First Year Haul

[NorthernFireplaceFool]

Spring 19'

June 19'

August 19'

This is my first year scrounging and heating a full winter with the fireplace insert. Insert was finished in February last year(Northern Maine) and I was lucky enough to have dry firewood to be dropped off by my father. I have this space on a .10 acre city lot and think if I am packing full I can use 20'X6'X6' of wood I can burn(minus the window space(wife doesn't want it blocked). Long term I will be extending the roof to cover my wood but what do you guys think of my 6'X20' tarp roof extension for Spring, Fall and Summer? Temporary covering for 2 years till I have time/energy to extend the roof. Seems to do better than covered rows as it keeps the water coming off the roof from going between the garage and the rows. Thoughts? Ideas to improve? Thank you guys!

 

[xman23]

Do you have that tarp secured under the sofit, so water can't go down? But I think it would be hard to keep the water coming off that roof from going between the house and the wood. It will never dry out, and rot the wood and house. The gutter needs to get working to. Is there room for the wood on the side of this roof, with no water coming off? If not free stand it 4-5 ft or more from the house. I keep a years worth of wood under a covered side porch deck. It all dry but I keep the wood 1.5ft from the house.

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

Wood against the house, not a good idea. Bugs, termites, moisture, rot and what else.

 

[coutufr]

Only issue is to prevent the tarp from sagging (water/snow/ice). Besides that great install. Make sure that wood is super dry to prevent termites from living in there. I think they can only nest if the wood is wet but I am not a termite expert. Is this spot facing south? Would it be possible to put the kayak next to the house instead? The wood would get air from both sides that way and it would solve most of the other problems with water and bugs

 

[mass_burner]

Wood against the house, not a good idea. Bugs, termites, moisture, rot and what else.

anything piled up near the house is an invitation for rodents. and tarps/new england weather don't mix well.

Sent from my V11 using Tapatalk

 

[Woodsplitter67]

So its totally great your on the scrounge.. and your looking to be a full time burner.. but dont stack wood against the house.. your inviting problems. I would ditch the tarp like asap and do that roof.. a wet area like that is a super big no,no.. dont take it the wrong way ...

 

[SpaceBus]

Luckily there are no termites here in Maine, but there are carpenter ants. I would strongly advise, as the others here have said, not to stack against the house. I see many folks doing it here, but I think it unwise. Do you have any trees in your yard? I like to stack on top of elevated runners between trees. I've got a bit more land to work with, but there are some very clever wood storage solutions on this forum.

 

[NorthernFireplaceFool]

Thank you guys for the input, Tarp will not be held out for the wintertime. I will remove the lines and it will basically be draped over the top. There are hooks every 18" to keep it from falling out. I was a bit skeptical about putting them(rows) against the house but my father has been stacking his against the back of his house(3 rows deep) here in Maine for 30 years with no rot/ants.(wood sided saltbox too). He burns through it all which I am hoping will happen. I would pick another spot for better sunlight but I need to pick my battles with the wife. It goes in dry(after sitting on the driveway in the summer heat). I appreciate the suggestions. This is my first full winter scrounging all my wood and

 

[NorthernFireplaceFool]

I will definitely be looking to make improvements next year and the following years. Unfortunately that open space behind my garage isn't "wide open" as there is a very large old 50' maple behind it that prevents me from moving pallets to stack on to the other side of tree by the fence line. I am replacing the whole fence that wraps our property this fall and I may have do some brain storming when I have a post hole auger at the house and bags of cement/4X4 PT beams.

 

[firefighterjake]

As others have said . . . I personally would not stack up against my house due to potential issues with bugs, mice, etc. As it is I have had many issues with carpenter ants over the years and would not want to add in issues with powderpost beetles and other wood munching bugs.

In my first year I had a stack or two out back on pallets and tarped. I quickly opted to build a woodshed though in Year 2 as it is much nicer when you are under cover grabbing wood for the stove in the shed instead of fussing with a tarp . . . in middle of January . . . in middle of a snowstorm.