Towards a more stable foundation

[Mike Teskey]

Had a great weekend on the Oregon coast on the initial steps toward a 12 x 16 builder's cabin that will be both a skill-honing project and allow us to better know what we want to build for our "real" project...

Here is my question about the foundation:  I have the 6 pier bocks on top of the pavers which are underneath my beams which are underneath my floor.  At this point, I notice the structure has some wobble to it if I try and move it.  Should I be concerned?  

This shed in on a "flat" section of a hillside and the uphill beam is resting on a pier on one end while the other two piers have a 3" post and a 10" post, respectively.  The other beam (the downhill beam) has 10", 15", and 22" posts on top of the piers.  

[Chuck Ardizzone]

May sound like stupid questions..but

1.  did you take the time to level the pavers? I would guess you did, but I had to ask.  If not that could be part of the problem.

2.  do you have the floor joists installed? How about your rim joist? Are they on top of the beams or hung from the beams?

3.  is that 6 pier blocks total or per beam?  if it is 6 total, I would have added 1 more per side to help distribute the load a little better.  

If the wobble isn't to severe I would bet things will stiffen up as the decking is added.  You could also add some diagonal bracing across the bottom of the floor joist to stiffen things up.

[John Raabe]

I concure with Chuck's post. Stiffness accumulates as you sheath both the floors and the walls.

Later, after the loads have settled things a bit, you can go back and add diagonal bracing for additional stiffness to the higher posts.

[Mike Teskey]

Thanks, guys.  I will check again to ensure the pavers are level and then begin to sheathe.  I simply worry because of the slope that the structure will slide off the hill.  The less it wobbles, the less I worry.

Onward!

mt