Wood shed materials

[Diabel]

Finally getting my head around to figuring out what and how much material i need to build a 30 wide by 10 deep shed. Two 10x10 sections will store wood and one 10x10 section will be storage. Thinking of going 9’ high at front and 8’ at the back. But i looked at Kenny’s shed he built back few yrs ago and it (i believe) is 8’ at front and 7’ at back which looks fine. Potentially, it could be wasted space at the top. The shed will sit at the edge of the forest, very wooded but windy top of a hil.
My question is: should i use PT or cedar or combo , would some cheap spruce be ok for some of it. For the roof i will use regular plywood and shingle i think.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I'd do pressure treated on the walls and bottom closest to the ground. if doing shingles.. regular plywood and lumber would be the way to go.. post up some picks..

 

[kennyp2339]

I only used pressure treated for the base materials, decking and the 4x4 posts, everything else is regular wood, cheaper option on the roof would be standard deck boards as purlins and metal sheet roofing

 

[Diabel]

I thought about the metal sheet roofing, it would be ideal and much lighter. Any easy way to cut that stuff? Aside specialized tool.

 

[RockCastile]

x2 for metal roof rather than shingles which I believe (correct me) would have higher risk of leaking due to minimal pitch (you mention 1ft drop over 10ft depth). I used metal on my similarly low sloped woodshed and haven't discovered any leaks since I built it last year, with more than a few frog strangler downpours since then to test it by (although the manufact. recs on the panels i bought calls for minimum 3/12 pitch)

 

[Woodspliter]

I was planning a new shed dew to my new found abundance of cordwood. I was thinking of Clear polycarbonate corrugated roofing panels. The cost a little more expensive then regular steel but they will let the sun shines in

 

[johneh]

The best way to cut steel roofing is to reverse a saw blade in a skill saw
so it runs backwards makes nice clean cuts

 

[kennyp2339]

I was planning a new shed dew to my new found abundance of cordwood. I was thinking of Clear polycarbonate corrugated roofing panels. The cost a little more expensive then regular steel but they will let the sun shines in

MOst of those clear panels are thinner plastic and end up fading out due to sun bleaching and also pollen / dust, fallen leaves. I used onedora roofing, but in a heart beat I'd switch over to metal panels, there rigid, weather well and look clean from a distance.
Sun shinning in will only get the top most row, the key to wood sheds is air flow, so open front, semi open rear and sides. Some people that dont build big overhangs end up building sides out of slats that over lap each other with an air space in the middle.
On my wood shed I have open all the way around, the shed is backed up to a retaining wall, but the wood sits in the shed for a minimum of 2 years before being used so even with the wall cutting down air flow on the bottom 4ft of the stack I have no issues with unseasoned wood.
It also helps that I like to stay 3 years a head and keep my 3rd year of splits stacked in rows on pallets for at least a year in the weather, then move the stack into the shed in the spring.

 

[walhondingnashua]

I built the same shed with the same dimensions. Rather than pay for treated 4x4 or 4x6, I used 8' treated fence posts. I also poured concrete footings rather than put the posts in the ground. It has worked out good so far. I didn't build a floor (just use pallets). Left the front and back open so I can load or empty from sides. Divided the first 2 bays with 2x6 and closed in the 3rd with rough cut poplar for my storage bay. I just bought the metal roughing at 12' lengths so no cutting needed. Coated it with deck seal and stain.

 

[Diabel]

I just might go with the 12’ metal sheets. Originally was planning a 2’ overhang but 1’ might be ok. Maybe even better aesthetically.

 

[Woodspliter]

Good to hear about the plastic panels, I'm looking to build a shed that holds 8 cords. I am also planning on season a year before it goes in the shed as well. So I guess metal it is the corrugated galvanized panels are pretty affordable

 

[RockCastile]

So I guess metal it is the corrugated galvanized panels are pretty affordable

I went with the 5-rib panels at Lowe's, a little more expensive than the thinner wavy type. If a big box store is the best option near you, be sure to inspect each panel before buying, as they're often stored stacked with no separation and exposed to rain in the back lot, causing white rust that strips the galvanized coating.

 

[MissMac]

Oh jeepers, i just recalled that i was going to share a materials list a couple of months ago - think i'll have to blame that on the squirrels!

I built a shed that was 24'x8'. I bought everything at Home Hardware. Used simple 4x4 concrete deck blocks like this:

Whole wood shed was constructed on a base of crushed rock that i had levelled off with a neighbour's little kubota.

