Once the floor is down and solid start lifting prepared pallets into place. By prepared I simply mean pallets with 2x4s screwed or nailed onto the open ends. Doing this quickly gives you four sides of the pallet to screw or nail into. It also makes the pallet stronger.
If you use non-standard (40′ by 48′) pallets you may find your walls are a little long and need the ends of the pallets cut off. This is easy to do with a reciprocating saw. Then just slide the 2×4 back in between the slats and screw or nail the slat boards back to the 2×4. Be sure to clean the slats ends off the 2×4 before doing this of course.
It’s also a good idea to stagger the pallets to avoid one long weak horizontal seam. This is easily done by cutting pallets in half. Be sure to add 2x4s onto the open ends of the pallets. Also note that you’ll have two extra horizontal 2x4s in the wall sections with the cut pallets which will add to the height requiring you to trim a little more off your cut pallets.
The walls require 24 standard 40″ by 48″ shipping pallets. If you have sturdy lighter weight pallets this is better for the walls. Place the heavier of the pallets lower in the wall simply because it will keep the center of gravity lower.
Next: Add Windows and a Door…
I like this pallet idea very much. Can you tell me what the best way to mount the floor to a concrete slab would be?
If you wanted to permanently attach wood to concrete drilling into the slab with a hammer drill (big drill that also moves in a hammering motion) and use anchors to tie it down. Bolting metal strapping to the slab and pallets would also be added insurance.
But be sure the slab drains, you don’t want to permanently attach the pallets to a puddle
hola sabes me cuesta colocar los palets uno arriba de otro sin que se me caigan al suelo ¿que hago?
how do you attach the walls to the floor? I live in a moderately high (25 to thirty mph) wind area.
To attach the wall to the slab floor lay 10 ft. lengths of rebar on the gravel pad around the perimeter of the floor about 2 1/2 – 3″ in from the form you build for the slab you will be pouring. If a piece of rebar is too long just cut it with a sawzall if you have power or with a hack saw if you don’t. Wire the rebar together with baling wire at each corner where they meet and overlap. If your slab is going to be 2″ deep cut some blocks of 1×3″s into 2″ wide blocks. If 4″ deep cut 2″ wide 2×4′s. Space them about a ft. apart and place them under the rebar in order to raise the rebar off the gravel and have it floating in the slab when it’s poured. Depending on the depth of the slab, use either 6″(for 2″ slabs) or 8 “(for 4″ slabs) long 3/4″ anchor bolts that hook under the rebar and stand up when the slab is being poured. Line up your wall with the side of the building you’re going to stand upright. Then measure and drill holes in the bottom plate where the anchor bolts are. After the slab has cured stand your wall up on the edge of the slab and the bottom plate will drop right into the anchor bolts. If the bolts are too long to slide the wall in to them place a few cinder blocks on the side of the slab. Raise your wall on to the cinder blocks then slide it over on to the anchor bolts. Then use a flat bottom washer and nut to bolt the bottom plate on to the anchor bolt. It’s the same process used when attaching walls to foundations that use concrete cinder blocks. Be sure to use pressure treated exterior 2×4′s for the bottom plate so it doesn’t rot. Then nail flashing along the side of the bottom plate to keep rain/snow out.