# Run-In Shed Foundation and Flooring



## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

sdellin said:


> I am going to start building a run-in shed for my horse. I have a couple of questions that I just can't seem to find answers to online anywhere. I am going to sink the corner posts of the shed (12X12 closed on three sides) in cement and I'm going to put in a cement foundation for the shed to sit on. I'm going to dig out the inside and fill it with gravel first, decomposed granite or gravel dust on top and then stall mats on top of that. This shed will have an attached 6X12 room, split in half for hay storage and tack. Coming of the side from the hay storage/tack room will be a 12X12 covered area, with no walls, just a roof, for grooming or if my horse wants to get out of the sun without going into the stall. We may eventually put gravel/granite flooring in there also if we need to.
> 
> Here are my questions:
> 
> ...


You could call your local building insector for these answers. I am in Iowa and we have to put the post below frost line at 4' deep but it is warmer there so it may be different. When I poured concrete for my drive I had gug it out, laid down gravel and poured 4" of concrete. Your post is a little confusing as wether you are pouring concrete as you talk about a concrete foundation which is over kill for a run in shed. By foundation do you mean a footing? Or a slab to build side walls on? Why not just have the horses standing on the ground? As long as you have good run off that is the way I would go


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## sdellin (Jul 14, 2010)

churumbeque said:


> Your post is a little confusing as wether you are pouring concrete as you talk about a concrete foundation which is over kill for a run in shed. By foundation do you mean a footing? Or a slab to build side walls on? Why not just have the horses standing on the ground? As long as you have good run off that is the way I would go


To clarify, I mean foundation like a retaining wall. Just around narrow strip around the three sides for the walls to sit on. Like a mow strip you would put around a lawn. The flooring will be gravel under crushed granite under stall mats. I've read a lot about what horses should stand on and apparently cementing the entire floor and having the horse stand on cement all the time would be bad on her joints?

Here's an example... you could buy a run-in shed from Horizon Structures and it comes with a foundation, which is just three long 6X6 pressure treated beams. Those lay on the ground where the shed walls would be and you place the shed on top of them to keep it off the dirt.

Sorry if I'm over-explaining, but just to be clear.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

In our area a foundation is a deep trench below the frost line like you describe with a strip to build a framed wall on and you would not do that with a run in shed. You just put the posts below the frost line and build the rest on top of the dirt and use treated lumber. That is how are larger pole buildings are done also. So a ploe building is much different then a post frame and does not need that cement strip you are refering to and you would save a lot of labor and money


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

p.s. 12x12 corner post seem very big. My 28x56x13h barn has maybe 8x8 microlams


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

p.s. 6x12 is just big enough for tack, I wouldn't think it would be big enough for hay unless it's just a couple of bales which sounds like more of a hassle. Even if you didn't have your foundation you can still pour a slab for the tack room.


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## sdellin (Jul 14, 2010)

The corner posts are 4"X4", the shed size is 12'X12'. The reason for the foundation is that we are on a hill and will get rain run-off. The dark black lines are where the foundation will be. This will keep the inside flooring (gravel and stall mats) from shifting and moving so much, and there won't be water running under the walls into the stall. The water will run around the foundation and down the hill. This is basically being done like a small barn, it's not just a run-in shed. We're doing it this way so that it will last. The area on the left that says "lean-to" is just a roof or overhang, if you will. The Hay storage will be 6'X8' (I store half there and half in another shed I have already). The tack room will be 6'X4', good size for tack for one horse.


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