# Wood shed capacities



## jj3500 (Aug 20, 2009)

How big are your wood sheds?  I'm just in the "thinking about it" stage and was curious to those that have built them, if they think now they should have gone bigger...or smaller. 

Also, do you make your sides easily removable to access those older pieces? (if you stack your oldest stuff in the back and continually stack newer splits on the outside, you'll never get to that old stuff) 

From my approximation now, my shed is going to be fairly large.  Its going to look like a three car garage and ~ 12' tall.


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## SolarAndWood (Aug 20, 2009)

81 cord seems enormous unless you are going into the firewood business.  Or are you talking 3 bays not 36x24?


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## jj3500 (Aug 20, 2009)

That size is just a ball park size.  I'm looking at my uncovered stuff now.  For it to be covered properly, it would have to be about that thee car garage size.  I plan on making it a long skinny shed too.  Having all sides accessible. (again, just thinking out loud).  

This is just for my personal use.  Not a business. 

You mentioned 81 cord...is that what a three car space holds? (guesstimation)


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## Greg123 (Aug 20, 2009)

That's a big shed you are building. I just completed mine, it's 12x8 8 feet tall. I can fit a little better than 6 cord. The shed is open on the front and closed in on the other 3 sides, I season the wood in an the open field on my property before putting it into the shed. I will be adding some extra venting around the sides and back next year, because I'm planning on seasoning in the wood shed so I don't have to move my piles twice.


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## SolarAndWood (Aug 20, 2009)

36*24*12/128 is how I came up with 81.  My thought with the woodshed is to only put one year's burn plus safety stock under a roof.  I am currently using what will be our front porch when the house is done and the shape works pretty nicely.  5Dx32Wx9H.  2 rows 18-20", 9 ft high.  I find that stacking over 9 ft gets tedious.


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## maplewood (Aug 20, 2009)

My wood shed was (it's gone now) 25x16.  Just a roof - it was open on all 4 sides.  I could put in 20 cords.  
(That was just under 2 years supply, using my old boiler and stove.)
I'm waiting to see how the new Econoburn works this winter, then I'll build a much smaller wood storage area inside
a small barn/garage - maybe 7-8 cord.


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## JeffRey30747 (Aug 20, 2009)

Mine is 12'Wx10'Hx16'L and open on two opposing ends. I use from one end and fill the other alternating whenever I think it is justified to use the oldest wood first. If it was absolutely full, it would hold 15 cords but I don't think I have ever had much more than 10 in it at one time.


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## LLigetfa (Aug 20, 2009)

My shed is 10 x 20 and enclosed on three sides so I have to get creative in how I stack so that I don't put new in front of old.  When I built it it would hold 20 cord but the frost jacked the posts so now it can hold 13 cord if I stack 9 & 1/2 feet high.  If I were to build a new shed, I would make it twice as long, half as deep, and not as tall.

Here is a thread on some changes I made to the layout along with some pics.
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/39339/


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## 3fordasho (Aug 20, 2009)

6' deep, 16' long and average 7' high gives me just under 5 cords.
Stayed under the citys sqft limit so I didn't have to get a building permit.
I used pretty much half the wood in it for last winters heating.


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## firefighterjake (Aug 20, 2009)

Well my shed isn't finished yet, but when complete it will be approximately 20 x 12. I figured it out and figured this should hold more wood than I will need in a year . . . giving me a little (OK, maybe a little more than a little) wood in case of a particularly long or bitter winter.

I can't imagine too many people would regret building too big of a woodshed . . . more likely too small. I can see how some folks might wish they had configured one differently, stacked differently or built it out of different materials.

For my woodshed I opted to go longer rather than deeper due to the property lay out and my main access to the wood will be from the front. I also plan to do most of the rows stacked north to south (so to speak) so I can more or less pick and choose which wood to use . . . i.e. slabwood and shoulder season wood vs. the better wood. I deliberately kep the height relatively low -- 7 feet since that is about the extent where I can easily and safely stack wood without worrying about it toppling over or having to use a step stool (well maybe I could have gone a bit higher, but this seemed like a good height at the time based on my other sheds.)

