Storing firewood near foundation

[Amin1992]

Hey guys. Curious of your opinions as I hear all sorts of arguments.

I store a good amount of firewood out in the woods in the backyard on racks. However, I have 2 pallets of wood stacked under my deck by my backdoor for easy access. There's about 5" of space between the wood and my stucco foundation.

Is this okay? Got my dad and father in law (and Google) saying this is a big no no because the bugs can get into the house. But I feel like I see people storing small amounts of wood near the home all the time. Probably keeping about 3/4 cord of wood on these pallets and it's cycled through within a few months - in the winter it goes to the wood stove and in summer we use the wood for outdoor fires.

What do you think? Put up a pic. Thanks all.

 

[BigJ273]

I think you just rang the dinner bell for termites..... right next to your house. Stacking near any foundation is frowned upon for this.

 

[CaptSpiff]

That photo does not show 5" of distance from the wall.
Also, if both your Father and your Father in Law are suggesting the same thing,... are they both stupid? (mirror test)

 

[Amin1992]

Haha not trying to call them out, just curious.

And the photo is misleading you're right, but there is an air gap. Pallet on the left is 5 1/2", pallet on the right has 6 1/2"!

 

[GadDummit]

I negate this by spraying my wood with termite spray (Termidor) and the house as well every late fall. Never had a problem with termites and mine is just like yours without the wood gap. You might get some staining if rain splashes the wood "juice" on your stucco though.

 

[Amin1992]

Thanks! Yes I spray a bug barrier around the home and wood piles twice a year. Staining doesn't bother me. Thanks

 

[CaptSpiff]

Haha not trying to call them out, just curious.

What I meant to say was "listen to your parents".

If you insist on close stacking, keep the distance wide enough to rake the leaves out from behind weekly.

 

[Amin1992]

Haha you're right! Dad knows best.

I plan on blowing the leaves out often. Thanks guys

 

[johneh]

I have heard all the arguments for the storage of wood near , against, and in your home
I have been storing 5 cord of wood in my basement every year for the last 41 yes 41 years.
My home built in 1852 squared white cedar logs has no bug damage. I have no bugs in my basement
I have never had bugs in dry wood so who is right? After 40 years it an't just luck

 

[xman23]

I do that for this years wood. It seasoned wood about 12 ft of double rows 6' high. I try to move dry seasoned wood from the main stacks to here after the first freezes. I used to remove any wood left over in the spring. Not so much in recent years, getting lazy. But it stays dry, so not an issue leaving it there. To prevent snow blowing in, I cover the front and top.

What you didn't say, and is key to this working well or creating a home for bugs, rotting the wood and house.
Is the deck a porch with a roof over it? If not, it gets wet under there and doesn't dry out well. And the wood just traps more dampness.

You need to get the wood 12-18 inches from the house, and cover it.

 

[Amin1992]

Great to see everyone's input. thanks!

And yes the deck is a covered porch with a roof. The wood stays dry under there!

 

[BigJ273]

Termites come from the ground. Up underneath. And they’re EVERYWHERE. Statistically there are colonies all over your yard. Most feed on tree roots, etc. I guess I just don’t see that it’s worth the risk. If u have the room, keep it away from building foundations. My two cents.

 

[Supersurvey]

Put some brkcks under those pallets or use plastic ones.

 

[johneh]

Termites come from the ground. Up underneath. And they’re EVERYWHERE. Statistically there are colonies all over your yard. Most feed on tree roots, etc. I guess I just don’t see that it’s worth the risk. If u have the room, keep it away from building foundations. My two cents.

Glade I live too far north for them to survive

 

[Simonkenton]

johen please post pics of your house. Is it a log cabin?

 

[johneh]

Sorry, not a log cabin!
It is a 1and 1/2 story hand squared timber (White Cedar )
Farmhouse
Picture of opened inside wall

 

[Grizzerbear]

I personally wouldn't stack wood next to my house. Replacing sill plates and rim joist from termite is a expensive chore. It's very hard to get rid of them once they are established.

