Wood Piled Against House

Looks like it is up against bare concrete..not the siding. Nothing wrong with that.

That sure looks like siding to me, and it appears to be sitting on the ground, or too close to it. One of my rules as a homeowner is to keep all sides if the house open, even landscaping should be at least a few feet away.

Get him to make a proper rack away from the house.

If that wood is for this season then no big deal. If it needs to season, having a tarp over won't help to dry it. Maybe offer to help move it to a better spot when things cool down. If it's going to start WWIII then OK to leave well enough alone.

The real problem here is the vicious name calling, not the wood.

Stacking wood against the house is an invite for bugs and spiders to get into your home. That should be motivation for the hubby to move the wood.

gzecc said:

The real problem here is the vicious name calling, not the wood.

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Right, missed that.

I have some dry wood stacked against my vinyl siding. Its on concrete and on 2 x 4 dunnage to keep it off the ground. Covering any wood completely with a tarp is a bad idea regardless of whether it is dry or not. Moisture from the ground will work its way up into the wood and spoil all the hard work you guys have gained by drying it out. I would toss the wood in a pile away from the house then lay some form of dunnage on the ground whether its lumber or better yet some pallets. This will protect the bottom rounds from getting wet and will also encourage air flow. Then I would restack the wood keeping it an inch or so away from the siding. Finish this off by folding that tarp several times so that you have the wood stack top covered only with a bit of the tarp hanging over the edge. Of course the best solution would be to do what I described but do it away from the house.

IMHO, its time for both of you to go out and restack the wood. There should be a significant gap between the house and the wood. Covering it with a tarp is going to trap moisture under the tarp leading a much longer drying time and possible mold.

gzecc said:

The real problem here is the vicious name calling, not the wood.

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Agreed. The only time my wood is completely tarped is the rack on the deck when it's going to rain on it, then uncovered after the rain is done. Otherwise that pile is uncovered awaiting its final destination. My stacks are all top covered until they make it to the deck outside the front door

There's many things wrong. No air circulation, even if it's dry and seasoned the tarp will cause condensation, with no air getting to it. Even if it's concrete, still no air. Vicious name calling.? I hope he not reading this, might be some more name calling.

As long as that's a one-winter deal and gone by spring you shouldn't worry about termites. That's probably not a good permanent location. I think I detect a hilly yard and that's always tougher to find a spot.

You might try an offering that the location sure looks like it'll be convenient for retrieving wood this winter, but what if "we" look into a toolless wood rack and scout the property for a location that makes sense, is convenient, etc. The great thing about a rack like that is you simply move it when it's empty. And they look great when they're full!

Two landscape timbers, two 2x4s, three concrete blocks. 1/2 cord. Easy to top-cover.

It will be cold soon, which will make the bugs in it dormant. I'd pull the pieces on the house side so you have a foot or so clearance. Your only trapping snow and water there. My stacks are 50' from the house. I move this year's wood under my deck just when the nights get to freezing. But 1' from the house.

Looks like some potential for water coming out that downspout there & getting under the pile also - although hard to tell for sure from the pic.

Definitely not how I would have done it.

Curious to hear what the OP did with the advice.

That's what, a month's supply of wood ?
A whole ecosystem isn't going to form in a month, neither will it drown under a loose tarp like that.
Use it up and in the meantime put your heads together and come up with solution number 2.

I don't think she said how long it will be there. Might be a months supply but might not be intended to be burned for a few.

If it stays there for very long it will also have wet migrating into the house structure, looks like the tarp on the top of the pile might send some water right into it. And it won't dry out with the pile there.

Also curious how things are now.

My wife and I finished splitting and stacking the last 1.5 cords of wood last Saturday. I ran the Super Split and she stacked the wood because I have an issue with my right shoulder. I took my time so that I didn't overwhelm her. When we were finished in 2 hours we went to town, had a couple of cocktails, returned home and I cooked some great tuna steak.

I wouldn't want wood stacked directly against the siding of my house. It could damage the siding, especially if it gets very cold, the siding gets brittle, and somebody drops some wood. I would at least have some kind of spacer between the wood and house, like a couple of 2x4s or a pallet. I'd also stack on pallets to keep the wood off the ground.

Pallets are everywhere, you can find a couple of those and make a makeshift woodshed/rack in maybe an hour. Just need a screwdriver and some nails, or add in some angle brackets and a drill if you want to get fancy.

There are other ways to motivate a spouse. I always remind my wife she has a ton of power over me she just needs to understand how to apply and use it. The adults in the room will understand where I am coming from.

Really. A pile of wood isn't worth getting upset over unless it is stolen and even that is worth only so much drama.

ccmac said:

There are other ways to motivate a spouse. I always remind my wife she has a ton of power over me she just needs to understand how to apply and use it. The adults in the room will understand where I am coming from.

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With one of those she can get as many of these as she wants.

Yah, I know just where you are coming from.

Hard to tell, but that looks like Oak that wasn't split too long ago; If it were me, I'd certainly want it stacked where it could get as much wind as possible, top-covered only.