Design for a 120 sq ft wood shed

[NoGoodAtScreenNames]

I'm planning out some of my spring chores and am thinking about getting a wood shed on the list. Right now I'm single stacking on landscape timbers with cinder blocks. Works fine except tarps during rain is a pia and I'm a little worried of them tipping with kiddos running around. Also want something that looks nice in the yard. So shed it is.

I can build something up to 120 without a permit. I want something much wider than deep to block a view and to make easier for a first in first out system.

My thoughts now are 3 sections of 8 x 4 built with 2 x 6 framing for the floor. Roof would be supported by 8' 4x4 in the front and 6' in the back spaced every 4'. With a few inches for roof overhang I'd be right at 120 and I wouldn't have much waste in the lumber buying 8' and 6' pieces.

My main concern is if I stack it high it will be taller than wide and I'm worried about it being top heavy and leaning then falling. What do you think? Keep on planning this way or go back to the drawing board?

Btw thanks to all prior posts here giving me some inspiration. If I do this it will be the biggest carpentry job I've done. Looking forward to a challenge.

 

[baseroom]

I'm in your same situation Let me know how you are progressing. Are you using plans or designing yourself. I'm trying to finalize now.

 

[hamslam42]

My main concern is if I stack it high it will be taller than wide and I'm worried about it being top heavy and leaning then falling.

I assume you're thinking of 1 structure, 24 ft wide (3 8ft sections) by 4 ft deep, but I'm not positive about that, and I'm not sure how you're separating into the sections or stacking orientation you're planning for. How high are you thinking of stacking? I built a shed this past summer (https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/firewood-shed-my-summer-project-woodstock.147468/), and my plan was to stack wood 6' high. I'm glad I didn't go much higher than that cause it isn't easy stacking or pulling pieces off any higher than that (could go higher if I was taller, but I'm only 5'7"). Regarding stability of your stacks, I think it depends on a couple of factors.

How are you planning on stacking your wood (e/w or n/s), and are you planning on having any supports for the ends of the stacks? If you are stacking e/w and have supports on both sides of your 8' section, I think your stacks could be higher. But if you have no supports you'll have to be more careful with the stacking and I'm not sure how high you could go.

You mention 2x6 framing for the floor, so it sounds like that will be above ground and I'm not sure how you're thinking of supporting the framing. Don't forget to consider the weight of all the wood you're stacking...I started using a couple deck estimators when planning my foundation framing, but soon realized I needed more because the wood load was more than the standard deck load used for online planners I found.

Btw, love your screen name!

 

[Boiler74]

Unless you have to be on skids to avoid the building permit, why build a floor at all. Just sink some posts in the dimensions you want and build from there. Your landscape timbers you use now can be repurposed into homemade pallets of sorts. Then the taller than wider concern goes away.

 

[NoGoodAtScreenNames]

I assume you're thinking of 1 structure, 24 ft wide (3 8ft sections) by 4 ft deep, but I'm not positive about that, and I'm not sure how you're separating into the sections or stacking orientation you're planning for. How high are you thinking of stacking? I built a shed this past summer (https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/firewood-shed-my-summer-project-woodstock.147468/)...

You mention 2x6 framing for the floor, so it sounds like that will be above ground and I'm not sure how you're thinking of supporting the framing. Don't forget to consider the weight of all the wood you're stacking...I started using a couple deck estimators when planning my foundation framing, but soon realized I needed more because the wood load was more than the standard deck load used for online planners I found.

Btw, love your screen name!

I remember reading your thread. In principle I'm try to do the same thing with the floor and sections but smaller and there's no way mine will be nearly as nice. I was thinking of laying out a row or spacing the cement blocks and resting the flooring frame on that. The posts would be attached to the flooring but would only carry the weight of the roof and walls which is pretty much nothing, and not the wood.

So I'm basically making 3 8x4 platforms and attaching them lengthwise to each other then building a simple single sloped roof to cover the wood.

I'll have to get some graph paper and sketch out what I'm thinking.

Thanks for the screen name compliment. Though if I had to do it over again I would have gone full Grandma on the Internet and went with "IsThisWhereIPutMyName?"

 

[DougA]

I had a similar problem but our local law is 10sq meters which is just under 108 sq ft. without a permit. You should check local regulations because it's normally the footprint on the ground, not the roof that counts. You want to maximize the overhang to keep driving rain/snow off your wood. My overhang is 2ft. And I still get a lot of snow on the wood.
I did 3 separate sheds, 2 are 10x10 and 1 is 9x12'. On each, I sunk 4x4 pt about 3.5' into the ground, tied that together with 2x6 stringers and put 5/8" chipboard flooring sheets on top, then metal roofing over that. The floors and sides are all free pallets, except I put recycled garage doors on the side facing the house. I can get good hardwood pallets, not the junk ones and they make awesome floor and sides.
The pallets are all screwed into the 4x4s and everything is very sturdy. I was under $500. for all 3 sheds.

