# Wood shed designs - if you were doing it again



## madison

I am considering the construction of a woodshed, and was looking for opinions from woodshed owners:  What would you do differently, or what do you like or dislike about your current design.  I am considering long and narrow, ie 48' long, 4' deep to facilitate "rotation" of old wood and new wood.   I really am thinking of copying something like "Carbon_Liberators"

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewreply/563296/

As it seems to me that the squared sheds, would lead to hassles as far as loading and unloading wood from one season to the next.

Please opine, pictures are always nice.  Thanks


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## Backwoods Savage

That shed of Carbon's is a dandy. 

If I were to build a shed strictly for wood, I'd build it long and narrow. I'd also not put the siding up tight but leave about a 2" gap between the boards. That could be done on the sides and on the floor and would allow better air circulation. An old rectangular corn crib works just fine. We once made a corn crib using poles and then fastening snow fence to the poles. We used it for corn a few years and then used it for storing wood. It worked out great. We had a door in the center and there was enough room to store 2 years wood supply; half on one side and half on the other.


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## madison

Thanks Backwoods, I recall seeing pictures of your shed, i think corn crib came to my mind when I first saw it, how to you handle the "rotation", or is the wood already seasoned in another location, then moved to the "crib" prior to burning?

I only want to stack once, and limit the moving of wood stacks multiple times.

Thanks


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## Bigg_Redd

madison said:
			
		

> I am considering the construction of a woodshed, and was looking for opinions from woodshed owners:  What would you do differently, or what do you like or dislike about your current design.  I am considering long and narrow, ie 48' long, 4' deep to facilitate "rotation" of old wood and new wood.   I really am thinking of copying something like "Carbon_Liberators"
> 
> https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewreply/563296/
> 
> As it seems to me that the squared sheds, would lead to hassles as far as loading and unloading wood from one season to the next.
> 
> Please opine, pictures are always nice.  Thanks



My new woodshed is in the preconstruction phase but the plan is an 8' x 24' rectangle built on 6 posts in a standard post&beam; fashion with no walls.

Why?   Several reasons - 1) If I build under 200 sq ft the project requires no building permit - 2) 8' x 24' fit in the exact place I want to put my shed and requires the least amount of sawing lumber - 3) I figure I can get 4+ cord (or one year's supply) in each half (8' x 12') and who doesn't want a symmetrical 2 year woodshed?  - 3) Post&beam; can be built hell-for-stout for very little $$$.  I had planned to use old power/phone poles but the local utility quit giving away their old poles.  But I found a place that sells 8'-14' railroad ties for $1 per foot so railroad ties it will be.


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## Backwoods Savage

madison said:
			
		

> Thanks Backwoods, I recall seeing pictures of your shed, i think corn crib came to my mind when I first saw it, how to you handle the "rotation", or is the wood already seasoned in another location, then moved to the "crib" prior to burning?
> 
> I only want to stack once, and limit the moving of wood stacks multiple times.
> 
> Thanks



Madison, you might be thinking of someone else's woodshed. This is what we are stacking a year's supply in right now:







Or perhaps you saw this:






The second picture is perhaps what you saw. For several years we've just stacked wood at the end of the porch and some on the porch which is in the carport. We then put tarp along the east side to stop the snow from blowing in. Stacking the wood like this proved to be really handy as we can just step out the door and the wood is right there. Plus, it gave us a nice wind break. However, that carport will be changing into an addition onto the house very soon so then I'll just take wood from the shed and put it on another porch, which is yet to be built. That will be even closer to the stove and I'll build some type of rack to store a small amount of wood on that porch and it will be covered. 

However it is done, it is still best to season your wood at least through one summer before stacking it inside a shed. Put simply, inside the shed it doesn't get as much drying. The shed is nice so that you don't have to fight the snow and ice but it is still a poor place to dry wood. However, if you have time on your side, then a corncrib type structure like I described works really nice. 

Good luck.


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## WES999

Here are some pics of my shed, pretty simple but gets the job done.
It's built with about 80%recycled material so the price was right  

If I had to do it over some things I would change would be to add a bit more pitch to the roof so the snow slides off. I saw someone post a pic of their shed where the pallets were set on blocks, I may do this in the future. Also the strapping around the sides is not strong enough, the wood is bulging out.


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## madison

Backwoods, correct, after a bunch of searching, I was confusing yours with this one, https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewreply/616915/,  owner is LLigetfa.

