# What is the purpose of a Woodshed?



## mts3740 (Dec 2, 2009)

Obviously with a question like this I'm new to the wood burning world.   I'm considering building a small woodshed to hold approximately 4 cords of wood.  Some people I've talked with tell me you don't need a shed to store wood. They suggest tarping etc... Others tell me that you only put seasoned wood in a shed and the structure should be weather tight to keep the wood dry.  And others tell me you can put green wood in a shed for seasoning but you need to build the structure as open as possible to accomodate air flow.  To say the least I'm a bit confused. I would greeatly appreciate comments, and suggestions.  Thanks


----------



## SolarAndWood (Dec 2, 2009)

None of these are wrong.  It depends on your situation.  My sheds get filled in early fall with dry wood to keep it snow/ice/rain free for the heating season.  Space under a roof is at a premium for me, so green wood stays outside until it is dry.


----------



## gzecc (Dec 2, 2009)

Its primarily to keep wood dry before you bring it into the house.  I think most people season outside than move it into a shed.  I think that is too much moving around. I don't use a shed.  If I got a lot of snow I may think differently.


----------



## LLigetfa (Dec 2, 2009)

My shed gets loaded with semi-dry wood for "finishing".

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_nX0X4MOKcKI/SlErqzOjk5I/AAAAAAAAAbU/Y4SV7aDxvj4/s640/100_0360.JPG


----------



## fossil (Dec 2, 2009)

My shed's built "loose"...generous spacing between floor boards and siding boards.  It's off the ground, like a low deck.  One big corner's wide open.  Lot's of air flow through it.  Even at that, I season wood out in the open before moving it to the shed.  Almost all the wood that goes into my shed is probably ready to burn, but it'll sit in there for a few months before the first wood begins to come out, and some of the wood in there will probably be in there a year or more.  The purpose of my shed is to have an attractive, neat, functional wood storage out-building close to my home (~25 feet) that'll store a season's worth+ of firewood under roof.  No rain, no snow, no tarps to fly off or wrestle with.  Mine also provides storage for kindling and a place under roof to do the inevitable re-splitting chores during the season to keep a variety of split sizes available for quick fire-building.  Rick


----------



## Dune (Dec 2, 2009)

When it rained for five days in a row last week, I was glad I had a shed.
My shed is just a lean to against the back wall of my garden shed. It is just a roof sticking out 8 feet, and 12 feet long. It is open on three sides, but still keeps my wood very dry.


----------



## NHFarmer (Dec 2, 2009)

Fossil , I like the lights  Now you can watch the wood dry even at night


----------



## Rockey (Dec 2, 2009)

Need I say more.


----------



## fossil (Dec 2, 2009)

NHFarmer said:
			
		

> Fossil , I like the lights  Now you can watch the wood dry even at night



They come in plenty handy from time to time, I'm glad I thought to wire it up.  It's also nice once in a while to have a duplex outlet available out there.  Turned out to be pretty convenient to provide power to a lawn & garden sprinkler control box that went up on the outside of the shed late this past summer, too.  Just wish I'd thought to put the lights on a three-way so I could turn the shed lights on & off from inside the house.  Oh well...hindsight.  Rick


----------



## SolarAndWood (Dec 2, 2009)

Rockey said:
			
		

> Need I say more.



Where does the wood go?


----------



## Rockey (Dec 2, 2009)

SolarAndWood said:
			
		

> Rockey said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



In the house with the old lady.


----------



## MikeP (Dec 2, 2009)

If I build one I think I'll steal the design of the guy I used to live up the road from. It was about 8' deep and 30' or so feet long, divided into 3 sections. He would pull out of one section during the winter, empty out any leftover wood at the end of the season. Then he would refill that section late spring early summer. Next year on to the next section etc... The shed didn't seem to be built to "loose", but I would imagine with about 2 1/2-3 years drying time the wood didn't really need alot of airflow to season?


