Ramp for Outdoor Shed

Our new outdoor shed in our backyard was sitting in a place with a little dampness and soft grass nearby. I decided to install a 4" perforated drainage pipe as well as a new pressure-treated ramp, allowing easy access to the shed while also helping to deal with our drainage issues.

** If you also have drainage issues, I'd highly recommend the following 2 items

(1) Perforated Corrugated Expandable Flexible Landscape Drain Pipe, 4-in. by 25-ft.

https://amzn.to/3MpGGuu

(2) NDS 11, 4 in. Round Grate Cover Connects to 4 Inch Drain Pipes & Fittings, for Small Lawns, Landscaping and Patios, Black Plastic

https://amzn.to/3BqbJQK

**These screws are weatherproof and work great on pressure-treated lumber.

(1) box SPAX 9 x 2" Flat Head T-Star+ Partial Thread Stainless Steel 1LB, 125 Count

https://amzn.to/3W3tU8n

(3) 2" x 4" 6ft pressure-treated lumber

(7) 1" x 6" 6ft pressure-treated lumber/decking boards

**These screws are also weatherproof and designed to handle the weight/torque of being pulled and under the pressure of the weight as you repeatedly use the ramp and apply torque to the ramp where it's secured to the shed.

(1) box 4" Ledger Board Screws to fasten 2x4's to your shed

https://amzn.to/3pG8txI

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For my installation, I dug a 1ft trench around one side and the front of my shed. I installed a 4" perforated pipe to help guide any groundwater toward the slope of my yard and away from the shed. I buried the pipe in crushed granite stone chips to help allow the water to flow freely. If you do not have drainage issues, you can skip this step. I included the images to show how this pipe can easily flex around corners and should drain to open air.

Here you can see I fastened (3) 2x4's to the base of my shed's 4x4's using the ledger screws noted above. You can have these 2x4's extend out as far as you'd like. I chose to have 1ft under the shed, with 5 feet exposed sticking out of the shed. NOTE: before installing these 2x4's, notice I cut the ends on an angle that allows the first board to be mounted on an angle, making it easier to load things like lawnmowers or snow-blowers up the ramp.

Cut the 1x6's to the length needed for your installation. I went flush to the far ends of each 2x4, which was 64" in my situation. (My shed is 8x10) You can see I used a fiberglass marker used for driveways in the wintertime as a spacer to distribute the boards with a small space between them evenly. You can use anything you'd like - or you can put your boards flush against each other. I prefer the look with a small gap between each board, as shown here. Keep in mind, my first board was screwed to the angle I cut on the 2x4's, allowing for a nice ramp for any wheeled equipment to access the shed easily.

This is the finished look. Using pressure-treated lumber, the 2x4's are in direct contact with the ground. They won't last forever, but I like the look, and this only took a couple of hours to build. It shouldn't be a big deal if I ever need to repair or replace it. This was a pretty simple project that wasn't very expensive and it added a ton of functionality for us because we had a swampy grassy area in front of our shed that made it difficult to use. Now we enjoy using the shed without any issues whatsoever.

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