There was some great advice within the thread regarding slabs with rebar vs posts holes etc....  https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/55040/


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## PapaDave

If my space was a little different (tree in the way), I would have made it longer, and not as deep (it's 16x10'). The roof pitch may prove to be a tad shallow, but I guess I'll find out this winter. I think I may also redo the walls next year, since I also have a little bowing in the side walls. I changed stacking technique to help that, but not until the last 2 rows went in. Next year.
I'd also make it big enough for 2 years of wood. Mine holds about 1.5 yrs. right now. With a new stove, I should have 2yrs. no problem, but I don't have a new stove.


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## firefighterjake

I really put some thought into my woodshed before building it and quite honestly I wouldn't change anything with its size or design . . . large enough for two years worth of wood (which is always nice to see a bunch of wood sitting under cover even at the end of winter), made largely with free materials from tearing down a camp, gapped sides to allow air flow (but narrow enough so that wind blown snow is not an issue) . . . it's pretty much perfect for my needs.

I guess if it came down to it the only thing I would have done differently if I had extra money would have been to put metal roofing on the shed . . . either that or I should have taken the multi-colored shingles that I used and spelled out "SOS", "Aliens Land Here" or something else witty for the passing pilots to see. Oh yeah, adding power for exterior and interior lights and an outlet so I could set up a TV, refrigerator and stereo would have also been pretty cool . . . but otherwise it works pretty well for me.


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## madison

hmmmm, power, never thought of that, thanks jake.  what are the dimensions of yours?


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## firefighterjake

madison said:
			
		

> hmmmm, power, never thought of that, thanks jake.  what are the dimensions of yours?



12 x 20 feet

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/41416/


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## rottiman

We can get 14 rows 8.5' wide x 7.5' high in this one. Have it facing so the predominant wind starts @ one end and blow thru to the other all year


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## SolarAndWood

The shed I burn out of is 32' wide x 5' deep and I stack close to 10' tall.  It works very well for rotation.  It is just deep enough for two rows of 18-20" and then just enough roof to keep you under it while loading the bucket.


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## raybonz

rottiman said:
			
		

> We can get 14 rows 8.5' wide x 7.5' high in this one. Have it facing so the predominant wind starts @ one end and blow thru to the other all year



Good idea with the wood retaining fences on the ends of the wood rows.. Mine could use that so I could eliminate the cross stacked ends a real pain in the butt..

Ray


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## raybonz

SolarAndWood said:
			
		

> The shed I burn out of is 32' wide x 5' deep and I stack close to 10' tall.  It works very well for rotation.  It is just deep enough for two rows of 18-20" and then just enough roof to keep you under it while loading the bucket.



Wow! Nice!

Was out in Syracuse a couple weeks ago visiting our son at Syracuse University.. Nice area especially the ride into Syracuse..

Ray


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## SolarAndWood

Thanks Ray and congrats on sending your son to a fine school.  We are just a few miles away and most of my scrounging is done on SU hill which is conveniently located on my commute to work.


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## raybonz

SolarAndWood said:
			
		

> Thanks Ray and congrats on sending your son to a fine school.  We are just a few miles away and most of my scrounging is done on SU hill which is conveniently located on my commute to work.



Thanx but he deserves all the credit as he worked very hard in HS to get in with some very good academic scholarships.. The University is simply awesome and I was amazed at how large it was and how they mixed in buildings from 1871 to present.. The Carrier dome was very cool too and the football game was fun to see.. Syracuse won against Colgate 42 to 7... Go Orange

Ray


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## madison

Solar: Thanks first off, curious to how you rotate, it may just be the night time picture, but is the 32 ft length divided? or 32' solid rows of wood?

Rott: Same sort of question, I am curious how you "get to" the wood, and rotation,  Do you access it from the left and right (looking at the picture) or is there an opening row down the middle of the shed.  I admire the stacks Rott, but I would personally be afraid of a chain reaction catastrophe of one stack tipping/knocking down into the other stack.  But, the upside is you have a "chit load" of wood in a small area.

I personally was thinking about 48' long and 48" deep (~ one pallet deep) and divide the 48' lengths into 8 foot sections rows of wood on each 8 ft section, with rails like Rott's, to help stabilize a facilitate keeping old wood from new wood organized.  Much like Carbon_Liberator's //  https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/newreply/60511/

 any comments on construction the shed on a slab floor  vs  post holes and a gravel floor?

Thanks again,


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## SolarAndWood

madison said:
			
		

> Solar: Thanks first off, curious to how you rotate, it may just be the night time picture, but is the 32 ft length divided? or 32' solid rows of wood?



