Wood rack or shed design?

[Yarzy]

Hi everyone,

Now that the ice/snow/rain has come, my pile of firewood is less than optimal due to the elements. It has me thinking about next year (this is my first year wood burning) and how to protect, store, etc. the wood stacks better. Does anyone have, or can point me to any building plans on how to build a good wood rack/shed?

THANKS!

 

[shawneyboy]

Here is a start...

http://woodshedplansblog.com/

Shawn

 

[maplewood]

Do a search in the site. You'll find dozens of threads discussing wood sheds with pictures, sketches, reasons, etc.

You'll need to come up with a lot of info before someone can give you an educated opinion:
How many cord do you want to store?
How long are you going to store it? (Pre-seasoned outside in piles, or put into the shed green.)
Are you in the city limits? (building permits, neighbours, etc.)
Is your ground level?
Does it drain well?
Tin roof or shingles? (There are debates to be found over this choice.)

You can build something cheap with pallets and plastic.
You can go for the trophy, with doors, a tv and a lazy-boy next to a stove (sometimes called a man-zone).

Enjoy your search. I'm planning on starting a pole barn this summer, with room for my tractor, by b.i.l.'s van and about 8 cord of wood. I've been planning it for over 2 years, and have kept a notebook nearby for ideas / sketches / to-do-list, etc.

 

[cptoneleg]

You will enjoy digging around here getting ideas on a shed this is what I came up with after studying everyone elses 8' x 16' about $600.00 material all treated wood. roofing sheets were free. And 4 days of my vacation- the other shed Free.

 

[bogydave]

basic open all side
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/56894/

 

[golfandwoodnut]

I have not built one yet, but I did build a rack near the house with a metal roof that I reload twice a month. A couple of key thoughts are to not make it too deep, better to be long and a pallet or two deep. Also placement is key for how far you have to walk to get to it. As a short term you might want to look into getting some rubber roofing material, I got some free from a roofer from an old job. You can easily cut it to size, it is thick and does not give the usual problems of tarps. It will still blow with a heavy wind, so it needs weighted down. The wet wood is not big deal, it will burn and dry quickly when brought near the fireplace.

 

[ecocavalier02]

heres mine. still have to finish the rest this summer. just tarp walls for this year.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

One more idea is to get a carport. That is, we see them for sale all over the place. You can order them in many sizes. You can put sides on if you wish but just for firewood I'd think you should leave the sides and ends open.

An neighbor and I kicked this idea around for quite some time and now he is into his second year of using his and he loves it. He got the 18' x 26' (or somewhere near those sizes) and also got 8' sides. It is tall enough so that he can drive his tractor with FEL right inside by staying dead center. It has really worked out great for him and btw, he does have an OWB so the carport is placed so that he can load wood without getting wet and doesn't have to be standing on snowpack or ice either.

On the other hand, last fall we did somewhat the same with some major differences. Right now my mind is still fuzzy because of these funny little pills I'm choking down but it seems like it is something like 24' or 26' by 36' or thereabouts. It may even be 40' but right now I don't care and won't get out there to measure it either. Anyway, we put sides and ends on it along with overhead doors on both ends plus an entry door. The entry door has a window and there are 4 other windows.

I put 3 cord of wood in one corner of the shed and the rest is simply a toolshed. Our cost was somewhere around $5,500. They sent a crew out to put this thing up so it was completed in less than a week from the time I ordered it.

To move some wood from the shed to our porch is a very short distance and our 2-wheeled cart works great. Early on in the fall we just loaded the cart and when that was used up we got another. Last week before my surgery I put about 5 or 6 cart loads of wood on the porch so the ornery one doesn't have to go far for the wood. One step onto the porch and she has plenty. And she has been doing a great job of keeping this place warm too! I'm proud of her.

 

[wood-fan-atic]

I stole (borrowed) my plans from many of the sheds I saw here on Hearth. She's 16x 8 , with PT posts and roll roofing. Total cost - about $250

 

[bogydave]

I stole (borrowed) my plans from many of the sheds I saw here on Hearth. She's 16x 8 , with PT posts and roll roofing. Total cost - about $250

Me too, I looked at many sheds & the roof framework are basically the same. High in the front, 2X6, (some have a faced front & back, some not but basically the same roofs).
I did basic angle braces for the sides & back, some used chain link fence, some vertical / some horizontal / some angled siding boards. Some used pallets.
Mine has no floor, I used pallets, some use a strong wood frame & flooring, some have concrete pads.
Many are unique & various shapes & layouts.
Some I'd be proud to live in, & some, like mine, are the minimum basic "Roof over the wood"
I like them all, specially when the picture is posted full of wood, knowing the craftsmanship that went into them.

But they all took "work", which is highly respected by me & folks on this site. ,
Just like cutting fire wood, it's proud & respected "hard-work", shed or no shed

 

[wood-fan-atic]

Oh,yes,sorry.....forgot to mention the "sweat equity". Shed took me and my 13 yr.old son 2 weekends of guy time to complete. Now,if I could only get him to go outside and get some wood when its 15 degrees out, I'd be a happy dad ;-)

P.S.--by the way Dave- Ive also 'borrowed' your sig line several times in the last few months, when I've heard someone I love complaining about life not being 'fair'.....giving you full credit,of course.

 

[bogydave]

P.S.--by the way Dave- Ive also 'borrowed' your sig line several times in the last few months, when I've heard someone I love complaining about life not being 'fair'.....giving you full credit,of course.

Thanks
I can't think of anyone who hasn't had many "life is" experiences. I know I could list many.
Recent ones are like backwoods savage, or northof60, we've all 3 had surgery & work needs to be done. Wasn't in our life's plans to have to go thru it, but "life is" Now move on.

