I started with 2 8"cinder blocks side by side so that my hives were 8" off of the ground and plenty of air flow. In fact in my area, just east of the mountains, there was to much wind (I have all screened bottom boards). I designed a simple stand using 2"x 8" lumber to make my stand. Two of the sides have several large holes cut/drilled into the sides that have screens, to keep ants and other crawling things out, but the holes allow for an updraft without wind gusts. My loses have dropped significantly since I switched to these bases but I credit the gains to cutting back on the strong winds that go through my hives, not necessary to my design. A word of caution, this stand works well for me but if you do not have regular winds you might be just as well with the cinder blocks. -Mike