It is currently 2 32' wide rows.  I stack different sections with different purposes:  pine, mid range stuff and overnighters.  I am siding the house in the next few weeks and will likely divide it similarly to Carbon_Liberator's.  It was originally going to be the front porch until it was reallocated to being the woodshed.  My other shed is 5 rows deep and is a PIA to rotate/separate/etc.


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## madison

Thanks Solar, you better get that siding on as the first "nor'easter" is on the way.


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## bogydave

I don't know if mine is called a "woodshed" , "covered wood pile" or a "roofed wood pile".
Not having any sides makes it just a cover over the wood.
To be a woodshed, my thinking, is it needs sides. ??
I call it a wood shed but more accurate may be "covered stacks of wood"
Maybe just plain ole "roof" , is even more accurate. As in:
My wood stacks have a "roof".

What is the official "Hearth definition" of "wood shed", 
& does it need sides to be one ? 

Mines is  a "wood-roof" (not a roof made of wood, but a roof over wood)


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## madison

Thanks dave, appreciate it, shed, woof, roof as long as it gets the job done.

Dimensions?   looks like two pallets deep by ? Length?   And I notice the cross stacking intermittantly throughout, is that for stability, airflow, all of the above.  Would you divide the length to add row stabilization? I see cross pieces on each end.  Is that approx two yrs of wood ?

Footings vs slab?


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## bogydave

Roof is 8'X48'.
Inside wood is 80" deep, (4 rows)  X 8' high  X 47' long (+/-)

Stability, separate wood types
I also put in some rope from the back row to the front row in the middle of each section for stability
& safety.  When my wood stacks gets this high, they wanted to move some. link:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/57345/

Hoping for it to be 2 yrs worth of wood.


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## RoseRedHoofbeats

My woodshed is 4x8x16, so it will hold about 4.5 cords with enough space to walk around. It's right up against my house- you can see pics in the picture forum under my thread about my remodel.

Honestly, having stacked some firewood in it a bit today, I would have made it wider just to have room to really turn around in it with a load of wood in your arms- though you won't have this problem unless you run it up against a structure. As far as building it, the design we used was very basic. 2x4 frame with one down the middle for stability, cedar planking up the side (if you know someone with a cedar fence they want to take down, ask them for it! Home Depot and Lowe's and the like also will sell stuff that has chipped corners or splits or whatever for cheap-cheap), then OSB for the roof, painted with an exterior latex and then polyurethane on top of that so it's super waterproof (we'll get snow that'll stick to roofs in probably a few weeks). I used pressure-treated lumber for everything that was gonna possibly get wet (except the cedar since it's fairly rot resistant) and then just regular for the uprights. 

We were kinda making it up as we went along, and since I needed the ends to be open since it was up against the house, the hardest was making it not sway width-wise. We ended up just putting rafters up and that solved it pretty well. 

Good luck! It took me and my dad about a week to build, but I had three kids running around wanting to "help", so it'll probably go faster for you!

~Rose


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## madison

Thanks Rose and Dave.  Muchos Garcia's


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## thewoodlands

rottiman said:


> We can get 14 rows 8.5' wide x 7.5' high in this one. Have it facing so the predominant wind starts @ one end and blow thru to the other all year


Rotti are those 6 x 6 for corner post on your shed.


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## wishlist

Here you go Madison, no need to build a plain jane box. Lol.....

  Openings all the way around and holds close to 3 years worth of wood. Just a pain in the rear to build and I have power and a chandelier hanging in it!


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## glennm

Mine is 8 x 16 with sides, open front and back. Also devided in the center. You can remove wood from the front or back, this solves the rotation issue.


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## Blue2ndaries

Mine is 24x12, 3 bays of 8x12, open both front and back for access which helps facilitate wood rotation.  I use half of the first bay for tools/equipment storage.  Looking back the only thing I would change is maybe a 4th bay or making it a full 16ft deep as opposed to 12ft; but the way i designed it w/2ft overhangs all around, that maximized the plywood and metal roof use/layout.


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## mcollect

I am just starting to think of a wood shed. I wondered if I need footings or if I can just use 6X6s and tie it together somehow? Any ideas? I built my garage and over it I have a huge wood shop, I used traditional building techniques full footings and framing, I just hope I don't have to go that route.


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## PapaDave

Mine's getting a center dividing wall between the l/h and r/h sides this year. I'll lose a touch of space, but I'll be able to pull wood from each side w/o affecting the other side.
I may also add a front overhang.


