Stuck in garage

[MSHappyCampers]

WOW!

[Timberdog]

I would put in weeping tile around your base and have it drain on the downhill side of your pad, same as your house. Also, if the ground is unstable you do a couple of things first. Take out the gravel and dig down approximately 12-16" and put down some geogrid. On top of this put geotextile and backfill with a good quality aggregate, 0 - 1" should do it. Do it in lifts of approximately 4". Compact each layer with a vibrating plate compactor. This along with the weeping tile will solve your problems. No real need for concrete after this. You can lay geogrid in a swamp and it will stabilize it. Concrete is very expensive and if the soil underneath gets saturated you will start to crack quickly.

[Gordon Dewald]

Tom;
Not to worry, just not enough preparation to overcome the storms.

An engineer would give you the best options based on a site visit. Otherwise a lot of overkill does not hurt.

First thing is to make sure there is drainage around the outside of the shed. Ground should slope away from it on the back and sides. If you can get a foot or more of elevation it would be good. If you can keep the water away it is always better.

You will have to stabilize the dirt inside. Salvage as much of the gravel as possible. Once you get down to the subsoil excavate and dispose of any deleterious material. Excavate down to good subsoil, at least a foot below the base level. Pack the subsoil and start backfilling the excavated area with good fill material. Backfill in 4" layers and pack using a good packer or plate tamper. If using a smaller plate tamper use smaller lifts of backfill. Backfill until you get the base to the level you want to place the gravel on. Then backfill the gravel using the same lifts as you did for the sub-base material. Fill with gravel until you get to the level of where you will be placing concrete. I would use at least 6" of crushed gravel for the base.

I would suggest that 5" of good strength concrete would be sufficient along with a suitable amount of rebar or mesh.

IMO this should provide you an adequate strength in the floor to carry your MH. Getting a design from a local engineer who is more familiar with your conditions would be a good investment.

[gemini5362]

I am curious whether or not you were going to be going any where for a while. If you were not going anywhere could you have just let the ground dry out some then put the jacks down and thrown 4x4's into the ruts and driven out ?

[tom076]

Probably could have waited, but needed it out to evaluate damage for insurance purposes, and I was stuck on board, could extend steps to get out.

[tom076]

This is rural Arkansas, they don't have building inspections department, just county health to deal with septic tank issues.

[tom076]

I was the contractor, not particularly a competent contractor, but the price was right, got what I paid for.

[TQ60]

So your county does not have an engineering department?

That would be odd...

There are good suggestions here but some may be way more than you need or completly unsuitable.

You learned the hard way of one not so good setup.

Do call your county office as they may use outside services for this.

You do need a proper engineer to review it and if you pay a contractor then a permit so it is inspected.

My opinion is a good slab of 6 inch concrete with proper footings would do it but rebar too.

But my opinion is worth less than you paid for it.

[tom076]

Believe me, in Yell County Arkansas you can build a house without a building permit,

[ChasA]

"Believe me, in Yell County Arkansas you can build a house without a building permit,"

God bless us. A place in this country where freedom still exists.

[Coulter]

In the original installation, it doesn't sound like the soil was compacted. Generally, a sheep's foot or similar device is used to compact soil, not the treads of a crawler. And even if partially compacted, if the design does not keep water away, even compacted soil will just turn of mud.

Even if your local jurisdiction does not have a building department, you could employ a licensed civil engineer to (a) provide the design (b) inspect the work and (c) obtain compaction reports to confirm compaction at +90% and (d) confirm that the engineering design was followed by the contractor. (And no, I'm not a CE, but have learned the hard way that having an expert provide the design and inspection, helps insure that the job is done better, and sometimes even correctly. Although I can't speak as to Arkansas, many contractors in CA frankly don't know how to do a job correctly.)

Last time I was in AR, only Fayetteville and Little Rock had building departments and even they didn't do inspections. They merely issued permits for the revenue. Although I'm sure that has changed some over the years ...

[TQ60]

Looked up little rock and they do have inspectors but the services do not look like what we are familiar with.

However if you are in a wet place then a lot more than compacting will be required.

It needs proper drainage to keep water away from where the pad is.

Then the pad needs proper preperation then whatever on top.

Yes there must be engineers available in your county...call the county inspectors office and ask them.

If it is a county too poor to have one they will have someone that they contract with and you should be able to go from there.

[tom076]

Not in Little Rock, not even close to Little Rock, remember in the movie True Grit, when Kim Darbys character said "I'm from Yell County near Dardanelle, well I'm in Yell County near Dardanelle.

[Fl_Richard]

Originally Posted by tom076

Any other suggestions?

There is a fiber additive - it's essentially fibers - think fiberglass.

The idea that it can still crack but the fibers restrict movement. I have it and no real cracks beyond the intended stress cuts. And no movement at the cuts.

Plus the rebar.