# Forum Home Renovation The Garden Shed  Garden shed slab and distance questins.

## Lovey

G'day all,
I'm going to erect a 3 x 1.5m garden shed adjacent to my exising 4 x 4m (garage) shed, with the intention of using the garage more as a workshop and having the garden shed for storage.
Is there any recommended minimum or maximum distance between the garage and the sheds  The garden shed is only 2.1m tall and the garage is 3m and has guttering. 
Secondly, I intend to make a rebated edge in the slab so the walls of the shed sit lower than the floor height.  The info that I've found so far says to make the rebate after pouring the concrete by hitting the appropriate thickness of timber into the wet concrete.  Is that the correct method, or do you 'form up' the timber for the rebate and then pour? 
Thanks for looking,
Steve

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## METRIX

Set the rebate in the formwork, it's not really necessary, as long as the cladding extends past the bottom plate and slab, so any water cannot enter. 
You can put it as close as you like, the closer you go, the less chances of servicing the walls if you have any issues, I would keep it 600 away as a minimum to allow for future access/

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## Lovey

Thanks Metrix,
there isn't any 'cladding' per se, it's a bolt together/flat pack shed kit. I've been in touch with the bloke that sells the sheds and he's advised that the bottom channel where the wall sheets connect is 17mm, so I was going to make the rebate 18mm, or a bit deeper, depending on what timber I can get hold of.

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## johnc

Yes, easier to set it in the form work. If it is just a matter of sealing have you considered running a thick bead of caulk or silicone on the concrete then placing the bottom channel on top of that? What you are doing though should almost eliminate any moisture issues.

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## Moondog55

There is a minimum separation distance and it is based on access for fighting fires and in this aspect greater separation is better.

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## Lovey

> Yes, easier to set it in the form work. If it is just a matter of sealing have you considered running a thick bead of caulk or silicone on the concrete then placing the bottom channel on top of that? What you are doing though should almost eliminate any moisture issues.

  Thanks Johnc, I didn’t want to use a sealant around the bottom, with my reasoning being that if water does get in, it then won’t be able to get out, whereas a lip or rebate would allow water out, but hopefully not in.  

> There is a minimum separation distance and it is based on access for fighting fires and in this aspect greater separation is better.

  Thanks Moondog, it will also make it easier to work the slab, rather than it being butted up against the other shed.

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