# RE: My woodshed



## firefighterjake (Sep 14, 2009)

I'm pretty happy to have finished it . . . in fact I was so happy and pleased with it that I didn't even finish putting away my tools in order to snap some pics . . . since I know you guys are into the woodshed/woodpile pornography!  

The details: 12 x 20 feet in size . . . longer rather than deeper. I went with this size partly because I wanted the extra space to hold more wood than I anticipate using and partly because the footprint of the shed fits neatly over the space where our very large home-built swingset used to sit.

The base: This area tends to get wet in the Spring so we went with a raised woodshed. Cinder blocks (or stones) are located every 6 feet over a foot or so of gravel. When possible the cinderblocks on the exterior matched up to where the concrete footings for the old swingset were located. Our property is situated on a little bit of soil with ledge underneath so having the frost heave this structure (or any other structures -- such as my other two sheds) should not be a real issue. I went with cedar wood for the base frame.

The walls: Originally I was going to go with the normal 4 x 4 or 6 x 6 posts on the corners with the sloped shed roof, but then I realized I had a pretty decent source of wood with an old camp that I was intending to tear down eventually . . . so I spent some time tearing down the camp and reclaimed some good (and some not so good) rough cut 2 x 4s, a few 2 x 6s and a whole lot of boards. I was able to use these rough cut 2 x 4s to form up the majority of the back and side walls. I did end up buying some new rough cut hemlock 2 x 4s for the front. The walls were buillt in sections so that the corners are in essence 4 x 8 beams and on the back there are two 4 x 4 beams in the "middle" . . . one 4 x 4 beam in the middle of each sides and in the front "wall" there are two 4 x 8 beams in the middle. As you can see I left a gap between the beams in the back and sides to allow air flow to move through the stacks . . . enough to allow air flow but hopefully keep snow and rain off the wood. 

The roof: My original plan to use the aluminum sheeting from my camp was changed when I realized I would still need to buy several more sheets of aluminum and the aluminum I had was full of nail hopes and tears which would mean a lot of chaulking. Instead I went the "cheaper" route with regular asphault shingles, but I did "cheat" a bit by also using some asphault shingles that were on the camp which were still in decent shape. The roof isn't very pretty since it's now multi-colored brown and white with black splotches from the tar used to seal the nailholes -- but frankly I don't see it so I don't really care . . . it's just a woodshed.


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## firefighterjake (Sep 14, 2009)

More pics . . . pay no attention to the mess.


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## Pagey (Sep 14, 2009)

That looks great!  And it looks like it will hold a lot of freakin' wood!  :coolgrin:


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## Jags (Sep 14, 2009)

Cudos dude.  That is a sweet looking wood shed.  Looks to be plenty roomy for multi-year storage.  Now yer talkin'


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## smokinj (Sep 14, 2009)

Jags said:
			
		

> Cudos dude.  That is a sweet looking wood shed.  Looks to be plenty roomy for multi-year storage.  Now yer talkin'


+1


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## Bigg_Redd (Sep 14, 2009)

Looks good.  Real good.


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## edthedawg (Sep 14, 2009)

Awesome shed!  What's your thoughts on loading so you can always get to the most seasoned wood first?


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## savageactor7 (Sep 14, 2009)

Great looking heavy duty shed. But something that big will hold more than a few seasons supply...wouldn't stacking wood front to back (NS) aid in rotating?


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## drewboy (Sep 14, 2009)

Bathroom, Kitchen???


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## fossil (Sep 14, 2009)

Beauty.  Rick


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## Wet1 (Sep 14, 2009)

Very nice, thanks for sharing!


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## Hurricane (Sep 14, 2009)

Great wood shed ! 

I was also thinking of how to get to the most seasoned wood. Add a door to the back or stack front to back i guess.


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## firefighterjake (Sep 14, 2009)

Edthedawg said:
			
		

> Awesome shed!  What's your thoughts on loading so you can always get to the most seasoned wood first?



You better believe I've already been thinking ahead . . . Step 1 is to purchase a Magic Heater so I can burn unseasoned wood and get the most heat out of the chimney as possible.  

All kidding aside . . . back row is some wood that I had cut up last year, but didn't get around to splitting late this Spring . . . it's going in the back to get a little more seasoning time. The rest of the wood will be going north to south as Savage guessed so I can access different rows depending on what I need (i.e. softwood slabs, really well seasoned hardwood, etc.)


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## firefighterjake (Sep 14, 2009)

savageactor7 said:
			
		

> Great looking heavy duty shed. But something that big will hold more than a few seasons supply...wouldn't stacking wood front to back (NS) aid in rotating?



Yup . . . you guessed it . . . 1) to aid in rotation and 2) to allow me to stack different seasonal needs (i.e. a stack for softwood slabs and less dense woods for shoulder season burning, a stack for the most seasoned wood, etc.)


