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How build timber shelves under house onto uneven sandstone?

I’ve got some basic carpentry skills and some used joists from a deck I want to use to build storage shelves under our house. I need help working out how to attach a timber frame to the base, which is mostly large uneven solid sandstone the house sits on. I need to work out how to fix and level the posts when the ‘floor’ is natural rock. Thanks

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Dave-1

Afternoon @NadineC

Now that reminds me of my last place!

I happened to have built a set of long shelving on slopping paved ground. It was freestanding and solid.

Looking at your area (love under the house areas, its always "free" space!)

-On the left I would remove whatever rocks you can then level it tho on a slope type deal. Pave it if you have available spare pavers as it makes using the area so much nicer. (I would just use the dirt base under the pavers as they are not going anywhere soon)

-On the right I would find three or four points going up towards the rear wall from the front where you could put in timber stands.

-Connect the stands together using your joists and bolts. Then if you have access to some board use that for the base of each shelf.

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Green = leveled ground as a slope with pavers if you have them otherwise just dirt.

Red = Timber posts resting on the odd shaped sandstone you refer to. They are not connected, just standing on it.

Blue = cross beams bolted to the posts (There should also be some solid rails that run along the top of these crossbeams to the next posts)

White = Boards to cover the rails between each stand so you can put your stff on them.

This way you dont need to excavate too much, its easy to change once done and can be built using recyled stuff. It was the first thing I built before any renoing I ever did 🙂

Dave

NadineC

Thanks Dave, that’s great advice. I like the idea of paving where we can so it’s easier to walk through and doing deeper shelves on the one side.

Dave-1

Afternoon @NadineC

Just remembered! Put pool noodles on the beams overhead! lol I knocked my head so many times on my beams it wasnt funny!

Dave

JacobZ

Hi @NadineC,

Thank you for your post and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

@Dave-1 has done a fantastic job of laying things out and I would suggest much the same lay out.

My suggestion for attaching posts to the stone beneath is to use a bolt down post anchor such as this Pryda 90mm M10 Bolt Down Post Anchor attached to the stone with Ramset 10 x 50mm Galvanised DynaBolts.

You can also use Macsim 45mm Assorted Window Packers to pack the post anchor level so the posts can be attached plumb.

After the posts are in place, Dave-1's design would be fairly simple to complete, and you could reuse the joists you mentioned earlier alongside some pine decking as the shelves.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

NadineC

Thanks JacobZ. That sounds fun, I’ve not had a chance to use Dynabolts yet.

Nailbag

Hi @NadineC what a great amount of under-house storage space. Just to throw another hat in the ring of ideas and one I have done for myself and is exactly the same project I'm soon to make for a mate. It's simply to use heavy duty stayed brackets secured directly to the wall without any need to build a timber frame. And would only require very little excavation underneath. Stayed brackets if your haven't used them before will not buckle under their rated loads.

Heavy duty stayed brackets range in sizes, I would go with 600 x 300 brackets fixed to the bricks (not the mortar course) using 50mm Ramset Universal anchors that each have a 32kg load rating in to brick.These brackets would be going anywhere.

Without knowing your height requirements, you appear to be able to have at least 2 rows of shelving. I would start with the far end as this is your lowest point.. Dig a channel deep and wide enough to fit the bracket to the wall and use a hammer drill to make the fastener holes. Then carry that level along the brick course to each bracket position.

You could start with 4 brackets per level and easily add more at a later stage depending on the type of eventual storage load. @JacobZ suggestion of pine decking, will provide a cost effective solution as would 1800mm yellow tongue flooring which is what will be using. But you could rip to a narrower width depending on your bracket selection. Having a shallower top shelf makes it easier to access items at the back of a lower shelf, if you can afford the space loss. The shelving would be simply fixed with 20mm 10Ga wood screws from the underside through the holes already in the brackets.

For the walk path, once cleared you could start with crushed rock mixed with cement then lightly watered in which will create a fairly solid floor as is. But would be an ideal base to lay those pavers @Dave-1 suggested. I also liked his idea to put some form of anti-head banging on the floor joists above.

Regards, Nailbag

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NadineC

Thanks @Nailbag that's another good option. I was keen to reuse the decking timber as it means we're not having to carry it down our 27 stairs to the road and don't have to pay for a skip. I could use it for something else like a work bench, which I'm desperate for. So many projects!!

Cheers,

Nadine

Nailbag

Sorry @NadineC I missed you already had those decking boards. In that case definitely use them for the shelving on either the brackets or the timber frame option.

Nailbag

hakeae

I'm tacking onto this post as I have a similar situation, but body corporate told me not to use timber because it might attract white ants. Can't timber be treated to resist white ants??

MitchellMc

Hi @hakeae,

Timber can definitely be treated to resist termites. Treated pine, for example, is commonly used in outdoor and subfloor applications because it’s been chemically treated to deter both rot and termite attack. Look for timber that’s rated H3 or H4, depending on the level of exposure to moisture—H3 is suitable for above-ground use outdoors, while H4 is used when timber is in contact with the ground.

That said, some body corporates prefer to take a more conservative approach, especially in older buildings or where there have been previous termite issues. If you're working in a shared property, it’s worth checking if they’d accept treated timber with documentation showing the treatment level and intended use. Alternatively, they might prefer non-organic options like steel shelving or aluminium framing, which completely avoid the termite issue.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

Nailbag

Hi @hakeae

Further to @MitchellMc information on treated pine ratings, you could also supply this link to the body corp to see if they would accept the use of this timber.

Otherwise you could follow the instructions I earlier posted for @NadineC on using and fixing stayed metal brackets to the wall. Though not cheap, but if they specify a non-wooden product for the shelves, you could consider composite decking boards.

Nailbag

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