----------



## Lumber-Jack (Dec 2, 2009)

Covering your wood with tarps works, however you gota figure out some way of holding the tarps down and you have to deal with getting the wood out from under the tarps every time you want some more wood, and tarps draped over piles of wood are not nearly as pretty looking as nice neat stacks of wood in a shed or lean-to, if you care about such things. I do, that's one reason I built my woodshed. The other reason was so my kids would take me seriously when I threatened to take them "behind the woodshed".  ;-)


----------



## LLigetfa (Dec 2, 2009)

NHFarmer said:
			
		

> Fossil , I like the lights  Now you can watch the wood dry even at night


I wish I would have wired mine.  I string an extension cord under the snow from a switched outlet in the soffit of the house.  I just dangle a single bare bulb.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_nX0X4MOKcKI/SbpOjAKd1ZI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/ne22OTnpXus/s640/100_0296.JPG


----------



## raybonz (Dec 2, 2009)

Carbon_Liberator said:
			
		

> Covering your wood with tarps works, however you gota figure out some way of holding the tarps down and you have to deal with getting the wood out from under the tarps every time you want some more wood, and tarps draped over piles of wood are not nearly as pretty looking as nice neat stacks of wood in a shed or lean-to, if you care about such things. I do, that's one reason I built my woodshed. The other reason was so my kids would take me seriously when I threatened to take them "behind the woodshed".  ;-)




Very impressive wood shed! How much wood does that hold?

Ray


----------



## firefighterjake (Dec 2, 2009)

All the advice you received was sound . . . in its own way.

You don't technically need a woodshed . . . just like technically you don't need a hydraulic splitter or even a chainsaw . . . but once you start burning those things sure are nice. The first year I stacked the wood and tarped them. It worked out OK, but here in Maine we tend to get a bit of snow and while it was never really a big hassle, just walking out to the woodshed and grabbing the wood without having to brush off the snow and ice and remove the tarp and then recover the wood when I'm done is nice . . . plus I get a nice, full unobstructed view of my wood in what I think is a sharp looking woodshed. Another benefit is you have some storage for tools (i.e. ax, hatchet, etc.) . . . plus it's just nice . . . while I was filling up the woodshed I would sometimes take a chair and just sit in the woodshed surrounded by my wood . . . it's a good feeling.

Your friends were right . . . many folks will only move their seasoned wood into a shed . . . but buttoning it up as nice and tight as possible isn't always desired or that useful as some air flow will help continue the seasoning process.

Your other friends were also right . . . some folks will move green wood into a shed . . . as long as the shed is open in design. It will season there as well . . . perhaps a bit slower though vs. being stacked in a single row and exposed to the sun/wind.

In my case . . . and so far this has worked well . . . I cut, split and stack my wood outside for a year . . . and then move it into the woodshed in late-Summer/early-Fall where it will continue to season as my woodshed is a board and batting type of shed -- minus the batting -- so like a tobacco barn the wind can penetrate the wood, but rain and snow will not reach the wood. The shed is also pretty large and I'm guessing will hold close to two years worth of wood . . . so what I have done is stack the wood that I split later in the season around the outside edges (stacking front to back) and the more seasoned wood is in the middle. What I've been doing is taking the more seasoned wood out of the center of the shed and allowing the wood on the ends to get more exposure to the winds. My plan is to then possibly rotate this wood so I am always taking the more seasoned wood.


https://www.hearth.com/econtent/ind...24092_4SXgiEzB7PF0p507xtA5&thumb=1&board_id=1


----------



## billb3 (Dec 2, 2009)

mts3740 said:
			
		

> What is the purpose of a Woodshed?
> Thanks



about the same as a garage for a car ?


----------



## k3c4forlife (Dec 2, 2009)

gzecc said:
			
		

> Its primarily to keep wood dry before you bring it into the house.  I think most people season outside than move it into a shed.  I think that is too much moving around. I don't use a shed.  If I got a lot of snow I may think differently.



GZECC,

Where are you from in NNJ, I live in Sussex County and we get quite a bit of snow.  You looking for a scrounging buddy?

Kevin


----------



## ROBERT F (Dec 2, 2009)

Convienence, dry snow free wood, and the stack dont freeze together when thaw/freeze cycles. Bout it for me.


----------



## Lumber-Jack (Dec 2, 2009)

raybonz said:
			
		

> Carbon_Liberator said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks Ray  
My shed, which also doubles as a fence line between me and my neighbor, holds 5 cords. Each 8 ft wide section holds a little over one cord. It was originally designed to hold 6 cord, but I needed access to the "secret" underground room beneath the wood shed, so I decided to use the one sections for tool storage and for a place to keep the outside garbage cans.
I live on a regular sized city lot, I don't have acres outback to store piles and piles of wood, so I wanted to devise some way of storing my wood neatly and conveniently. The center of the wood shed is only 14 ft away from my side door going into the house, and it's only another 14 ft from that door to the door of the wood stove, so I figure I met both my criteria. Plus the neighbor was happy to get a nice new fence, and didn't have to look at my stacks of wood covered with old lumber tarps.