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## firefighterjake (Sep 14, 2009)

Let Me Stand Next To Your Fire said:
			
		

> Bathroom, Kitchen???



My wife has already caught me out in the shed just sitting there admiring my handiwork . . . and while I don't think a bathroom or kitchen is in the works I have already begun pounding in a few spikes and hooks to hold some assorted handtools relevant to working on firewood (i.e. ax, hatchet, pulp hook, etc.) . . . and I've also told my wife this will make a great place for me to spend the night if and when I'm ever in the proverbial doghouse. 

Eventually I might "splurge" and wire in electricity . . . I could see this as a benefit with lighting at night since it gets dark so darned early up here in Maine during the dead of winter.


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## WoodPorn (Sep 14, 2009)

Let Me Stand Next To Your Fire said:
			
		

> Bathroom, Kitchen???



I would assume you really mean.... cooler, recliner


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## firefighterjake (Sep 14, 2009)

fossil said:
			
		

> Beauty.  Rick



While I truly appreciate all of the "atta boys" having this come from you is a true compliment as your woodshed and LL's truly stand out as woodsheds.


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## firefighterjake (Sep 14, 2009)

poooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooook said:
			
		

> diagonal bracing?



No need Pook . . . Besides connecting the "panelized" walls together stud to stud, I've got the top plate connecting all and the boards (minus the batting) are run on top of three 2 x 4s (top, bottom and middle) to tighten things up. In addition, there are four 2 x 4s inside that connect the front wall to the side walls (if you look closely you might be able to see them inside.) Trust me, throughout the whole project I've constantly been shaking the shed this way and that way to see how rugged this thing will stand up to a traditional Downeasta' . . . and the associated snow load. I think I should be OK.


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## firefighterjake (Sep 14, 2009)

Werm said:
			
		

> Let Me Stand Next To Your Fire said:
> 
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> ...



Well I do have a plastic lawn chair set up nearby.


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## TreePapa (Sep 14, 2009)

That's awful nice. Nice lumber from a "camp," too. Is it true that what Mainers call a "camp" most of us would call a cabin?

Peace,
- Sequoia


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## edthedawg (Sep 14, 2009)

firefighterjake said:
			
		

> You better believe I've already been thinking ahead . . . Step 1 is to purchase a Magic Heater so I can burn unseasoned wood and get the most heat out of the chimney as possible.


LMAO!  Dude - last i checked, yer gonna need about 4700 MORE creo-chimni-EPA-pollution-ithinx posts to be allowed to make such statements.  



> All kidding aside . . . back row is some wood that I had cut up last year, but didn't get around to splitting late this Spring . . . it's going in the back to get a little more seasoning time. The rest of the wood will be going north to south as Savage guessed so I can access different rows depending on what I need (i.e. softwood slabs, really well seasoned hardwood, etc.)


Sounds like an excellent plan.  What's the total capacity of this monster gonna be??


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## jlow (Sep 14, 2009)

Nice workmanship. I like the rustic look that the wood grain gives. Nice to reclaim wood and still get a great look. I'm jealous


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## Ratman (Sep 15, 2009)

Jake, top notch pro job.
Now sell the wood, hire some bands and have a weekend festival in that thing.
The thing is gynormous


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## prairiefire (Sep 15, 2009)

nice work!! looks awesome and will look even better when all that wood is stacked inside!


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## Duetech (Sep 15, 2009)

Nice shed. Hey do you do a "Sheds like that for Humanity " program? Do ya huh? Do ya do ya huh? I think I saw a question about diagonal bracing...would be a good sugestion to implement with such a master piece. Now back to the "Shed's for Humanity... Do ya huh? Do ya do ya huh?


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## North of 60 (Sep 15, 2009)

Talk about a Mans shed there Jake. That's wonderful. Kudos.


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## velvetfoot (Sep 15, 2009)

Very nice shed!
Is it partially under trees, and is that where the wood seasons?
I've gotta come up with some kind of more organized plan for myself and an out of the way spot is under trees, is why I'm asking.


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## f3cbboy (Sep 15, 2009)

real nice handywork.  Great looking shed.  
Another vote for a recliner and a cooler!


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## firefighterjake (Sep 15, 2009)

TreePapa said:
			
		

> That's awful nice. Nice lumber from a "camp," too. Is it true that what Mainers call a "camp" most of us would call a cabin?
> 
> Peace,
> - Sequoia



Sorry . . . I always forget that we sometimes talk a bit funny than the rest of the country (i.e. sideboard = kitchen counter, door yard = driveway, camp = cabin, ayuh = yes.)

