Do I Bolt My Arrow Building to the Floor With the Foundation Kit?

Arrow Construction

• Arrow building kits include all the parts needed for assembling a strong metal storage shed, except for the floor and foundation. Putting a small Arrow shed together takes only a few hours, using tools many homeowners already own. Before putting the building together, builders should prepare a level foundation built either of wooden timbers or poured concrete. Buildings attach to foundations through holes in the frames or with overlapping anchor plates. Buildings can rest directly on level ground without foundations. Floor kits bolt to the rectangular floor frame supplied with the original building kit. Plywood floor panels attach to the framing with metal screws.

Homemade Foundations

• Assembling the Arrow shed on a strong, level foundation ensures sturdy and weather-resistant construction. Arrow recommends wood frame foundations either resting directly on level ground or supported by concrete blocks, but advises against using pressure-treated wood. Chemicals in treated wood corrode metal building parts. Poured concrete slabs create a stronger rot-resistant structure. With wood or concrete foundations, the rectangular floor frame bolts either to the foundation slab or the wooden foundation frame. To complete the floor, plywood panels fit to the inside of the metal floor frame. Metal screws connect the edges of the panels to the metal frame.

Floor Kits

• The Arrow floor kit assembles into a metal support grid that lifts wooden floor panels slightly above the concrete or tamped earth pad. Where the supports overlap, the parts bolt together, and the ends of the supports bolt to the sides of the building's rectangular floor frame. Plywood floor paneling screws directly to the floor frame. The floor framing can rest directly on sod, but depends on a firm, level base for load-bearing support. Stepping on part of the frame before completing the floor can damage parts, according to Arrow Storage Products. In most cases, the floor kit installs after completing the shed.

Base Kits

• Arrow base kits provide support for the flooring and a stable base for the building itself. Filling the spaces in the kit's steel grid with patio blocks, sand or gravel creates a dry and stable floor, but the base kit also accepts plywood floor panels. Arrow buildings bolt directly to the base kit. The base kit frame can serve as a permanent form for a poured concrete foundation slab. If used as a concrete form, the base kit might flex outward unless securely braced while pouring. Concrete anchor kits attach the finished building to the framed slab with lag head bolts.