ᐅ Securing a Carport with Ground Anchors – How to Align It?

Created on: 26 Nov 2022 08:52
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Thinkpad
Hello everyone!

I want to build a carport on our garden plot to store wood and provide weather protection for a wheelbarrow and similar items. It doesn’t need to have a particularly precise or strong foundation since no car will be parked on it. Because this is a leased plot, I’m not allowed to dig too deeply or lay gravel or anything similar. I will roughly level and compact the ground, then place the base plates directly on the grass/soil.

Since the ground won’t be completely even, I’m wondering how to align the ground anchors. These have to be screwed into the ground like large screws, but it seems unlikely you can keep them perfectly vertical over the full 90 cm (35 inches).

So my question is: what is the best way to align these so that the posts that go into them will have the correct spacing at the top, where the roof will be?

I would appreciate any tips you might have!
Tolentino29 Nov 2022 08:57
Instead, you use the wood. If you find a way to perfectly level your spirit level on the rod, that will work too. You can also keep measuring manually (but then you won’t make much progress), or attach a corner level to the U-channel, but that is probably less accurate.
H
hanghaus2023
29 Nov 2022 09:48
Unfortunately, we cannot provide you with any links.

Try searching for the video
Screw foundation for your garden shed: the elegant solution for challenging terrain
Tolentino29 Nov 2022 10:21
It’s not very useful to him because he uses different ground screws, where the angle or, in his case, a U-profile is already firmly connected to the screw. This means he cannot make adjustments afterward and has to install it relatively straight from the start.

However, I believe he can still correct the post slightly, just not as much as with a mount that can be attached later.

In the comments, 15 degrees is mentioned, but at least in the dimension parallel to the U-profile, this won’t be possible.
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netuser
29 Nov 2022 10:24
Thinkpad schrieb:

Thanks! Yes, concrete would probably be even more stable, but it makes things more complicated again, like aligning the H-anchors in the concrete, etc.

In my understanding, handling concrete is actually easier and more precise. You can achieve accurate alignment and a stable solution without much effort.

Look for quick-setting concrete, which is available at most DIY stores.
Dig the hole, add the dry concrete mix, roughly position your U-shaped steel, and add water. The quick-setting concrete hardens quite fast, and once aligned, nothing will shift. Do this four times, and you can easily maintain the distances and alignments accurately.
T
Thinkpad
29 Nov 2022 14:17
Thank you very much for all the great tips! I don’t want to use concrete, partly because I would have to remove it all if I don’t renew the lease at some point. After consulting with Krinner, such a foundation can withstand about 0.5 tons of tension in the ground, which should be enough with a total of 9 foundations to keep it from being uprooted.

What I still don’t understand is how you plan to screw the foundation in and level it with a spirit level when the wood is already in place, @Tolino (because you need to be able to reach the holes with the rod to screw it in, as I mentioned). I would rather use a post level around the U-profiles and then screw them in without the wood.
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WilderSueden
29 Nov 2022 14:25
I would get an additional timber batten at the hardware store and screw it in for screwing purposes.