Woodshed Build

[bob95065]

I'm finally building a woodshed after being in the house for a year. We don't get a lot of cold but winters are really wet which makes it feel colder. Our lot has tall redwoods all around it which block the sun in the winter. Last year we burned a little more than three cords and it wasn't a cold year. I wanted a shed that would hold 2 year's worth of wood with a little margin. I went with a design that covered an area that is 8'x24'. If I stack 6' tall I calculate 9 cords under cover.
There will be a 2' overhang on all sides which yields a framed roof that is 12'x28'. My plan is to use 12' corrugated tin panels.
I wanted to keep the cost down ad much as I could because I am also remodeling the house. I grabbed a pile of "distressed" pressure treated lumber from the local lumberyard. I wanted 2x6s or 2x8s but all they has were 2x4s which altered my design. I am framing the roof to the posts then coming back with a second layer of 2x4s at the final dimension. I'll tie the two stacks with nail plates and 2x8 joist hangers. I'll also put a 2' high truss on the front and frame walls on the sides and back but not put sheeting up.
For walls my plan is to get canvas tarps that I'll tack at the top. I'll screw 2x2s to the bottom. During the winter they will hang down and I'll roll them up and tie them for summer. We get no rain here during the summer months at all so I'm not worried about the firewood getting wet. This will keep the wood dry in the winter and allow air movement in summer.
This is where I am so far:

I put 4x4 brackets in concrete piers that I poured a few weeks ago. This keeps the wood off the ground to prevent rot. I am impressed with how stable the pin connection is. I thought it would be wobbly but it isn't.
It looks flimsy now but when I put the second course of 2'4s up it will significantly increase vertical support. The shear wall in the front will help too. I'll post more pictures after I work on it this weekend.
Bob

 

[Lumber-Jack]

You might want to put a couple horizontal beams (2x10 or 2x8 minimum) across the front and back to support the roof, otherwise you'll likely get sagging in between the posts. Especially if you get snow there.
Otherwise it's lookin good!

 

[bob95065]

No snow in the Monterey Bay area of California.

My plan is to put a 2' high truss between the posts in front. The truss will look like a 2' framed stud wall. It should help take the load and prevent sagging.

 

[FTG-05]

Pics of the concrete/4x4 post brackets, please? I'll be doing the same in a couple weeks when I start on my wood shed.

Thanks,

 

[bob95065]

I put the roof on the shed last weekend:

FTG-05, I searched Simpson's site and can't find the brackets I used. Next time I go to the lumber yard I'll get the part #>

 

[jeffesonm]

looks great, nice and simple

 

[BoiledOver]

Any worries for it blowing away in a rough storm?

 

[bob95065]

We are expecting a rough storm this Wednesday night and all day Thursday. I'll report back Friday.

I am not expecting any damage. The piers are steel reinforced concrete and the posts are bolted in two places. The top is solid and the structure is sound. I was sure to brace it well. I used 1 1/2" galvanized lags with rubber washers to hold the tin roof down. It's not going anywhere.

 

[Applesister]

Nice job, I like the "basically a roof" idea. Lots of ventilation.

 

[BoiledOver]

Rock on Bob and load that thing up.

 

[drz1050]

You gonna stack on pallets in there, or building a floor too? Looks really good! Next year I plan on building one pretty similar to that at my place.

 

[Michael Golden]

Nice fence too!

 

[bob95065]

Thanks guys.

We bought a real fixer-upper the end of July 2013. It was neglected for years inside and out. We are on 2 acres in the mountains above Santa Cruz, CA. It's a unique place - we have redwoods around the perimeter and an open, sunny lot in the middle.

I hauled between 1800 and 3500 pounds of brush just about every weekend from the middle of last December until the beginning of May this year. I put up 350' of fence around the yard near the house. I ground out 11 stumps including a couple of redwoods that were huge. They left the stumps about 4' tall. I have a saw with a 32" bar that I used to bring them to the ground. I cut from both sides with the 32" bar and still didn't meet in the middle. I ran 25 gallons of gas through the stump grinder I rented in 2 days.

My plan is to put pallets on the ground and stack firewood on top of them. I want to maximize air movement, keep expenses down and get to work stacking as soon as I can.

we have a storm coming tonight that is supposed to bring hurricane force wind and lots of rain. I have heard predictions for the mountains of 8" to 9" of rain. It will be an interesting weekend.

 

[BoiledOver]

Major chain home improvement stores will have landscape timbers on sale in the early spring for a buck a piece. Very economical stringers (an alternate to pallets) that will last as long as you do.

 

[mass_burner]

hate to tell you...but someone built a fence through the middle of your shed.

 

[Vikestand]

I bet those redwoods are a sight to see. Good looking cover for your wood stack.

 

[bob95065]

I bet those redwoods are a sight to see. Good looking cover for your wood stack.

I grew up in Illinois and never saw a redwood until I came here. They are beautiful trees and hard to kill. The trouble comes during heavy rains - they don't have deep roots for their size.

 

[weatherguy]

I like the shed but don't see any firewood???

 

[bob95065]

I have 6 or 7 cords on the ground to the left of the frame. It's been in the rain and will go through the storm tonight uncovered.

I wonder of I should start stacking it or wait until summer. What do you guys think?

We have sunny, rain free days from May until November or December. There is no rain at all during these months and it is very dry. Sometimes the rains will stop in April or even March.

We get a lot of rain from November to May. We are expecting 8" the next two days. We average 49" per year over these months.

The firewood is wet. Some is split, some is not. I am leaning toward leaving it until it stops raining and the sun is out for a couple of months. If I stack after work and over weekends it should dry out.

 

[bob95065]

This is a picture of the pile earlier this summer:

It is much bigger now.

 

[bob95065]

Another load...

 

[bob95065]

Panoramic shot:

This is before I brought in a lot of rounds later in the summer.

 

[BoiledOver]

Kudos to Bob for doing a thorough job with his firewood supply and shelter. You must have been involved in Scouting too. Always be prepared hey.

I leave my stuff out in the open all summer and then choose the end of a dry spell to cover what I will need for the winter. Even with our summer rain it dries out well enough after a week or so of dry weather.

 

[bob95065]

I am so sick of leaking, ugly blue tarps

 

[FTG-05]

OK, thanks Bob!

I'm on the side of filling the shed ASAP.

Good luck!