Wood shed placement

[Rick]

I'm getting ready to build a shed. I'm not sure where to put it in my yard. My choices are off to the side of my house, where it is kinda visible from the street and visible from my living room. Or behind my house, where it is visible from my kitchen. The side yard is where I process my wood, and is accessible to vehicles. The back yard is much closer to my stove, but to get to it by vehicle I have to drive over finished lawn, and I'll have to bring all the wood there from the processing area. I supply my dad with wood so I'll have to get to it by truck. I have plenty of room on either side. Where would you put it?

 

[Roospike]

I'm getting ready to build a shed. I'm not sure where to put it in my yard. My choices are off to the side of my house, where it is kinda visible from the street and visible from my living room. Or behind my house, where it is visible from my kitchen. The side yard is where I process my wood, and is accessible to vehicles. The back yard is much closer to my stove, but to get to it by vehicle I have to drive over finished lawn, and I'll have to bring all the wood there from the processing area. I supply my dad with wood so I'll have to get to it by truck. I have plenty of room on either side. Where would you put it?

Hard to tell the best placment of the wood shed with out seeing the yard
or what the neighborhood looks like
or home design
or how close houses are together
or
or
or

I'm sure anybody could just tell you anything but a picture of the house / yard or drawing would be best.

 

[Marty]

Hard to say.

The one thing I would put in is you might be happier walking the shortest distance when you want a load of wood in the snow rather than when you are out tending to the woodpile.

I vote for back yard.

Also to consider is: the best lit location... for nighttime retrieval.

 

[Harley]

Well - I guess the best place for it would be where it's easy to get to during the winter when you need to bring in some wood... Other than that - a good open area with plenty of sun and wind should help. If trying to keep it out of sight is an issue, then you really have to put it where it's best hidden.

 

[Rick]

The side yard is no where near a neighbor, the back yard is about 25 feet from the property line. I don't mind if it is visible, which it will be in either location. This photo shows the side yard location, the shed would go roughly in the area of dirt just past the grass. The main problem with the side yard is that I would have to bring about 8 cords of wood over there annually, and it is about 100 yards from where I process. I have the tools to do so (tractor, trailer, pickup) but that involves driving over the only "lawn" on my property.

 

[Rick]

I should add that the above photo is taken from the door in the room where the stove is. Its a photo of a tree that had just fallen, literally a day after I told my wife during dinner, "I don't like the way that tree leans towards the house, I'm gonna cut it down." The next day it falls over during a storm.

 

[Roospike]

The basicis of wood storage.

#1 Full sun ( or as much as possible )
#2 Good air movement through the wood pile ( not up against a wall or fence )
#3 up off the ground.

Its always best to limit the movement of wood as we know how much it can be handled from standing tree to in the wood stove.

Is the wood shed the only place for storage or do you have a spot to bring it up to the house (or in the house) to store a bulk load before burning ?

 

[Martin Strand III]

Put the shed in a convenient location not too far from your house to minimize hassle in loading your indoor supply.

Ideally, it should face south too get sun, be covered not to collect rain/snow and be in an area that has a breeze to keep air moving aound the pile to help it dry.

Aye,
Marty

 

[Homefire]

The side yard is no where near a neighbor, the back yard is about 25 feet from the property line. I don't mind if it is visible, which it will be in either location. This photo shows the side yard location, the shed would go roughly in the area of dirt just past the grass. The main problem with the side yard is that I would have to bring about 8 cords of wood over there annually, and it is about 100 yards from where I process. I have the tools to do so (tractor, trailer, pickup) but that involves driving over the only "lawn" on my property.

Make sure the building inspector gives his ok
then make sure you don't provide cover for
the wood thieves that are lurking everywhere.

 

[Rick]

The wood that will be going into the shed will have been seasoned for a year or more before it goes into the shed. The shed will be just to keep the wood dry during the burning season. I let my rounds sit for a year, then I split and stack into long (straight) rows to season in the sun and wind for a year. Finally, in the late summer I put the previous years wood under cover (currently tarps) for the winter. During the winter I bring into the house about a weeks worth at a time. I'll take some pics tomorrow of my splitting area, the "side yard".

 

[kevinmoelk]

Howdy Rick. Not much extra advice to give that others haven't covered. But thought you and others might enjoy this page I found the other day.

-Kevin

http://summerville-novascotia.com/PalletWoodShed/

 

[velvetfoot]

This might be a stupid question, but can a tent be used? It would have to shed snow faster that it would accumulate to the point it takes it down. Nah, probably not.

 

[jldunn]

I personally don't mind the shed farther from the house. I figure woods easier to move in the winter. Load it up on a plastic sled and it slides along nicely without messing up the lawn.

 

[Rich M]

I set my shed up next to where the wood gets processed. It's a shorter move from the seasoning stacks to the shed which is good when moving a large quantity of splits. I also find myself fine tuning the wood in the shed as I use it so it keeps the bark and chips from this splitting in the processing area. This is also the best spot on my property for direct sun. Bringing in the small amounts of wood from the shed for a day or two's burning I don't mind moving over a longer distance with a wheel barrow.

If you have to make a lot of trips back and forth over your lawn with a heavy wood cart you will wear paths in it.