Seattle backyard shed rebuild: my foundation was a disaster

I'm building a 10x12 shed in my backyard in north Seattle and dug the foundation last weekend. After leveling the gravel and laying the first block, I realized the whole thing was off by about 3 inches from corner to corner. I had to pull everything up, re-grade the ground, and start over with a laser level I borrowed from a neighbor. Has anyone else run into this kind of mistake with their own backyard builds? What did you do to fix it?

2 comments

2 Comments

park.wyatt6d ago

That part about the gravel leveling got me curious - what kind of base did you put down under the blocks? Like, was it just gravel or did you put anything else underneath to help with drainage and settling?

jamie_price5d ago

Just gravel leveling" under blocks? Man, that's wild. That's basically asking for trouble once the ground shifts or a heavy rain hits. I've seen too many patios and walkways sink or tilt when people skip a proper base layer under the gravel.