it.

Now, fill your holes with concrete around your posts and let it set over-night.

There you have it. Now you can sheet your floor and continue on building your storage shed, garden shed or whatever you might be building.

Thanks William for your great question and for visiting my site.

Hope my answer helps you.

John