Drawing and or pictures may help.

Oops, forgot it Click to enlarge

Yes, I wish in the beginning we had taken down this shed and either put up a new one next to it (didn't have the garage then) or repoured the slab and built new shed on it. But we can't do either of those now.

I talked to the city. Neighbor built their fence AFTER our shed was in place. They built fence on the property line but it is in the middle of the utility easement. They should have contacted the utility companies first because we aren't supposed to put anything permanent in the easement, but they didn't. Our shed is 8 feet from the fence, 3 feet outside the easement. But because there is no longer a 10 foot unobstructed easement, the city won't let either of construct anything within 10 feet of the fence. The city should make the neighbor take down their fence. But they are not. They grandfathered our shed though.

Lifting up a shed to repour a foundation needs extensive bracing internally so that it won't collapse. It also needs the right kind of jacks, and the ability to insert cribbing under the sill plates. And it needs to belifted as a wholee piece, with each jack working together simultaneously. Look at a few episodes of House Movers to get an idea of what is. involved. Very involved.

So, where will they let you build a shed? This shed doesn't seem worth saving at all.

They'll let us build one in our backyard, right between our deck and water garden. Wouldn't that be lovely? lol

again. if they grandfathered your shed, then you should be able to reconstruct it at the same location. Tell them you are reusing the existing foundation (which you are, you just want to raise one half of it). This constitutes no change from the present situation as far as access to the utility.

Also it is outboard of the utility easement. They can't just redraw the line to provide clearance. In the event that the easement is used, the neighbor will have to get his fence out of the way.

There must be some higher authority to appeal this to.

"There must be some higher authority to appeal this to." Probably, but who? We could take the city to court but that is money we don't have.

We basically are going to reconstruct it, or just the low end. We're going to take all the siding and roof shingles off, which will leave the shell, and then jack up the top plate so we can cut off the studs and add concrete. Yes, I know we'll have to drill into the existing slab and add new posts and rebar. Then we'll add new bottom plate and set it back down over the new posts. Frame a new door in the side, close in the door in the front and then reside. Yes, it's a lot of work, but not as much as taking the whole thing down to rebuild, and doesn't require a new building permit. The city won't let us take it completely down and build new on the slab anyway. They call that a new structure and then it isn't grandfathered. So frustrating.

If you walked into the bureaucracy central of the typical permit office with the required plot plan, showing the required setbacks, with the same (compliant) location of the existing shed marked for it's ''new'' construction, you'd likely be granted a permit to construct it. They cannot disregard their own setback rules. Getting electric to a shed isn't that hard, if that s now part of the new code. It would be easier to try that than to try to lift a wonky old shed. Safer too.

In very small towns, like the one where I used to live, going to the city with a rational plan sometimes...just gives them something to do.

A simple request turns into a monster, & you have to dig up records & present them to defend the fact that the shed is there at all, & then they start looking at everything else on the lot.

To be safe, to save money, & to avoid conflict, the easiest thing to do is just what OP wants to do, & what she asked for input/insight on:

re-doing the shed where it stands.

Thank you Sylvia. There really isn't any argument about moving or replacing the shed. I just wanted to know if anyone had tips to make it easier before we started.

Given your recognition of the level of effort involved in this project and your desire to move forward with it, I'd say there's not a lot of advice to give you. Get some hydraulic jacks and a number of jack stands. You need to get under the sill plate to raise it. Put a low profile jack (like and automotive jack) under and lift. Put a jack stand under it. Do it incrementally and in small increments. Block it up and got to town preparing your new foundation. Good luck.

I am not sure the french drain is doing much in its current state without a retaining wall there. You should have a retaining wall to divert water to run past the sides of the structure. Then you put a french drain at the retaining wall on the wet side. If you want to ensure your new work stays dry, I would do the retaining wall, and it doesnt have to be very large, just enough to divert water.

Either that or have the ground be gravel or small rocks where the drain currently is so the water goes into the drain instead of running past it above ground.

I'm glad you mentioned the retaining wall Vith. I thought about that but didn't know if it would do any good. And yes, the French drain is going to have gravel or small rocks up to the surface, with none of our clay soil on top.

Thank you sdello. We've got a few jacks but will probably need to get a few more.

You should only need one or two jacks but you must have either jackstands or a bunch of blocks in different sizes to block the shed as you raise it a couple inches (at the most) at a time all the way around the shed.

Prefabricate new shed walls, floor, and roof in your garage. Get plenty of bags of quick set concrete. On a Sunday morning when your neighbors are at church, tear down the old shed, fix the concrete, and assemble the prefabricated shed. Prime it to match the existing; deny everything.

LOL Joseph corlett. Maybe rig a cover of camo netting?

Bandaid- throw down the needed pallets and plywood on top.