When finished I'll post pictures . . . right now it's not very photogenic. I used rough cut 2 x 4s (2 feet on center) salvaged from a camp tear down for a good portion of the three outside walls . . . the front is composed of new 2x4s that I cobbled together to form into four 2 x 6s to hold up the front to allow it to be open. Since this is in an area subject to spring melt I've built a rugged base for the floor with planks on top. My intention is to have the sides and back in a board and batting style (once again using old boards from the camp) . . . with the "batting" section removed for better ventilation -- I have toyed with the idea of mounting some of the batting on hinges and making this work like a tobacco barn, but think that would be overkill and way too much work. 

At some point my brother in law will be coming up from CT and will be putting on a lean-to addition to either the back or side for use as a snowmobile shed . . . well more like a car . . . I mean . . . sled port.


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## BucksCoBernie (Aug 20, 2009)

Here is my shed and seasoning station combo. i made it completely out of free pallets....cost me about $10 for the screws.
The covered part holds about 3 cords (1 winters worth, hopefully), that was the original woodshed i built out of pallets. I've added wings onto the sides, left side holds about 1 cord and the right side holds about another 3 cords. I am actually extending the right side to hold another 3 cords....so in all i should be around the 9-10 cord capacity. I'd rather run it along my fence than extend out into the yard. The only problem im having right now is those damn viney things growing up the back of the shed and onto the piles. I might redo the roof and extend it to fit a larger portion of the structure....im still debating.


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## fossil (Aug 20, 2009)

12' x 16', with a 6' x 8' open corner.  144 ft² of floor space.  Theoretically nearly 8 cords, stacked 7' high.  I have 7 and change in it.  It's got lighting and a duplex outlet installed.  Another 2 cords under roof on the north end of my shop building.  4 more out in the open on the south end of the building.  Cousin & I are working on bucking & splitting two log length loads we bought, which should yield each of us another 10-12 cords for future years.  Burning 2 stoves through a cold winter, I can go through 7 cords.  Rick


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## Todd (Aug 20, 2009)

26X8X8 I put 6 cords inside with plenty of space between rows and a good sized separation in the middle. I could put more in there, but I only burn 3 cords per year so 2 years worth is what I shoot for.


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## jdinspector (Aug 20, 2009)

Mine is 11 (w) x 7 (d) x 7 (h), or about 4 cords in theory. I hold a little over 3 in it on a yearly basis. I really like the metal roof on mine. I'll never have to worry about re-roofing this thing! If my calculations are right, this shed will hold one winter's worth of wood for my new stove.


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## chachdave (Aug 21, 2009)

Mine is 4x20, 6ft high in front 8ft in rear. Got about 4 1/2 cords in there. This is actually a temporary shed until I can bring in some fill for back and side yard. Then I will build a free standing 8x16 or so shed.


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## Bigg_Redd (Aug 21, 2009)

jj3500 said:
			
		

> How big are your wood sheds?  I'm just in the "thinking about it" stage and was curious to those that have built them, if they think now they should have gone bigger...or smaller.
> 
> Also, do you make your sides easily removable to access those older pieces? (if you stack your oldest stuff in the back and continually stack newer splits on the outside, you'll never get to that old stuff)
> 
> From my approximation now, my shed is going to be fairly large.  Its going to look like a three car garage and ~ 12' tall.




1) I've never heard anyone say, "I sure wish I'd built a smaller woodshed."

2) I wouldn't bother putting walls on it  - just a roof on posts.


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## savageactor7 (Aug 21, 2009)

jj down in Orange county I'd recommend a lean-to like Todd has pictured. We have 2 lean-to's and imo that's the most bang for the buck you can get and still be socially acceptable.


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## jj3500 (Aug 21, 2009)

savageactor7 said:
			
		

> jj down in Orange county I'd recommend a lean-to like Todd has pictured. We have 2 lean-to's and imo that's the most bang for the buck you can get and still be socially acceptable.



I don't doubt that bang for the buck.  I just not a fan for having the wood up against a valuable structure.(ants and other similar critters).  In my case, only place this lean to could work is on my house.  I don't have a stick frame garage like Todd does. (i think thats a type of barn/garage).

Will do a stand alone structure...down the road.  

Thanks


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## SlyFerret (Aug 21, 2009)

I'm planning to build my shed this fall so I can get this winters supply under proper cover.  I'm not playing the tarp game again this year.