Any-who, i used PT 4x4 posts (8 ft on the back and 10 on front), and 2x6x8 PT lumber to tie the posts together at the bottom. Everything else was rough cut spruce. I bought 2x6x16 rough cut spruce for the siding and the ceiling joists, and then cut them down into 8' lengths where required (16ft pieces were a lot cheaper than the 8ft pieces at the time). Three outer walls all constructed of the spruce, about 1" gaps in between boards. The strapping for screwing the sheet metal roof to the structure was 1x6x8 rough cut spruce, laid perpendicular to the roof joists.

I used hurricane ties to secure the roof joists (like this):

and hurricane ties like this for the outside joists to hide them:

those hurricane ties that the joists sit in are meant for PT lumber i believe, but my rough cut spruce still fit in just fine.

Then i bought some metal roofing, also from home hardware. A few lag bolts to sturdy up the headers to the 4x4 posts, and a whole lot of screws and nails. and voila!

Then i made some pony walls to separate the whole thing into 3 stalls - they are removable, and made with a couple 2x4s and left over 2x6 rough cuts, and then i put a floor down in 2/3 stalls again using left over 2x6 rough cuts, and a few more flat patio stones and PT2x6s.

I think that was the jist of it anyway. I hope this helps

 

[Diabel]

Thank you so much MissMac! I love the look of your shed.

 

[kennyp2339]

I just might go with the 12’ metal sheets. Originally was planning a 2’ overhang but 1’ might be ok. Maybe even better aesthetically.

The only real thing I would change with my shed is instead of using 2x4 for rafters with metal ties, I would use 2x6 and simply cut a birds mouth notch and toe nail it in. At the time it seemed way above my skill set, but after watching a few wood working videos since then and leaning how to use a speed square, its a very easy thing to figure out, and once you have one made, you can use that as a stencil and make all at once. The birds mouth route give you a much more strong tie between the roof and your headers.
Once my refi gets finalized I will be building a new outdoor shed to free up room in the garage, this will be documented like my woodshed, pics and paragraphs of daily progress.
@Ashful also has a few nice smaller woodsheds that he made as compartments to move as a unit.

 

[Diabel]

I will use 2x6 for rafters. I will also try the notch. Just watched a couple of vids on it, looks simple to make. Thank you.

 

[EODMSgt]

I used PT for the bottom but the rest is mostly untreated pine. It's been about ten years now and it's worked great. You mentioned about wasted space in the roof and I can agree with that somewhat. I would have preferred a lower profile saltbox style roof but went with the gable style so I could access the wood from both front and back (so I don't have to move/rotate wood at the end of a season). However, the added roof area does allow more air circulation.

 

[MissMac]

The only real thing I would change with my shed is instead of using 2x4 for rafters with metal ties, I would use 2x6 and simply cut a birds mouth notch and toe nail it in. At the time it seemed way above my skill set, but after watching a few wood working videos since then and leaning how to use a speed square, its a very easy thing to figure out, and once you have one made, you can use that as a stencil and make all at once. The birds mouth route give you a much more strong tie between the roof and your headers.
Once my refi gets finalized I will be building a new outdoor shed to free up room in the garage, this will be documented like my woodshed, pics and paragraphs of daily progress.
@Ashful also has a few nice smaller woodsheds that he made as compartments to move as a unit.

Hahaha, this made me giggle. This shed was my first real bite into a carpentry project, and making all those birds mouth notches seemed way beyond what I thought I could do, which is why I chose to use the hurricane clips. I'm going to make a little shed similar to the wood shed to store my quad, and I think I might try to make those notches too Kenny. Although those hurricane ties sure were simple...

 

[Simonkenton]

Yes you do not have a steep enough roof for shingles. You also can get a metal cutting blade for the circular saw to cut that steel roofing. I have never tried the reversed saw blade but that sounds like a good trick.

 

[Poindexter]

I have used the reversed carbide wood blade on my circular saw but now have a blade for metal in my collection. Cleaner cuts, fifteen bucks, done.

I use PT below the floor and am nervous about having my cordwood in contact with PT shed parts while seasoning. I had a recent thread here, but when BKVP responded he apparently thought I was planning to season and burn PT lumber: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/of-catalytic-stoves-and-pressure-treated-wood-sheds.181316/ Once I had clarified the question both bholler and begreen said PT wood shed parts are OK, but neither one of them can sign a warranty check on my combustor. @BKVP ?

Two things bug me about a big shed like you envision. One is airflow through the stack if I stack green 10x10x8 feet. Will the green wood in the middle season? The other is rotating stock if I am part way through one bay, one 10x10x8 foot blob at spring melt. If you have 5x10x8 of seasoned wood at the back of one area, and stack green wood in front of it, will the green wood at the front be seasoned in time for you to burn it on the way to getting at that two year old wood at the back? Or will you need to pull the seasoned wood out, put green wood at the back and then restack your seasoned wood in the front? We are in similar enough climates I doubt you would be to this stage if you thought having to move splits three times (instead of once) was a serious possibility.

