Wood shed dimensions?

[Isaac Carlson]

I am building a wood shed similar to oilstinks. I have a pile of power poles, tin, and lumber. I am trying to hold as much as I can without the center of the stack rotting. Is 8 ft too deep? How about 10ft?

i have to take an inventory of supplies and see what I have to work with, but I am trying to figure on size anyway. I have 12 and 14 ft steel, so I would like to use it whole rather than cut chunks off. I want overhangs on the shed, so it will be smaller than the roof steel. Frost is easily 4 ft deep, and the poles are long enough to have 8 ft above ground. I think 6.5' tall in the rear and 8' in the front would be ok.

8x24= 10 cord
8x32= 14 cord

10x24= 13 cord
10x32= 17.5 cord

Let me know what you think. Throw me ideas. I still have to see what all I have to work with. I do have a sawmill, so I can mill boards if needed. I have a friend with a bigger mill and he has offered to mill anything that I can't.

 

[Jags]

I have never met anyone that has said "I should have made the shed smaller"

 

[Isaac Carlson]

I know. My neighbor just retired and helped me build his jet boat. We used my 40x80 shop and he just told me yesterday that he is putting in a garage this week to park the boat in. I asked him what size garage and he said 64x30! He said, "I learned from you". I have not been down to his place yet to see where he is putting it.

My only concern with the wood shed is the center of the stack. People have mentioned bigger stacks being wet in the center. I have a stack outside right now that is 9 ft deep and has been stacked since last year, but I have not moved it or used any from it. It is up on pallets, but there is tall grass around it.

 

[MissMac]

My shed is 8x24, and I honestly wish I had made it a bit bigger. I built 2 little removable walls to separate the shed space into 3 stalls, for 3 winter's worth of wood. I stack 5 rows deep, and up until this year was throwing it right in the shed after bucking/splitting. Never had any issues with rot. One thing I suggest is to ensure you have a good overhang to try and keep wind-driven rain out. I wish I had more of an overhang on my shed, and I wish I had made it a bit bigger. Have fun with the build!

 

[BCC_Burner]

My shed is 8x24, and I honestly wish I had made it a bit bigger. I built 2 little removable walls to separate the shed space into 3 stalls, for 3 winter's worth of wood. I stack 5 rows deep, and up until this year was throwing it right in the shed after bucking/splitting. Never had any issues with rot. One thing I suggest is to ensure you have a good overhang to try and keep wind-driven rain out. I wish I had more of an overhang on my shed, and I wish I had made it a bit bigger. Have fun with the build!

View attachment 281360

What a setup! I'm jealous. My lot is so steep it's only a few degrees shy of qualifying as a cave dwelling. Stellar stacks!

 

[stoveliker]

8*18' here. 7.5 ft tall in front, 6.5 in back. 1.5' overhang in front 1' everywhere else.
3 bays.

And yes. I wish it was bigger. But the wife and the town disagreed.

Built and filled this year, so I hope the center will be ok. @Highbeam has something similar but bigger and has used it a long time. No wetness issues on the inside as far as I know.

 

[Highbeam]

I have had zero problems with moisture in the center of my two 10x10x7 foot bay blocks of firewood stacked tight. I’m in wet western Washington and I split big for a cat stove. I stack it green. Right after cutting it from logs.

I wish it was three bays but the county limits me to 200 sf without permits. So, like others, I have resorted to stacking overflow outside of the shed.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

Awesome, awesome, awesome! Thanks, guys. That makes me feel so much better. I'm not afraid to go bigger on mine then, if the materials will allow it. Maybe 11x32 with 7.5' ceiling. That would give me 20 cord under one roof. I'll have to measure it out tomorrow and see how it would look.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

My shed is 8x24, and I honestly wish I had made it a bit bigger. I built 2 little removable walls to separate the shed space into 3 stalls, for 3 winter's worth of wood. I stack 5 rows deep, and up until this year was throwing it right in the shed after bucking/splitting. Never had any issues with rot. One thing I suggest is to ensure you have a good overhang to try and keep wind-driven rain out. I wish I had more of an overhang on my shed, and I wish I had made it a bit bigger. Have fun with the build!

View attachment 281360

Bro... look at MissMac go.... you get 4 thumbs up and a fist bump thats a good looking shed and pile girl.. lots of work there
I had to spell out my Emojis because they got erased

 

[MissMac]

Bro... look at MissMac go.... you get 4 thumbs up and a fist bump thats a good looking shed and pile girl.. lots of work there
I had to spell out my Emojis because they got erased

Thanks!

