Getting ready to build wood storage/drying area

[muncybob]

I'm looking at establishing an area not too far from the basement doors to stack my cut & split firewood. From most of what I have read and been told, firewood will dry best & quicker if it's exposed to air movement and sunlight but kept out of rain as much as possible. So, I'm thinking of putting up several groups of four 4x4 posts (each group would contain a cord or 2 of wood), using wood pallets for flooring and putting a roof over the structure with some sort of semi clear fiberglass sheeting. Is this overkill? Maybe I should just use the pallets for flooring and cover with a tarp?

 

[Wet1]

I would suggest leaving the wood out during the summer and covering it during the winter. Don't waste your time or money on using semi-clear roofing material, just use traditional roofing methods if you do decide to put a roof on your shed (I would). The real key is air movement.

 

[CrappieKeith]

I would suggest leaving the wood out during the summer and covering it during the winter. Don't waste your time or money on using semi-clear roofing material, just use traditional roofing methods if you do decide to put a roof on your shed (I would). The real key is air movement.

Exactly! Well said.....

 

[karri0n]

Leave it out in the open to dry, and put it into storage once it's fully seasoned. You really don't need the clear roofing, and personally I think that stuff is quite an eyesore.

 

[GaryS]

I'm thinking of just putting up one of those metal car ports that are always advertised along the roadside. I'm tired of blowing, flapping, eyesore tarps.

 

[GKG-MO]

I had a thought about wood storage today while I was at my dad's place. He has an old 61 Corvair that he and I restored. In the winter he has no where to put it because the garage is full of... lets say his treasures. So he went out and bought this thing called a portable garage. Basically just a frame that fits together with a poly tarp that goes over it and zips closed. I think it only cost around $200. What if you were to stack your wood outside on pallets all year and then in the fall just erect the garage over it?

 

[LLigetfa]

They (roundtops) have been talked about here recently. One year I had more Birch than would fit in my woodshed. Rather than leave it out in the weather to rot, I stored it in my roundtop shelter for a couple of years. It worked very well.

 

[muncybob]

I'm not sure how a "temp" structure would withstand the winds we get here sometimes.
It seems some are of the opinion that the wood really does not need to be covered? If that's the case, initially I'll go the el cheapo route and just use the free pallets available to me as flooring and start stacking from there. I don't think I'll ever have more than 2 year's worth of wood in the open at any one time so perhaps this will work? I was thinking of trying to obatin that material I see tractor trucks have their lumber covered with from the local big box stores after they take their deliveries...that way, if it does get shredded in the wind I haven't spent any $$.