I recently built a rack for my firewood and need help making a proper footing/foundation for it. It's about 12' long and 5' tall. I half-assed it the first time and it fell over. I just put it on 3 4" thick 16"x16" concrete blocks spaced out evenly.

I noticed they began to sink in in the front edge and I tried to shim the rack to level it and buy me some time, but the next week when the sprinklers came on the whole rack fell over.

Should I dig down a certain depth and do some kind of gravel or sand base then use the blocks again? Should I dig down and pour concrete?

Here are some pictures in case it helps.

Easy to see you have unstable, water-makes-me volatile soils akin to Aggieland soooo
your choices include

• full width/length flatwork ala sidewalk/driveways
• fence like piers maybe 36"d, red sack Quikrete in lieu of blocks
• same blocks, more of them to support outrigger feet extended OUTWARD on your logs hut (nice design BTW)
• haha build a larger deck (or conc. patio) on which log hut can sit w/deck/flatwork to house = no muddy feet
• flagpole experts erect one center of hut so it never moves, 6am flag rasing ceremony

Sorry I do feel your pains about moving soils ... Aggieland surveyors' nightmare in that over a few decades, Property line corner bars can move +/- 6" = crabby neighbors, whose-fence-is-it & their lawyers ...


The digout, compaction and depth for a gravel solution seems to involve more time/sweat/tears/equipment than necessary but I like the results but not the risk of failure.

Don't have that problem here in Austin, but if you can get some depth, that will help with the soil stabilization. If you have access to a few more of those blocks, or willing to but a few CMU blocks, you can dig down around a foot and bury your foundation to help resist movement.

The base is too narrow. Move the whole thing out from the fence about a foot and a half and attach a three foot length of 2x4 to each end.

Yes I think you are right. I think the rack itself leaning accelerated the soil sinking.

I think I will add something along the lines of what you said. I am also thinking I'll dig down and pour sand or gravel to give a more firm base that I can level and then put the blocks back down. I do have a bunch more blocks so I could double up for more width.

Thanks y'all