How to Brace an Outdoor Shed

Sheds present a broad, flat silhouette, and high winds can significantly weaken the frame of a shed and even blow it down. You do not need construction experience or special tools to use earth anchors to brace a shed. Earth anchors are available in a variety of designs. A simple and effective anchor consists of a 15-inch-long metal rod with a 3-inch-wide spiral metal disc welded around the rod toward its bottom. When this anchor is screwed into the ground, the metal disc bites into the soil, anchoring it solidly.

Tape measure
Rebar, 2 feet long
Four 15-inch earth anchors with 3-inch disks
Sledgehammer
Carpenter’s level
1/4-inch galvanized wire rope
1/4-inch wire rope thimble
Four wire rope clips with nuts
Four U-bolts
Crescent wrench
Wire cutters

Instructions

- 1
  Measure and mark a spot on the ground that is 8 inches from each corner on one side of the shed, inward toward the center of the shed. Locate each marked spot 4 inches away from the side of the shed. Perform the same exercise on the opposite side of the shed.
- 2
  Thread a 2-foot-long length of rebar through the eyebolt at the top of the earth anchor with 1 foot of rebar extending from each side.
- 3
  Place the tip of an earth anchor on one of the marked spots. Grasp one end of the rebar in each hand and twist – screwing the anchor into the ground – while an assistant taps on top of the eyebolt with a sledgehammer. Position the anchor vertically into the ground. Use a carpenter’s level to ensure the anchor is in plumb.
- 4
  Continue twisting and hammering the earth anchor into the ground until the eyebolt is positioned at ground level. Screw an earth anchor into the ground at each of the other marked spots.
- 5
  Make certain the anchors on each side of the shed are directly opposite each other. This is essential so the brace holds the shed in place evenly without allowing it to twist in high winds.
- 6
  Thread one end of the 1/4-inch galvanized wire rope in the groove of a 1/4-inch wire rope thimble. Draw the end of the wire rope up alongside itself to form a loop. Place two wire rope clips around the double strands of wire rope and securely tighten the rope clip nuts with the crescent wrench.
- 7
  Slip a U-bolt through the loop in the wire rope and then through the eyebolt of the earth anchor. Tighten the nuts on the U-bolt securely.
- 8
  Throw the loose end of the wire rope over the roof of the shed. Pull the wire rope firmly and use wire cutters to cut the wire rope with 1 foot of slack from where the rope touches the ground.
- 9
  Repeat the process used on the first earth anchor to secure the wire rope to the earth anchor on the other side. Draw the wire rope taut across the roof of the shed and tighten nuts on the U-bolt firmly. Cut off the excess wire rope after the U-bolt is attached.
- 10
  Attach a wire rope to the two remaining earth anchors in the same manner as the first two.

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