I do like @EODMSgt leaving the back open so he can pile green cordwood in the front without restacking.

Up here I am in favor of metal rather than plastic roofing. The plastic panels get really really stiff in cold temps (shatter easily) and need a lot more support for snow load. But the other side of the coin is airflow. If you are giving away direct sun exposure (metal instead of clear plastic roof panels) you will have to have airflow in spades or diamonds to get your fuel dry.

Looking forward to you results. Birdsmouth's are easy (stair nuts for your framing square are cheap) and metal ties aren't that expensive when you only need a few. You will want a handsaw to finish your birdsmouth's so the inside corner is square. On a 10 foot span I would be thinking 2x8 or 2x10 rafters, but I don't know your snow load.

Do your local woods shrink probably 18-20% as they season? How high can you comfortably stack wet green heavy splits repetitively?

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Good to hear about the plastic panels, I'm looking to build a shed that holds 8 cords. I am also planning on season a year before it goes in the shed as well. So I guess metal it is the corrugated galvanized panels are pretty affordable

you don't need to let it season at all before putting your wood in the shed. If your woodshed is designed correctly your wood will season in the shed. If your location is correct and design is good you can season any wood in 18 months

 

[Diabel]

I have used the reversed carbide wood blade on my circular saw but now have a blade for metal in my collection. Cleaner cuts, fifteen bucks, done.

I use PT below the floor and am nervous about having my cordwood in contact with PT shed parts while seasoning. I had a recent thread here, but when BKVP responded he apparently thought I was planning to season and burn PT lumber: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/of-catalytic-stoves-and-pressure-treated-wood-sheds.181316/ Once I had clarified the question both bholler and begreen said PT wood shed parts are OK, but neither one of them can sign a warranty check on my combustor. @BKVP ?

Two things bug me about a big shed like you envision. One is airflow through the stack if I stack green 10x10x8 feet. Will the green wood in the middle season? The other is rotating stock if I am part way through one bay, one 10x10x8 foot blob at spring melt. If you have 5x10x8 of seasoned wood at the back of one area, and stack green wood in front of it, will the green wood at the front be seasoned in time for you to burn it on the way to getting at that two year old wood at the back? Or will you need to pull the seasoned wood out, put green wood at the back and then restack your seasoned wood in the front? We are in similar enough climates I doubt you would be to this stage if you thought having to move splits three times (instead of once) was a serious possibility.

I do like @EODMSgt leaving the back open so he can pile green cordwood in the front without restacking.

Up here I am in favor of metal rather than plastic roofing. The plastic panels get really really stiff in cold temps (shatter easily) and need a lot more support for snow load. But the other side of the coin is airflow. If you are giving away direct sun exposure (metal instead of clear plastic roof panels) you will have to have airflow in spades or diamonds to get your fuel dry.

Looking forward to you results. Birdsmouth's are easy (stair nuts for your framing square are cheap) and metal ties aren't that expensive when you only need a few. You will want a handsaw to finish your birdsmouth's so the inside corner is square. On a 10 foot span I would be thinking 2x8 or 2x10 rafters, but I don't know your snow load.

Do your local woods shrink probably 18-20% as they season? How high can you comfortably stack wet green heavy splits repetitively?

That is a ton of good information and input @Poindexter! I appreciate your in-depth post. I will comment on some of your points a bit later in today. Thank you

 

[Poindexter]

I couldn't find my metal cutting blade for my circular saw today. Doughnuts at Lowes but team orange came through with a new blade 7" with 5/8 arbor for my circular saw -for $2.86. I am sure it says MiC on it somewhere, didn't look too hard and I have high quality eye protection.

 

[Simonkenton]

Lowes must have sold out. They normally have 3 or 4 different types.

 

[Diabel]

So many good ideas. Thank you.
In my head i am alternating the design and size continuously.

Metal roof for sure.
2x6 or maybe 2x8 for rafters.
Open back for sure.

As for the size, i find i am burning less and less wood about 2 cords on average (less last winter). In about 2yrs i will be down sizing, selling the house in the city (where the VC sits). The stove at the lake only gets used on a part time basis. The main reason why i wanted to go 10’ deep in the original design is to accommodate a future purchase of an atv in the storage part of the shed. I am thinking now that one firewood bin will be enough and maybe 8’ deep as well. Been busy thank to covid painting the house in the city and building a canoe/kayak rack at the lake. Wood shed is next on the list.

If only someone could guide me on how to fix my broken chainsaw........(one of the threads in the gear section).