----------



## raybonz (Dec 2, 2009)

Carbon_Liberator said:
			
		

> raybonz said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Ingenious solution and it looks great too boot! I think neatly stacked firewood looks great and often just enjoy looking at my wood... We wood burners are a strange breed lol..

Ray


----------



## jlow (Dec 2, 2009)

I have removed 2 rows and relocated in the garage. I will empty the right side this year and reload and use the left side next year. I get alot of airflow and the sun is not blocked by trees. It hits the front and back of the stack.


----------



## k3c4forlife (Dec 2, 2009)

I am looking to do a shed similar to yours JLOW.  I want to be able to alternate annually from one half the shed to the other.  Whats the dimensions on that and how many cords do you have in there?


----------



## jlow (Dec 2, 2009)

8 ft deep x 7.5 ft tall x 20 ft wide. I have about 8.75 cords in there. It is 250 ft from the house, so I don't worry about rodents and the roof keeps off rain and snow. It is set on concrete post holders so I can move it if needed.


----------



## k3c4forlife (Dec 2, 2009)

I need to know more.  I am looking to do the same dimensions, just 12' wide rather than 20.  Any chance you can elaborate on footing spacing, wood used, etc?  That is a really nice looking shed.


----------



## jlow (Dec 2, 2009)

The six post are set on cement post blocks and the joists are 6" treated deck wood. The divider and side walls are spaced 12" apart and are 2x4's. The front of the shed is 8' and the back is 7'. The rafters are 24" apart. The pallets are set on the ground. I hope the pics help.


----------



## k3c4forlife (Dec 2, 2009)

Seems like the key is to set the pallets on the ground in the middle and not to have the wood supported by the deck.  Just too much weight.  The pictures help a lot.  There's my spring project.  Copying your wood shed exactly haha.


----------



## Lanningjw (Dec 2, 2009)

For me, the purpose was to get the wood stack from the front side of the house to a respectable looking shed that does not look, according to my SO, " hill Billi" I said honey, I am! My months heating bill was $11.50..... I feel like Tiger Woods!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/lanningjw/DSC_0006-3.jpg


----------



## raybonz (Dec 2, 2009)

[quote author="Lanning" date="1259810660"]For me, the purpose was to get the wood stack from the front side of the house to a respectable looking shed that does not look, according to my SO, " hill Billi" I said honey, I am! My months heating bill was $11.50..... I feel like Tiger Woods!


> Nice job on the wood shelter...
> 
> Ray


----------



## drdoct (Dec 3, 2009)

Feel like Tiger Woods?!?  Wrecked in your own driveway with your 2 iron upside your head?  Oh, and put there by your hostile soon to be ex-wife? ;-)

I'm going to build a shed/wood storage unit sometime next year.  I think it just neatens up your wood pile and helps you stack it better because of the support.


----------



## Got Wood (Dec 3, 2009)

What is the purpose of a woodshed? hmmm, the wood man's version of the dog house? A place to go hang out to get away? Man town? I don't have a wood shed but my wood processing/stacking area seems to serve those purposes just fine.


----------



## savageactor7 (Dec 3, 2009)

Another good thing about a wood shed is that it a perfect place to store contraband items because it's ...unsecured. Meaning anyone could have put it there.


----------



## LLigetfa (Dec 3, 2009)

savageactor7 said:
			
		

> Another good thing about a wood shed is that it a perfect place to store contraband items because it's ...unsecured. Meaning anyone could have put it there.


"Hello, is this the FBI?"

"Yes. What do you want?"

"I'm calling to report about my neighbor Billy Bob Smith! He is hiding marijuana inside his firewood."

"Thank you very much for the call, sir."

The next day, the FBI agents descend on Billy Bob's house. They search the shed where the firewood is kept. Using axes, they bust open every piece of wood, but find no marijuana. They swore at Billy Bob and left.

The phone rings at Billy Bob's house.

