# Building wood shed, which direction should the open wall(s) face?



## Jonsered (Jan 26, 2011)

Should the shed have 2 or 3 walls? Which direction should the open walls face (and which should the closed face?

I would like to continue any seasoning/drying when the wood is stacked in the shed but would like to have it primarily season in stacks before it is moved into the shed for the burning season.

Nate


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## pen (Jan 26, 2011)

Personally, I'd go w/ no walls, just a roof and some supports on the sides to hold the stacks so that I'm not making criss-crossed ends.

You get your best sun to the south, but if it were in view of the house I'd put it which ever way is most aesthetically pleasing.  It'll dry with time no matter what.  I doubt the perfect sun would save you too much although it certainly couldn't hurt.

pen


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## mainstation (Jan 26, 2011)

Personally I would have the backside facing whichever direction brings your property the most cold winds and snow in the Winter.  Have your opening situated for convenience of accessibility and outta the weather.   No walls or heavily perforated walls allowing for wind is good advice.


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## bogydave (Jan 26, 2011)

pen said:
			
		

> Personally, I'd go w/ no walls, just a roof and some supports on the sides to hold the stacks so that I'm not making criss-crossed ends.
> 
> You get your best sun to the south, but if it were in view of the house I'd put it which ever way is most aesthetically pleasing.  It'll dry with time no matter what.  I doubt the perfect sun would save you too much although it certainly couldn't hurt.
> 
> pen



+1
I chose the open type with no walls. I put it where it worked best for my property & with my wife's input for location of course.
 I saw many on here that used it a property line divider. We liked that & was the best use of space for us.
Mine is 4 row deep, which may not get good air circulation t the middle rows but with my winter winds, I'm sure it's circulating
Many say to season the wood in individual rows, out in the open, then put it in the shed when seasoned, it seasons faster that way for sure.
I didn't have that option &  wanted a shed to keep it off the ground, get as good of air movement as I could, 
I put it along property line. It fits into the property well & I can find it in the snow, pretty good air circulation

Some have enclosed on 3 sides, some 2, some 1, some use chain link sides. Lots of options.
Open sides gives the best possible air circulation.

Ultimate: Wind direction on the front or back for air, North south so both sides get  good sun. Big enough to 
have about 1' of space between rows & off the ground on pallets or spaced floor boards for bottom air & dry the 
wood before it goes into a multi row enclosed one, easy access, fits well on the property
& #1: "approved by spouse". (Now figure out where, how many cords you want to store. design the shape & size) 

It comes down to what you like & works best for you.

My basic was: any is better than none, affordable, air, off the ground, handle the wind,hold 2+ yrs supply & we like it. 
I got a "hybrid" one, I meet some of the "ultimate" & it works great for us.


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## bogydave (Jan 26, 2011)

[quote author="bogydave" date="1296100814"][quote author="pen" date="1296097510"]Personally, I'd go w/ no walls, just a roof and some supports on the sides to hold the stacks so that I'm not making criss-crossed ends.

sorry; double post

+1


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## peakbagger (Jan 27, 2011)

My woodshed had no walls but in the first winter I would get a lot of snow blowing into the wood on the windward side (west). I put in a temporary tarp on that end 15 years ago and its still there. I have a hanging tarp over the front of the shed (south side) that I use in the winter to keep snow out. The back of the shelter is open and butts up against some softwoods, the east end is open year round.  I get a lot more snow in northern NH than CT. The other thing to consider is structural bracing. Ideally you want at least 2 walls at 90 degree angles  that have either a solid wall or an X brace. This really stiffens the structure up and makea a big difference if you get heavy snow. If you brace the structure, you can get away with a lot less extensive foundation for the posts. Mine are just PT poles set in holes in the ground with no concrete.


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## SolarAndWood (Jan 27, 2011)

bogydave said:
			
		

> Now figure out where, how many cords you want to store



Your pic on the left is the first time I've noticed the skid steer hiding in the trees.  Here I thought you lugged all that wood around by hand.


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## firefighterjake (Jan 27, 2011)

Three walls or open . . . I would say it's up to you . . . like you I figure the wood is most, if not all the way, seasoned before I put it under cover. I went with a board and batten wall (minus the batten to allow air to circulate better) on three sides simply because of the free wood that I had available to me to do the project . . . not covering the shed would have been an eye sore.

As for the direction . . .  one could argue that it would be best to face it southerly for more seasoning . . . but truthfully if you're packing the wood inside the shed it's going to have limited exposure to the sun and wind at that point . . . I would orientate the shed to whatever looks best to you and for easy access . . . in my own case the shed is facing southerly . . . but it's mainly because the "foundation" was already there and it made sense to face in this direction as it exposes the face of the woodshed to my house.


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## bogydave (Jan 27, 2011)

SolarAndWood said:
			
		

> bogydave said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I didn't use the skid-steer to move the wood, that's my neighbor's, we leveled the ground, removed some old stumps & roots 
 & spread some sand down for drainage under the pallets . (I have great neighbors)
Wood not lugged by hand though, I used my ATV/trailer & wheel barrow to move the wood. 
The skid-steer sinks in & leaves ruts, & you know when you turn them on grass how they rip it up.


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## SolarAndWood (Jan 28, 2011)

Sounds like a great neighbor Dave.

I like the open sides as well.  I find as long as you stack to the ceiling of the shed, you get very little snow in it.  Stacking tight against the ceiling also makes for a very stable stack even if your stacking skills don't stack up to what you typically see pictured around the forum.


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