From what I'm thinking, mine will be 12' x 12', with a flat roof that slants down from the front to the back.  I plan to put a 36" wide door on the front at the far right, with a 36" wide walkway from front to back (if I need to stack in this space, I can).  If I stack it 5; high inside, I'll be able to fit a little over 4 cords in it, which should be a little more than I need for a year's supply.  I envision making the walls out of 1x6's, staggered in front of and behind horizontal support bars to allow some ventilation but keep pretty much all rain and snow out.

I don't plan to season wood in it.  I'll season it out in the open, and then load up the shed in the late fall each year.

-SF


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## edthedawg (Aug 21, 2009)

Man I wish I had the space for a proper shed.  I cleared a rather V-shaped (argually L-shaped) space out next to my barn and fence and made an approximately F-shaped shed to hold 8+ cords.  In my mind, this will let me:
- Rotate the stacks over the years
- Always stay 1 season ahead (we got thru 4 cord/year)
- Get to any stack during any year
- Have a dedicated splitting area
- Have enough room to park both cars and access the barn
- Drop 4-cord loads and still be able to move around them

Yes it's closer to the wooden fence and barn walls than i'd like, but we're on a 1/2 acre w/ most of the yard out front and to the side on a hill.  Just no place else to do something like this...


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## Dune (Aug 21, 2009)

My wood shed is 12' x6'x 8' tall. It is a lean to off a tool shed. It is open on three sides. I store 3 cords in the shed.


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## Duetech (Aug 22, 2009)

jj3500,  When using the stored wood always go to the wall of your oldest stack first and you will never have wood that never gets used. Bear in mind though once the wood is seasoned and is kept dry it will store for years and not spoil.  But also remember if you have a high consumption rate always try to keep a stack of two (+) year old wood for the hardest part of the winter (estimate a six week supply) so you won't have to contend with low btu output at your greatest btu need.


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## SolarAndWood (Aug 22, 2009)

Cave2k said:
			
		

> always try to keep a stack of two (+) year old wood for the hardest part of the winter (estimate a six week supply) so you won't have to contend with low btu output at your greatest btu need.



I've heard about that and look forward to experiencing it this year...


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## gerry100 (Aug 23, 2009)

I use a part of my shed for wood.

Wood area is 12x14x7 ft tall( sloping to six in the back).

One 7X12 stack for this year, on fo rnext year. Anything left of the 4 cords is put in front of next years pile.

If you're designing a shed , remember that stacking over 6 ft high is cumbersome and it's difficiult to pack the vuolume ou high.

I'd design with a max footptrint figuirng on a 5-6 foot stack height.


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## SolarAndWood (Aug 24, 2009)

gerry100 said:
			
		

> I'd design with a max footptrint figuirng on a 5-6 foot stack height.



Unless you have a 9 year old who loves to help...she happily stacked to 10' all afternoon.


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## gerry100 (Aug 25, 2009)

Just don't send the kid out to fetch wood in the winter.

Could be hazardous pulling from a 10 ft pile.

I yank and tumble the 7 foot stacks to the ground as necessary before in case my wife has to bring in wood.


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## SolarAndWood (Aug 25, 2009)

gerry100 said:
			
		

> Just don't send the kid out to fetch wood in the winter.
> 
> Could be hazardous pulling from a 10 ft pile.
> 
> I yank and tumble the 7 foot stacks to the ground as necessary before in case my wife has to bring in wood.



No worries, the 10 ft stacks are compressed in against the ceiling.  I pull off a weeks worth or so at a time into the bucket of the tractor and dump it in the attached garage.  Keeps everyone warm, happy and safe.

If space, especially under a roof, wasn't at such a premium, I wouldn't go over 6.  Roofing materials got expensive in the last couple years.


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## jlow (Aug 26, 2009)

This thread from a while back has some pics of the shed I built. It is 8' deep, 20' wide and 8' tall in front, 7' in back. Maybe it gives a different perspective. I placed it in the sunniest and wind accessible spot in my yard about 200 feet back.  I sit in my living room and look out and see the morning sun shine on it. It is a pleasant sight to be sure.


https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/39246/

Jeff


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## velvetfoot (Aug 27, 2009)

Tim, 
Your shed looks nice.
I'm in the same boat as you, with the 100 ft2 rule for a permit.
Plus, I might be able to fit that size next to the garage.
You get 4 rows of 16" pieces in there?  That would probably be more like 4.6 cords, but that would still be good for me and the extra length on the depth would give you some room for error.