 

[fishinpa]

I'm in my 3rd burnning season and here is my general progression on keeping my wood dry. My back yard has about a 5% grade

1st year: Landscape timbers on the ground, tarps for covering, Pain in the butt with rain, snow etc. on the tarps.

2nd year: Treated 4x4's (x2 per row, 3 rows deep) made them somewhat level to property slope to be a bit more organised. Allowed me to use 1 large tarp per 3 rows of wood. Same pain in the butt with snow and rain.

3rd year: built roof & 2 walls on top of year 2, giving me 2 wood sheds. Each one holds about 2.5 to 2.75 cords.

 

[snowleopard]

This may be a thread of its own, but just wondering: how many of you design and site your woodsheds with the idea of theft prevention? I am planning a woodshed or two, and am thinking that both the out-of-sight-out-of-mind principle would apply, but also if it's more work than thieves like to do (i.e., they'd have to carry it uphill to their truck rather than drive up to it) that this would be enough to discourage most people. Any thoughts on firewood theft prevention (other than a hangin' jury?)

 

[cptoneleg]

This may be a thread of its own, but just wondering: how many of you design and site your woodsheds with the idea of theft prevention? I am planning a woodshed or two, and am thinking that both the out-of-sight-out-of-mind principle would apply, but also if it's more work than thieves like to do (i.e., they'd have to carry it uphill to their truck rather than drive up to it) that this would be enough to discourage most people. Any thoughts on firewood theft prevention (other than a hangin' jury?)

Glad i don't live near you, wher e u stau NYC????

 

[Exmasonite]

This may be a thread of its own, but just wondering: how many of you design and site your woodsheds with the idea of theft prevention? I am planning a woodshed or two, and am thinking that both the out-of-sight-out-of-mind principle would apply, but also if it's more work than thieves like to do (i.e., they'd have to carry it uphill to their truck rather than drive up to it) that this would be enough to discourage most people. Any thoughts on firewood theft prevention (other than a hangin' jury?)

Hmmm... i think we take a bank approach to your problem. Need to design some special "dye pack" and "tracer logs"... just make sure you don't put these decoys in your stove.

Either that, or put an entire decoy of unseasoned/bug infested pile of wood in a tempting place... or do something else to booby trap the wood.

(honestly... just pulling your leg here. motion sensitive lights and cameras would better serve to protect any and all property, firewood included. for $200/cord, seems like you'd need a very hardworking criminal in order to have wood stolen)

 

[Lumber-Jack]

This may be a thread of its own, but just wondering: how many of you design and site your woodsheds with the idea of theft prevention? I am planning a woodshed or two, and am thinking that both the out-of-sight-out-of-mind principle would apply, but also if it's more work than thieves like to do (i.e., they'd have to carry it uphill to their truck rather than drive up to it) that this would be enough to discourage most people. Any thoughts on firewood theft prevention (other than a hangin' jury?)

Not exactly a woodshed, but this wood stack has theft protection.

 

[salecker]

Hi all
Back around WW2 era, probly before there was a guy in Whitehorse who was getting his wood stolen.One day he put up a sign that read" One of these logs has a stick of dynamite in it".
Solved his wood problem for about a week.Then a new sign showed up "Now two of these logs have a stick of dynamite in them "
Word is that pile of wood rotted right where it was piled.
Thomas

 

[snowleopard]

Gents, this is actually a problem around here. Sounds like it's not a concern where you live, which is a good thing.

I've read the two-sticks-of-dyamite story somewhere.

A few years ago, during the trial-run price run-up, fuel oil was getting stolen out of people's tanks, sometimes while they slept in the house. Popular targets were empty houses with `for sale' signs on them. Some thieves even had tankers that they were using to steal fuel oil with--looked just like delivery trucks. Someone caught some of them in the act, and they got to lay down in the snow at -10F until the state troopers turned up. Houses were freezing . I'd hate to face a jury of my peers in this town on those offenses. It's a lot more common in Europe, I understand--I heard that there was a gang in Wales or Scotland that was stealing fuel oil and carrying a crossbow in the event things went awry.

In the last few years especially, firewood getting stolen. Not NYC-- AK. And a cord of birch is going here for 300-325.

 

[WhitePine]

Hi all
Back around WW2 era, probly before there was a guy in Whitehorse who was getting his wood stolen.One day he put up a sign that read" One of these logs has a stick of dynamite in it".
Solved his wood problem for about a week.Then a new sign showed up "Now two of these logs have a stick of dynamite in them "
Word is that pile of wood rotted right where it was piled.
Thomas

Heh, heh, an old joke. I've usually heard it told as a farmer having his watermelons stolen, so he puts up a sign, "One of the watermelons in this field has been poisoned." A couple of days later, he finds someone has crossed out the word "One" and written "Two" over it.

 

[firefighterjake]

My woodshed.

 

[mecreature]

nice shed ffj... I need to keep it in mind that the shed can double as shelter too.

 

[firefighterjake]

nice shed ffj... I need to keep it in mind that the shed can double as shelter too.

Thanks . . . the sled shed addition was done for my brother in law to store his two sleds (well technically three sleds until one finds a new home) shot gun style.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

nice shed ffj... I need to keep it in mind that the shed can double as shelter too.

Or even a bomb shelter. You never know when those war mongering Americans will attack! :bug:
They'll never find us down there, right?

 

[snowleopard]

That shed is a thing of beauty. What do you have in there for a floor? Is the ridge flashed? I'm used to seeing a little more overhang with the roofing. How's that working out?