I’m in the process of building a variation on the Saltbox Shed that is described in Taunton’s “Build Like a Pro: Building a Shed” book. In it the author shows a picture of some anchor bolts with wire that are used to secure the mudsills to the ground.
Where does one get anchors like that? I’ve asked at Home Depot and the local wood place up the road, and neither person I talked to has ever seen anything like it before. What would some alternatives be if I can’t find those anchors?
Thanks!
Neil
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Replies
If I understand you correctly the bolts you are looking for are J bolts (Simpson calls them L bolts). They are placed before the concrete is poured thereby embedding the bolt and the hook at the end prevents it from pulling out in the event of high winds.
Most lumber yards in my area carry them as they are important for "hurricane codes." If you can't get them at the yard call your concrete supplier.
It is a great help to use the anchor bolt holders. They are sheet metal clips that attach to your formboards and position the bolt the correct distance from the edge of the slab based on your bottom plate width (2x4 , 2x6). They also hold the bolt vertical thereby allowing the bolts to fit through your holes in the bottom plate more easily. Be sure to use at least a 2" square washer.
Other varieties of Simpson hardware are available for this application but IMHO the bolts are the easiest to use and have inspected.
These are actually a little different. Since it's a small shed the foundation is just on concrete blocks, not a poured foundation. These are rods that you sledgehammer into the ground, and then they're attached via a wire to a bolt screwed onto the mudsill.
Neil
Neil,
Could you be describing the anchors used to tie down mobile homes? I thought they used steel straps rather than wire, but it might be something to check into. I've seen them in Lowe's, but I don't know about HD. You might also check with a mobile home dealer.
Ah! Yes, that might be it. I'll check Lowes. I got off my butt and hooked up the scanner, attached is a picture of the tie from the book.
Neil
When I built my (very small) shop last year, the inspectors insisted that I use these. I got mine at the local Lowe's. Although they met the inspector's wishes, I think that they are a joke compared to the one's that I could have bought from the local mobile home parts supplier.
The one's from lowe's are basically a 1/4" rod, with a loop at the top, and an auger welded near the bottom. You don't hammer them in, you screw them in till they are below the frost line (or in undisturbed soil). Total length is probably 30". If that is enough length to get below your frostline, and your building is small, then they are OK.
The one's from the mobile home supplier are a similar design, but are MUCH beefier. Probably 3/4" rod, 48" long, with an auger that was a lot bigger, and a T-shaped piece of angle iron instead of a loop. They are obviously a lot stronger.
A note: regardless of how you anchor the sill, be sure you are also using all of the needed metal ties when you build. If not, then you'll need to use strapping and wire going from these stakes, over the roof, to the other pair of stakes.
Vast projects should not be founded on half vast ideas.
Thanks for the information. Thankfully in the northwest the frost line is rather shallow, and the shed I'm building is quite small (8'x6'). One follow-up question for you though. What ties do you mean when you say "be sure you are also using all of the needed metal ties when you build."?