 

[NoGoodAtScreenNames]

That's a good point on measuring the foundation or the roof. That makes a big difference. I was thinking about making three sheds and just putting them really close together or even touching but not attached. I want the privacy screen of the shed with the wood for sight and noise.

I have pretty solid dry ground. I used 4x4 posts for a nearby garden fence and often couldn't get down more than a foot before giving up and using concrete. Mix of hard clay and rocks of various sizes some huge. So I'm hoping to get away with a floating foundation on the blocks.

I threw together some quick sketches of my plans. There's a complete front view and side view and the framing of one section of flooring. The self portrait is there to give some perspective to how big this thing will be. Don't worry, my height is to scale but my neck and arm length is not - or else I'd have some problems reaching the wood...

 

[jeffesonm]

I would skip the floor... adds a lot to the construction for what I see as little benefit. I sunk posts two feet down and put down an inch or two of gravel for drainage and then pallets, and everything stays nice and dry. With no floor and no walls I figure it's more a roof than a shed in case the town ever comes asking. I have 18-24" overhang all around and it keeps all the rain and most of the snow off.

 

[Oldman47]

Am I the only one considering backing the shed up to a south facing wall on my garage? That means that for me the roof must slant to the front or I need to accommodate having a ton of water end up between the garage and the shed.

 

[hamslam42]

I would skip the floor... adds a lot to the construction for what I see as little benefit

I would agree with this. Definitely adds a lot to the cost. I know one of the reasons I went with a floor was because of the slope I had across a 26' wide plan, and I really wanted something level, and I also wanted my wood to be off the ground at least 12" for ventilation. But if you have a way to do that, it will definitely eliminate a lot of the cost! I also went with siding which added cost as well, and I also wanted a saltbox style roof which added more complexity to the roof framing. There was just a certain look I was going for and...well...it definitely added to the cost! If you can keep things simple like a sloping front to back roof and open sides/back, you'll reduce the cost and might get some added benefits. In hindsight...if I had done an open back, I would have had more loading/unloading options...there is definitely an advantage in being able to pull wood out from the front and the back!

 

[NoGoodAtScreenNames]

Made a call to the building inspector and confirmed that the 120 restriction is for the foundation. That's good news - that lets me go up to 24 x 5. That extra foot of depth will make a lot of difference in how much air I can leave between rows and have a good overhang of the roof.

Appreciate everyone's thoughts on the flooring. Have some things to think about, especially how much this will end up costing...

 

[NoGoodAtScreenNames]

Ok I don't know how but some how I missed this thread.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/pulled-the-trigger-on-firewood-shed.145020/

This basically what I had in mind except that I'd support the frame with the blocks and probably be a little more humble with the height of the roof and maybe the depth. My posts would be standing on blocks and not buried.

 

[NoGoodAtScreenNames]

So I've done a lot of thinking about what I want to get out of the shed along with a realistic view of my carpentry skills and decided I'm not building a shed... Here are the things I'm prioritizing.

- move and stabilize the stacks. Right now the cinder block / landscape timber stacks are too high and wobbly. I don't want them tipping over on the kiddos playing hide and go seek.

- use the racks as a privacy / sound screen. This means I want the rack to be fairly high while still being stable.

- be pretty easier to build - as I said I'm barely an amateur at building things. This thing has got to be structurally sound while also passing the wife test.

- should be fun to build and not too expensive. I know it's not easy and free pallets but I'm budgeting this under entertainment and landscaping not in the cheap fuel bucket.

So here's what I've done.

Wood sits on a 2x6 frame with 1' supports. The side walls / supports are going to be 6' 2x4. I need to give some good support so the stack doesn't fall forward or back. I've screwed two 4' 2x4 perpendicular to the length of the frame to give it some stability.



In the eternal debate on sun vs. top covering I'm on the sun and top covering side. I built a little framing on top to stretch some 4 mil plastic over to act as a roof. I was thinking of using suntuf panels but I had the plastic anyways so why not use it. If it tears, I'll just replace it. This is a view from the bottom.



The finished product...



And loaded up with wood...



I think it came out pretty well so I'm just going to keep building them and stacking them next to each other. With about 4 cords I'm going to have a nice looking 100' wall of wood for less money and effort to build a real fence.

Thanks to everybody who gave some feedback or has posted on other threads. I've learned a lot and am happy with the results so far.