"Hey, Billy Bob! Did the FBI come?"

"Yeah!"

"Did they chop your firewood?"

"Yep."

"Merry Christmas Buddy."


----------



## fossil (Dec 3, 2009)

Got Wood said:
			
		

> What is the purpose of a woodshed? hmmm, the wood man's version of the dog house? A place to go hang out to get away? Man town?...



Actually, I had my shed very nearly outfitted (still needed the flat screen TV), when my wife discovered what I was doing and insisted that I fill the damned thing with wood.   :coolmad:   Rick


----------



## drewboy (Dec 3, 2009)

Rick, I didn't believe that was a real picture of your woodshed until I saw Hearth.com on the laptop...
You truly are livin' the life man!!

Rob


----------



## SolarAndWood (Dec 4, 2009)

A place to hang the holiday lights


----------



## Spikem (Dec 5, 2009)

Carbon_Liberator said:
			
		

> Covering your wood with tarps works, however you gota figure out some way of holding the tarps down and you have to deal with getting the wood out from under the tarps every time you want some more wood, and tarps draped over piles of wood are not nearly as pretty looking as nice neat stacks of wood in a shed or lean-to, if you care about such things. I do, that's one reason I built my woodshed. The other reason was so my kids would take me seriously when I threatened to take them "behind the woodshed".  ;-)



That's one sweet looking unit.  I especially like the sectioning of it.


----------



## Bigg_Redd (Dec 6, 2009)

mts3740 said:
			
		

> Obviously with a question like this I'm new to the wood burning world.   I'm considering building a small woodshed to hold approximately 4 cords of wood.  Some people I've talked with tell me you don't need a shed to store wood. They suggest tarping etc... Others tell me that you only put seasoned wood in a shed and the structure should be weather tight to keep the wood dry.  And others tell me you can put green wood in a shed for seasoning but you need to build the structure as open as possible to accomodate air flow.  To say the least I'm a bit confused. I would greeatly appreciate comments, and suggestions.  Thanks



A woodshed is mostly a matter of convenience.  Give pallets and tarps a winter or two and you'll see what I mean.

Also, a properly built woodshed will allow wood to dry more quickly than an improvised tarp system.


----------



## wendell (Dec 6, 2009)

The purpose of a wood shed is so when people like you ask, LLigetfa and Fossil can post the pictures of their sheds to make the rest of us feel bad.


----------



## chachdave (Dec 6, 2009)

Last year I had stacks and tarps. This year woodshed. Every time it rains or snows the wood stays bone dry. I can sleep at night now.

Jlow thats a nice shed. I plan on rebuilding mine away from garage in 5 or 6 years. I need to bring in fill to level out side and back yard.


----------



## bogydave (Dec 6, 2009)

Makes wood easier to stack & not have falling over on you. 
You know where you are going to put the wood when you get it. 
You know where to find it when you need it. 
Keeps the wood dry. 
Lets air circulate so it dries quicker.
 Is something to stare at & enjoy when it's full.
 A good place for "Stuff" when it's empty.
A good one makes other forum members (like me) drool  ;-P 

Very good Thread. 
Gave me lots of ideas for mine next year. I have/had one but it is next to the house  (10 cord when full)& has become a place for "Stuff". 
When we got natural gas, I didn't have the big need for fire wood. Gas was cheap.  Now being retired, N gas prices keep going up. 
Wood heat is back "IN". 
The "home-owner insurance" I have started auditing homes after a wild fire close by burned down several homes.
 Now they recommend that wood not be stored next to the house (fire danger in case of wild fires).
You still can, but the "risk" level goes up along with your premium of course.

Keep posting pictures, me & others are getting great ideas 
I'm envious, especially of the "full ones"  

Spikem, Lanning, jlow & Carbon_Liberator sheds are models that will fit in my location, may have questions soon.


----------



## Lanningjw (Dec 6, 2009)

drdoct said:
			
		

> Feel like Tiger Woods?!?  Wrecked in your own driveway with your 2 iron upside your head?  Oh, and put there by your hostile soon to be ex-wife? ;-)
> 
> I'm going to build a shed/wood storage unit sometime next year.  I think it just neatens up your wood pile and helps you stack it better because of the support.



I fell like Tiger Woods because I am cheating on the gas company with small bills!