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## Lumber-Jack (Aug 29, 2009)

I came up with the best solution for my wood shed by designing it into a new fence between me and my neighbor's property.
Last year we stored much of our wood along that same fence line, but for a number of reasons I didn't want to do that way again. One reason being that the fence was old and dilapidated and the neighbor had a bunch of unruly lilac bushes growing along the fence line who's roots were starting grow under my driveway.
Anyway, I'm happy with the final product, the door I bring the wood into the house is directly across the driveway from the center of this shed, so it is in about as convenient as I can get it. Each section holds a minimum of one cord. Two rows of 16" cuts piled 8ft wide by 6ft high (a little higher at one end). I burned 3 1/2 cord last winter, but started a little late in the year, so when I finish filling it up 5+ cord should be more then enough for me for the winter. (the center bay is dedicated to a tool shed and housing the garbage cans)











BTW, the splits of wood on top of the roof are some walnut wood I'm trying to dry out faster


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## jdinspector (Aug 29, 2009)

Carbon,

Great looking storage. I have to ask, where do you put snow? Looks like a driveway that you would have to plow rather than use a snowthrower (unless it could throw right over the top of the shed!)

We don't get too much snow here in Chicago, but it's a consideration when I am moving snow. I don't want to blow it right into my shed.


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## carbon neutral (Aug 29, 2009)

chachdave said:
			
		

> Mine is 4x20, 6ft high in front 8ft in rear. Got about 4 1/2 cords in there. This is actually a temporary shed until I can bring in some fill for back and side yard. Then I will build a free standing 8x16 or so shed.


I like this shed as it looks very cost effective.  Did you use translucent corrogated pvc for the roofing to let sunlight hit the wood to help dry it?


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## stejus (Aug 29, 2009)

Question for those with wood sheds.   *Can you season the wood in these sheds? *  I want to build a shed that can store two years (8 cord) of wood.  I buy wood in the spring to age it 18 months.  I don't want to stack the wood twice so I'm thinking a shed can do it if it's open on all sides.


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## LLigetfa (Aug 30, 2009)

I've recently redesigned my shed so that I can fill it half full with green wood to season in place.  I leave wide enough spaces between the rows so that can go back and infill the spaces with wood I season outside.

If I were to build a new shed, I would make it twice as long (40') and half as deep (5') to lay in only three rows deep.  I like carbon_liberator's above.  I find three rows deep seasons OK.


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## velvetfoot (Aug 30, 2009)

What's nice about 2 rows for my arm is that I can reach both rows.


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## Lumber-Jack (Aug 30, 2009)

jdinspector said:
			
		

> Carbon,
> 
> Great looking storage. I have to ask, where do you put snow? Looks like a driveway that you would have to plow rather than use a snowthrower (unless it could throw right over the top of the shed!)
> 
> We don't get too much snow here in Chicago, but it's a consideration when I am moving snow. I don't want to blow it right into my shed.



Thanks jd
I know it doesn't look like it from the pictures, but there are a few places along the driveway where we can pile the snow around the driveway, one is the splitting area which is where you see some wood stacked in the left foreground of the first photo, another place is just about where I'm standing when I took the second photo, and near the very front end of the driveway (on both sides actually). So we have no shortage of places to pile the snow when, and if, we get any significant quantities, however we traditionally don't get much accumulations in this area. In fact we don't usually get enough to warrant the purchase of a snow blower, we just use snow shovels. 
Actually I just took a brief  look at the snow fall statistics that can found on the internet and it looks like you get a lot more snow in Chicago then we get here in the Similkameen/Okanagan area of BC. Most of our snow accumulation is up in the mountains and ski hills, down in the valleys we some years only get a few inches.


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## wendell (Aug 30, 2009)

And the Okanagan valley is a very beautiful place! Got to spend some time there in the late 90's and almost made me become a Canadian.


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## gerry100 (Aug 30, 2009)

I know this is about woodsheds but the best most efficient storage I 've seen in my travels around upstateNY and PA is a single long row,one split wide,3-4 ft high, along the edge of a property. If you've got trees to act as brackets,, even better.

One could tell with a glance how much they have and how much they need. Ultimate ventilation, simple to stack and access. Can pull form any place at anytime if you wanted certain size or species for the conditions.

Throw a roll of black plastic over the top before the snow falls.

Start burning at alternate ends each year.

Can't do it on my property but would if I could.


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