 

[Simonkenton]

Squared with either an adze or a broad axe. I have those tools.
So it doesn't have corner notches. Unusual construction technique.
That chinking looks like Permachink.

 

[Sawset]

Permachink

A while back they took the siding off of a house near here. Found out it was a tamarack log home from back in the day - 1842. Still had the moss chinking embedded. I think this permachink name will be my new favorite go to whenever I seal anything. "Hmm, going to need to permachink these here windows ."
We stored some cordwood inside an old building in 1972. It's still there. 8x8 sill beams have lots of tunnels from the carpenter ants. Ants are all gone now, but apparently rampant at some point. None of the other buildings have any of that. Lesson learned I guess, but what did we know back then. I would avoid putting newly cut wood near an existing wood building.

 

[johneh]

No, it has corner Dovetails The photo is the outside wall cornered on an inside wall
Permichink was used on the inside and outside a friend did chinking for a living
Did this house as a showplace. Didn't charge good thing that stuff id costly
It looks like they used a broadhead axe to square the logs

 

[lml999]

What you didn't say, and is key to this working well or creating a home for bugs, rotting the wood and house.
Is the deck a porch with a roof over it? If not, it gets wet under there and doesn't dry out well. And the wood just traps more dampness.

I learned that the hard way. I stored about a well seasoned half cord under my deck (with no roof), for a couple of years. Not a good idea. There's another part of my deck that's covered, but either way, I'd have to move wood down to the lower yard to store, and then back up for final stacking, all via Gorilla cart. So I'm working on a different solution in the upper yard, with easy access from the garage door and to the room with the stove. Closer to initial delivery point, closer to point of use.

 

[xman23]

I learned that the hard way. I stored about a well seasoned half cord under my deck (with no roof), for a couple of years. Not a good idea. There's another part of my deck that's covered, but either way, I'd have to move wood down to the lower yard to store, and then back up for final stacking, all via Gorilla cart. So I'm working on a different solution in the upper yard, with easy access from the garage door and to the room with the stove. Closer to initial delivery point, closer to point of use.

Yep, the key to wood burning is make it as easy as possible. The ready to burn wood needs to be as close to the stove as possible, and protected from the weather. I have a one row stack 8' x 3' on the covered side deck, about 10' from the stove. I would't bring anything inside. And this seasons wood is on a level below this side porch.

 

[St. Coemgen]

Termites need warmth in the winter, so tend to retreat underground to live and feed on mostly woods in the soil (or in your warm house if they are established there). So I would have no problem having a wood stack by a wood house in winter in general, as the termites will probably not find it. Especially if you are constantly using it, and you can see if there are any issues developing with any number of critters (mice may also be an issue as in some areas they can have hantavirus which can be spread by urine or feces on the wood you touch). I even found some kittens in my wood stack one year.....

But I would not leave it there during the summer. Your wood house alone is already enough of a call to dinner for termites, and a wood stack near it may be like adding honey to the mix (too good to resist). And putting the wood on non-wood blocks in the summer may not help much, as some termites can easily build tunnels up any concrete foundation to get to any wood structure above.

Luckily, my house walls are not made of wood, so can stack wood against it all year. Termites and wood ants are an issue in the rafters, but those get there during the spring from the flying reproductive swarms. Which can also land on a wood stack by the house, so best to remove that stack by the house come spring. Hope this helps.

 

[Simonkenton]

St. Coemgen: You are an American and you live in Hungary?

 

[sesmith]

Where we lived in central NY, powder post beetles were a bigger concern than termites. The wood may draw termites eventually, but the powder post beetle larva and carpenter ants are likely already in it. No, I never stored my wood next to our house for that reason. Walking to the woodpile is probably good exercise, and tearing into your house to fix insect damage is probably bad for your health