So yes, the "camp" is a "cabin" built by my Uncle close to 50 years ago for a guy that used to work for my grandfather . . . the camp was eventually moved right next to (well actually in) a small graveyard . . . I lived in the camp for a few years after college and it has been rented out over the years, but it had reached the point where parts of it were beginning to rot . . . and I have always wanted to restore the cemetery (a family graveyard) to the way it should be (i.e. minus a camp, cut bushes and trees, etc.) so this provided a good reason to tear down the place.


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## firefighterjake (Sep 15, 2009)

Edthedawg said:
			
		

> firefighterjake said:
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According to the math it should hold a little over 8 cords (figuring 11 x 19 x 5 as a practical used space when you factor in the walls) . . . but the truth is that would be if everything is packed tightly with no space between the rows so in reality I figure I'll get 6-7 cords in there with no issues.


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## KeepItNatural (Sep 15, 2009)

I definitely like this shed- mine is real real small, but I still have problems with animals getting in between the spaces in the wood and making homes.  What do you guys do regarding animals in your wood sheds?


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## firefighterjake (Sep 15, 2009)

jlow said:
			
		

> Nice workmanship. I like the rustic look that the wood grain gives. Nice to reclaim wood and still get a great look. I'm jealous



I agree . . . I really did like the rustic look with the old boards . . . plus they serve a useful purpose in blocking snow and rain . . . both from the wood and from the "bones" of the structure . . . I figure it will be far easier to replace a rotten board than it will be to replace a rotten 2 x 4.


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## firefighterjake (Sep 15, 2009)

Ratman said:
			
		

> Jake, top notch pro job.
> Now sell the wood, hire some bands and have a weekend festival in that thing.
> The thing is gynormous



Funny you say that . . . when I finished the shed up my wife looked at it and said when her brother comes up from CT he will probably think it would better be used to house one of his many snowmobiles currently parked at my house. At this point, we (he and I) will most likely be adding a lean to on the side or back to house his sleds . . . although those "bays" are the perfect size for housing a sled.


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## firefighterjake (Sep 15, 2009)

prairiefire said:
			
		

> nice work!! looks awesome and will look even better when all that wood is stacked inside!



Nah, this is my "first burn" woodpile . . . I'm burning this wood first before restacking it in the shed. Right now I'm working on stacking 4-5 cords inside the shed first . . . and then depending on where I am in terms of time I may restack this pile . . . or I may just be lazy and tarp this stack.


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## firefighterjake (Sep 15, 2009)

velvetfoot said:
			
		

> Very nice shed!
> Is it partially under trees, and is that where the wood seasons?
> I've gotta come up with some kind of more organized plan for myself and an out of the way spot is under trees, is why I'm asking.



I've seasoned this year's wood in a field and out back in front of the shed where it actually gets quite a bit of light. I'm thinking I might be able to season wood in this shed too though based on the position of the sun in relation to the shed and more importantly the fact that I get plenty of wind.


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## firefighterjake (Sep 15, 2009)

rsgBJJfighter said:
			
		

> I definitely like this shed- mine is real real small, but I still have problems with animals getting in between the spaces in the wood and making homes.  What do you guys do regarding animals in your wood sheds?



Answer: I have four cats who have plenty of time on their paws.


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## KeepItNatural (Sep 15, 2009)

Are they strictly outdoor cats?  Or are they indoor/outdoor.  Sorry for all the questions-  The long and the short of it, I've never been a cat guy, but it seems like a good investment if I can figure a way to keep one safe and outside.


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## firefighterjake (Sep 15, 2009)

rsgBJJfighter said:
			
		

> Are they strictly outdoor cats?  Or are they indoor/outdoor.  Sorry for all the questions-  The long and the short of it, I've never been a cat guy, but it seems like a good investment if I can figure a way to keep one safe and outside.



All are indoor/outdoor . . . but the one I have with spina bifida mostly stays inside and one is getting a little touched in the head (much like me) so he doesn't really pull his weight in terms of catching stuff. The other Manx that I own and the "newest" addition found abandoned by my wife are very good mousers . . . and chipmunkers . . . birders . . . and well just about anything that they think they can catch . . . one even tries to catch gray squirrels even though they are pretty close to her own weight.

I always get a kick out of folks who say they're not "cat people" -- in my experience it's often a case of simply getting the right cat with the right personality. For example, my youngest Manx seems to think he is a person . . . actually hangs out with me in the bathroom when I shower, my wife caught him once sitting (not begging) at the kitchen table sitting on a chair and around a campfire he usually prefers to hang out in a camp chair. 

Here's a pic of Theodore Roosevelt . . . I gave him this chair after it developed a tear in it . . . lettered it up for him . . . figure he's kind of like a star actor anyways . . . all the neighbors know him . . . he has more of a social life than I do . . . one neighbor said he is the official neighborhood ambassador.


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