Ink - I don't have the shed yet. And that idea never occurred to me! That would certainly keep the shed nice & low to the ground, so the ramp would have a less steep climb & I wouldn't have to worry about building steps. Hmmm.... MTO - Good point about vermin. Luckily we have a cat & dog who both use a dog door & are outside a fair bit every day (as much as they want). The yard is fenced to be cat-proof, so this is safe. But those 2 terrorize any mole, vole, or squirrel within their territory. Usually the dog flushes the critter out & after he can't figure out what to do with it, the cat steps in for the kill. Tanowicki & VilleMarie ... I like your thought processes. It is so tempting to do it this way. I think I'll ask DH what he thinks about a concrete floor & based on his reaction (and willingness to help with finding concrete contractors) I'll decide to use the concrete for the floor or just worry about making it all look good later. I know I can do the crushed stone & block foundation on my own, which takes a lot of the pressure off. If it's ugly, I've only inconvenienced myself. But that cement floor option is so tempting. -Pam

Have you come up with a game plan for this yet? It seems like building a level foundation takes people longer than constructing an actual shed. Your idea of using crushed stone might be the fastest solution. Of course, as you've mentioned, a lot depends on your local codes. Here is a link that might be useful: storage sheds

I just had a 12'x16' shed delivered and installed. They put the gravel right on top of the grass. It is perfectly level.

I'm just going to run a bigger extention cord ... Funny you should mention that. Many years ago I started having trouble with the underground conduit to my detatched garage (in a different house from the one I have now). Throwing the inside 3-way switch for the garage light in one direction would blow the fuse. It was winter and the wires in the conduit were type R in a lead jacket (I kid you not; this was probably installed in the 1930s or so) and just wouldn't pull. I didn't feel like beating my head against the problem just then, so for a while I just left the inside switch in the "right" position. Then one day I found the fuse blown again, so I disconnected all the wiring to the garage. However, I still needed light and a battery charger out there (remember, this was winter), so I laid a 14-3 SJ extension cord under a shrub, and ran it across maybe 8" of lawn to the garage. When I needed power in the garage, I plugged it in at the house. I intended to use this awful lashup only until spring, but you know these things go sometimes. :\ Anyway, probably 4 or 5 years later, I plugged in my power cord one day and it went pfffft. When I looked under the shrub, I found that the cord had sunk into the earth. I pulled it up, and the rubber jacket and conductor insulation literally peeled off as I did. Surprise! There's a really good reason that extension cords are approved only for temporary use. I trenched the back yard a couple of weeks later. The story has no moral. :)