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## cptoneleg

Mine is pretty simple 8' x 16' treated lumber, I rotate doors each yr,  have recently added on.  I am done but don't have a picture.


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## Ralphie Boy

Oh most certainly a nice  design by Calvin Kline.....  or Polo


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## Jags

I find that my re-purposed old wash house located 8ft from my garage man-door works great.  I added double doors that allow me to back my wood wagon right inside.  Out of the elements with lights makes easy working.  It is 24 x 24 and split into two bays.  Each bay will hold a years worth - easily.  Only dry wood goes into that building.


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## Stegman

wishlist said:


> Here you go Madison, no need to build a plain jane box. Lol.....
> 
> Openings all the way around and holds close to 3 years worth of wood. Just a pain in the rear to build and I have power and a chandelier hanging in it!


 
That's the Rolls Royce of woodsheds. Holy smokes.


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## thewoodlands

mcollect said:


> I am just starting to think of a wood shed. I wondered if I need footings or if I can just use 6X6s and tie it together somehow? Any ideas? I built my garage and over it I have a huge wood shop, I used traditional building techniques full footings and framing, I just hope I don't have to go that route.


I think we will go with the concrete forming tubes when we build ours.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_10150-286-6...&Ntt=tube&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=tube&facetInfo=


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## MasterMech

bogydave said:


> I don't know if mine is called a "woodshed" , "covered wood pile" or a "roofed wood pile". Not having any sides makes it just a cover over the wood. To be a woodshed, my thinking, is it needs sides. ?? I call it a wood shed but more accurate may be "covered stacks of wood" Maybe just plain ole "roof" , is even more accurate. As in: My wood stacks have a "roof". What is the official "Hearth definition" of "wood shed", & does it need sides to be one ? Mines is a "wood-roof" (not a roof made of wood, but a roof over wood) ​


 
Wood Pavillion! or perhaps Palace?


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## SolarAndWood

Jags said:


> It is 24 x 24


 
I wish I had a garage that big


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## Jags

SolarAndWood said:


> I wish I had a garage that big


 
Well...I have a redonkulous amount of shed space - 54 x 74, a 40 x 60 my 24 x 24 wood shed and an attached garage.  Throw in an empty chicken coop to boot.  It just means that I can horde more crap.


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## ScotO

I never tire of coming in this thread and looking at these great sheds!

Show-offs! (says with jealousy)


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## Bret Hart

Lots of great ideas here. I need to build a wood shed and this thread will come in handy.

Does anyone have any issues with bees in the wood shed or other wood storage places?

Just bought this place last summer and the hornets and wasps pretty much took over anything under cover. I bet I went through a dozen cans of spray and didn't come close to keeping up. Took care of the big nests but found many small ones I missed in the fall.


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## firefighterjake

Bret Hart said:


> Lots of great ideas here. I need to build a wood shed and this thread will come in handy.
> 
> Does anyone have any issues with bees in the wood shed or other wood storage places?
> 
> Just bought this place last summer and the hornets and wasps pretty much took over anything under cover. I bet I went through a dozen cans of spray and didn't come close to keeping up. Took care of the big nests but found many small ones I missed in the fall.


 
No bees . . . but I have found various chipmunk and mouse nests scattered throughout my woodshed.


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## Blue2ndaries

Bret Hart said:


> ...Does anyone have any issues with bees in the wood shed or other wood storage places?
> 
> Just bought this place last summer and the hornets and wasps pretty much took over anything under cover. I bet I went through a dozen cans of spray and didn't come close to keeping up. Took care of the big nests but found many small ones I missed in the fall.


 
I have hiberating bees/yellowjackets in the fall and winter time (now), but have not had any nests in 2 years since I built it.  Like Jake I have the occasional squirrel, field mouse nest here/there.


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## Jags

Scotty Overkill said:


> I never tire of coming in this thread and looking at these great sheds!
> 
> Show-offs! (says with jealousy)


 
Just think of how many cords you could store in that tan shed in the background (that is the 54 x 74). Oh, and there is the currently empty chicken coop too (in chicken coop red).
Just teasing ya, buddy.


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## ScotO

Jags said:


> Just think of how many cords you could store in that tan shed in the background (that is the 54 x 74). Oh, and there is the currently empty chicken coop too (in chicken coop red).
> Just teasing ya, buddy.


 WOW, Jags!!  Boy, what I could do with space like that!  She'd kick me out the door and off the property!


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## mecreature

*Blue2ndaries_  that is one nice shed. I remember when you were starting it but not sure I have seen the finished shed.*


that overhang almost eliminates the need for sides.


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