----------



## mjbrown (Dec 11, 2009)

woodshed...woodshed...woodshed......oh , thats an easy one. thats the place where the ol'man used to take me to beat my... hey wait a minute, you are supposed to put wood in those?

spent ALOT of time in the shed.kinda glad i have girls.

come to think of it...its pretty peaceful out there for at least 1 week out of the month...2 girls and one week of estrogen ocean.honey hold the door open i''m on my way.


----------



## fossil (Dec 11, 2009)

wendell said:
			
		

> The purpose of a wood shed is so when people like you ask, LLigetfa and Fossil can post the pictures of their sheds to make the rest of us feel bad.



Can't speak but for myself, but I wouldn't spend a dime to make anybody else feel bad.  I don't want anyone to feel bad.  I really want my wife to feel good...and she likes the shed (and so do I), so I'm glad I got it built.  Sure don't miss the tarp thing!  Rick


----------



## LLigetfa (Dec 12, 2009)

fossil said:
			
		

> wendell said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ditto.  As for regrets, I have plenty.  If I had a do-over, I'd build one like carb-lib's.


----------



## Spikem (Dec 12, 2009)

LLigetfa said:
			
		

> fossil said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



???


----------



## LLigetfa (Dec 12, 2009)

Spikem said:
			
		

> LLigetfa said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


http://southokanagan.biz/woodshed/almostfull.JPG


----------



## Spikem (Dec 12, 2009)

LLigetfa said:
			
		

> Spikem said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Ah, that IS the gold standard, as far as I'm concerned.

I would have two questions, though:

1. Does he do anything to shield the front face from the elements?
2. How is he keeping the wood off the ground?

Great, great design.  Love how it's in "sections".


----------



## Lumber-Jack (Dec 12, 2009)

Spikem said:
			
		

> Ah, that IS the gold standard, as far as I'm concerned.
> 
> I would have two questions, though:
> 
> ...


Wow!  I'm truly flattered guys, thanks.

*1. Does he do anything to shield the front face from the elements?*
No protection shield on the front, and the bottom front pieces of wood do get a little wet when it rains and drips off the roof section and splashes in front of the wood.

*2. How is he keeping the wood off the ground?*
 I have drainage rock under the wood.

Here is a picture of what it use to look like there before I put the woodshed.


----------



## Spikem (Dec 12, 2009)

Carbon_Liberator said:
			
		

> Spikem said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



So would you do anything differently, if you had to redo it?


----------



## LLigetfa (Dec 12, 2009)

Carbon_Liberator said:
			
		

> Here is a picture of what it use to look like there before I put the woodshed.


Oh look, you do get snow.


----------



## Lumber-Jack (Dec 12, 2009)

Spikem said:
			
		

> Carbon_Liberator said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hmmm. there was a lot of thought and discussion between my neighbor, my brother (who helped me build it), and myself that went into the design of that woodshed, so the design is pretty close to about as perfect as it could get under the circumstances. There was one small tradeoffs that effected what, I think, would have made it a better woodshed. That being the height. Because it was the neighbor's fence on the backside we had to keep the height down so it didn't look odd and block his view of the mountains. If we didn't have that to consider we likely would have made it somewhat taller. Also, if it was just a woodshed I would have left a wider spaces on the fence boards at the back for better ventilation..
Also trying to decide how long to make it was another topic that we mulled over a lot. Because I was paying for the whole shot, the neighbor would have liked to see me build it (at least the fence part) all the way to the front of our property, but because it does cramp the driveway a bit I didn't really want to build the woodshed any further into the front part of the driveway. It makes it a bit harder for getting in and out of the vehicle doors on that side. The other thing is, the ground slopes up towards the front of the property and the woodshed roof runs level, so in effect the woodshed would have been even shorter towards the front of the property.
So, not really any regret because these are not things I would change if I went back to do it again, but design considerations that could be changed if it was built somewhere else.


----------



## Lumber-Jack (Dec 12, 2009)

LLigetfa said:
			
		

> Carbon_Liberator said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yep we get snow   
Actually we had a lot more snow than normal last year (when that picture was taken). We likely won't get that much this year.


----------



## firefighterjake (Dec 14, 2009)

And the one thing Carbon Liberator's shed has that no one else has . . . the secret stash where he allegedly hides all his best, most seasoned wood.


----------

