Pergola/shed advice

[vw754]

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Pergola/shed (adequate stability of posts?) (Ed.)​

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• Start dateToday at 1:56 PM
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vw754​

• Today at 1:56 PM
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Making a pergola and on the right hand side a small shed......6 wooden posts in the ground (8ft tall)
Only put 5 inches of post in the ground then put concrete in .

How ever , 3 Steel rods were screwed into the bottom of the posts (about 8 inches long ) 4 inch was screwed into the post and 4 inches were sticking out of the posts which were then pushed into the ground , before a few inches of concrete was used and then the posts pushed into the soil .

Some wood was put in each corner too please see pictures , feels sturdy ( still got half roof to do yet before putting rubber on it)

Just don't want heavy winds pull it down.

Not sure if it's enough in the ground ,feels pretty sturdy though , putting a roof on it from oak wood flooring that was lying around then a rubber roof.....will it be safe enough or do the posts need going in deeper?
( Work that I don't want do now as it's going be a pain pull out the concrete)

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[kingandy2nd]

Nope, not deep enough and not enough concrete but the sounds of it.

Typically you want 600mm underground for a fence. Different forces at play here with wind, etc vs a fence, but if the wind gets under your roof it’s going to be a ruddy big sail and lift the whole thing spit of the ground.

When you say ‘a few inches of concrete’ is it really just a few inches?

The concrete will still be curing, so now’s the time to break it out. Even if you can’t / won’t lower the structure further into the ground, having a good chunk of concrete around (and below!) the posts might suffice - say 2 or 3 bags of postcrete around each post.

 

[vw754]

Can't put concrete all around the posts on the outside now as it's going look hideous on the block paving.....best pull posts out and then break concrete and put posts in deeper than 5 inches?

 

[vw754]

Been concreted in about 2 weeks now , removed block paving probably around 4 bricks and put posts in , hoping I can smash concrete out as it will be sitting on soil so hopefully be easy

 

[kingandy2nd]

Concrete takes a month to fully cure. Sds drill on hammer action or a breaker bar and some elbow grease will break it up.

You need to dig a deep hole and get lots of concrete at depth.

You should still be able to put your block paving over the concrete, all the concrete should be underground.

 

[kingandy2nd]

You could have/should have bolted the posts on the one side to that wall.

 

[vw754]

Hopefully will break it out it's not a lot of concrete to be honest used half of a 20kg bag on 6 posts

 

[vw754]

Would some wood or steel brackets from the post to the wall help?
Save removing the posts again.

 

[kingandy2nd]

Might do, but it might just pull the wall down with it if the wind decided to take it.

I wouldn’t removed the posts. I’d just dig down around them and add a lot more postcrete.