 

[andym]

Bigger is better as already mentioned. One thing to consider though is how you will stack the wood and then access it for use in 2,3,4+ years. Dividing into bays like above pictures is a great option. Just remember that the oldest wood will be at the back of the bay. Do you really want 7 or 8 rows deep? Will you be filling each bay with same species of wood? Should you size each bay for a full season worth or some other amount? Questions, questions, questions.
Happy building! New lumber prices are finally back inside earth's atmosphere by the way.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I just have wood sheds. I have a verity of bay sizes 4ft, 8ft 10ft, I dont do the .. this is what Ill burn this year. Fact is it varies from year to year. One year its about 3 cords next years its 4 cords. Its all dependent on how cold it is and who's home. I have a bin right now thats not full, 1/3 of it was burned this past winter and this fall Ill start burning from the stack I ended up on in the spring. The thing is you dont need different bins for different species of wood and you dont need a shed or bin to hold a years worth. What you need is 3 years of storage and what would be the maximum you'll burn per year for the 3 years and there your done... and what ever you burn is what it is. I never burn more that 4 cords per year Im always sitting on at least 12 cords. So no matter what.. I know Im good..

 

[kennyp2339]

My driveway ends next to a retaining wall on 2 sides, the house garage is on side 3, I build a L shape wood shed with 10ft bays 30ft long x 5ft wide & 10ft long by 5ft wide, I can fit approx 2 cords per bay, have 4 bays total, typically burn just under 4 cords a year so I'm able to alternate and have 1 full season drying under cover for 2 summers before burning providing that I fill the shed up in the spring,
The biggest thing to me that makes a difference it having long enough overhangs, between snow and wind blown rain I've havent had any issues with the wood stacks getting wet.

 

[brenndatomu]

I have 12 and 14 ft steel

As big as you can and still have plenty of overhang...

 

[begreen]

My driveway ends next to a retaining wall on 2 sides, the house garage is on side 3, I build a L shape wood shed with 10ft bays 30ft long x 5ft wide & 10ft long by 5ft wide, I can fit approx 2 cords per bay, have 4 bays total, typically burn just under 4 cords a year so I'm able to alternate and have 1 full season drying under cover for 2 summers before burning providing that I fill the shed up in the spring,
The biggest thing to me that makes a difference it having long enough overhangs, between snow and wind blown rain I've havent had any issues with the wood stacks getting wet.

View attachment 281412

That's a beauty Kenny.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

Wow, great input! I took a rough inventory of supplies today and still need to measure all the steel. I might end up using more telephone poles and doing a "timber frame" wood shed. I like the designs that have been posted.

 

[oilstinks]

I think my biggest problem will be keeping it rotated. I burn many different species that vary greatly in drying times i.e. oak, poplar, maple, locust ,hickory and multiple species of those.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I think my biggest problem will be keeping it rotated. I burn many different species that vary greatly in drying times i.e. oak, poplar, maple, locust ,hickory and multiple species of those.

The species of wood actually makes no difference if your ahead. If your 3 years ahead ALL of the wood will be dry at the same time.. If your splitting for 23/24 all of the wood will be ready to burn that year regardless of what kind of wood it is so separating makes no sense and makes thing's more difficult. I don't care what wood I have it just goes in the shed and 3 years later its in the stove..

 

[oilstinks]

The species of wood actually makes no difference if your ahead. If your 3 years ahead ALL of the wood will be dry at the same time.. If your splitting for 23/24 all of the wood will be ready to burn that year regardless of what kind of wood it is so separating makes no sense and makes thing's more difficult. I don't care what wood I have it just goes in the shed and 3 years later its in the stove..

For me I have those times where a short morning or evening fire are all I need and those dead of winter when I'd rather not have poplar or pine mixed in for over night burns. I guess I could separate it as I remove for transfer to the house though. Depending on the year we may have a lot of those days where we prefer a short hot fire that goes out during the day because we have been known to heat at night and run AC during the day. It is what it is here in WNC.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

For me I have those times where a short morning or evening fire are all I need and those dead of winter when I'd rather not have poplar or pine mixed in for over night burns. I guess I could separate it as I remove for transfer to the house though. Depending on the year we may have a lot of those days where we prefer a short hot fire that goes out during the day because we have been known to heat at night and run AC during the day. It is what it is here in WNC.

We move our wood from the shed to the house. The wood is stacked on a rack out back and as the rack is filled it gets sorted. All the large overnight burners are to the far left large splits and medium in the middle and all the smaller and lower BTU stuff is all the way to the right. In the house there are 2 storage racks we use. The rack to the left is all large over night the rack on the RHS is filled with Lg medium splits less BTU stuff and to the right smaller stuff to get a fire going

 

[Isaac Carlson]

I like that. We have had a face cord sized rack in the house for several years now, and it is a pain to dig out big overnight pieces.