Looking for help designing wood shed

[CT-Mike]

So I am looking to build a wood shed in the spring so that I don't have to fight tarps and the wind. I am looking to build a shed that will hold 10 cords and allow enough room for air movement. I also am thinking of having canvas tarps that can be unrolled and snapped in place on the 4 sides during really heavy rains. I am looking to have this rectangular in shape rather than square.

Please provide input, and pics would be great.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[LLigetfa]

My woodshed is 10' x 20' with a 4/12 gable metal roof and 9 feet inside to the collar ties. It is a pole shed with no walls and has a concrete slab floor.

If I were to do it again:
I would not build a pole shed because the frost is jacking the poles.
I would build it with wall studs so that I can lean the wood against it and not have to cross-pile the ends of the rows.
I would build it twice as long and half as deep with a simple shed roof.
I would compartmentalize it with partition walls every 10 feet to simplify rotating and restocking of inventory.
I would raise the floor for better air flow and not build it as tall.

If I didn't have SWMBO who cares about the looks, I would just buy a double-wide metal carport shelter and erect it on a slab. Then I'd put in partition poles to compartmentalize it.

 

[Gooserider]

I've posted about the way I built my woodshed several times, you should be able to find it with the search... It's minimalist design that holds about 6 cords, I would have liked a bit larger, but this fits the space I had, and more importantly used the standard sized lumber and so forth that Home Despot sells - minimal cutting and little or no waste wood left over...

The two end walls I made using stockade fence panels - 6'h x 8'w, relatively cheap, less than plywood, look decent, and are quite strong. The sides are open with tarps I can roll down, but I only do so in the winter, as IMHO the small amount of rain I get on the wood in the summer is not a problem, and I want as much ventilation through the piles as I can... I don't want snow on the wood that I'll be burning however so the tarps roll down in the winter to keep the snow from drifting into it.

Gooserider

 

[crs7200]

For $800 plus tax, you can buy a TNT Carport that is 21' x 12'. These are NOT the cheap carports that fold up in a storm or hard wind. They are VERY sturdy. The man that sells them in my area has had the same one set up for over 6 years. It has seen some MAJOR snow storms and extreme winds and it is still standing and not a mark on it. He purposly DOES NOT clean the roof in the winter to show the strength. Now, I wouldn't recommend that, but it is good for advertising. I can't take credit for the idea. My buddy had one installed 3 years ago and when I saw how well it worked, I bought one.

I know what you mean about the tarps and the snow. My first 2 years I fought with that all winter. Not fun at all. This year I just go out and grab the wood and throw it in the stove.

I enclosed mine with sides, except fot the back. There are doors in the front and side that open to allow for air circulation while drying.

I don't knowhow much you want to spend, but if you add up the cost of lumber and any roof supplys you have to buy, this may be a good choice for you.

Mine is 18' x 21' and here's a few pics.

 

[Bubbavh]

Go with the metal carport if you can! Will save you a lot of time and effort!

 

[raybonz]

So I am looking to build a wood shed in the spring so that I don't have to fight tarps and the wind. I am looking to build a shed that will hold 10 cords and allow enough room for air movement. I also am thinking of having canvas tarps that can be unrolled and snapped in place on the 4 sides during really heavy rains. I am looking to have this rectangular in shape rather than square.

Please provide input, and pics would be great.

Thanks,

Mike

Mine is posted here too just search the forums by subject or username etc..

Ray

 

[Ken45]

I would not build a pole shed because the frost is jacking the poles.

You probably didn't put the poles deep enough. They should be below the frost line. That's about the only way they build barns around here anymore.

But I agree with the carport idea. I had one put up last spring. Sure a lot quicker (1 hour and 40 minutes) and easier (installer did it) and probably less costly than any stick built approach.

Ken

 

[LLigetfa]

I would not build a pole shed because the frost is jacking the poles.

You probably didn't put the poles deep enough. They should be below the frost line.

Actually, they are below the frost line. What happens is that the poles have parallel sides and a rough-sawed texture. The frost can grab the sides and jack it. A common practice is to wrap the post with multiple turns of poly so that it's too slippery to grab.

 

[gzecc]

Look for someone removing an old deck. Usually they are just splintered but structually sound. I have gotten a lot of free wood that way.

 

[raybonz]

Look for someone removing an old deck. Usually they are just splintered but structually sound. I have gotten a lot of free wood that way.

My old deck is the base for my wood shelter.. I built the deck over 20 yrs. ago and replaced it.. Saved the old deck and put it to good use..

Ray

 

[GaryS]

I've been leaning toward one of those carports. Would you really need to box in the sides? If so, I think I would just run more metal roofing down one long side and face that west.

 

[Ken45]

I've been leaning toward one of those carports. Would you really need to box in the sides? If so, I think I would just run more metal roofing down one long side and face that west.

That's all they do when they put sides (or ends) on them.

I do not have sides on mine at all. I've debated maybe putting some plywood on the sides that can be removed during the summer, but so far I haven't done anything like that.

Ken

 

[Gooserider]

I've been leaning toward one of those carports. Would you really need to box in the sides? If so, I think I would just run more metal roofing down one long side and face that west.

That's all they do when they put sides (or ends) on them.

I do not have sides on mine at all. I've debated maybe putting some plywood on the sides that can be removed during the summer, but so far I haven't done anything like that.

Ken

Remember that you are only really trying to keep the rain and snow off the top of the wood - there is NO real reason or advantage to walling in the sides. You will get maximum drying by leaving it as open as possible, except perhaps in the winter when you might want to keep snow from blowing in on the piles. What I do with my shed (which isn't a carport, but that doesn't really matter) is have tarps attached to the top edge of the roof, that I keep rolled up most of the year. During snow season I unroll them and let them hang - if they blow around too much I just tie a couple of splits to the bottom. (I use the high-grade Silver tarps from HF - more durable than the blue cheapies, and look better as well.)

The only walls or other structure that I'd put into the shed is just what I needed to hold the wood stacks up - I don't like doing the square stack approach, it seems to me like it wastes space and is hard to keep the stacks going straight up and stable for more than 4-5' - plus it takes longer to stack because you need to be fussy about it. In my woodshed I have made end walls and a center divider and simply stack in rows, floor to ceiling between the walls and the divider - I end up w/ 10 stacks, each 18" wide, just under 8' long, between 6 and 7 feet tall, depending on the roof slope. One of the minor downsides of a carport design is that, at least for the ones I've seen, the uprights aren't substantial enough to handle any sideloads to hold up stacks - all they are good for is holding up the roof.

What I would do is the same technique I use for my overflow stacks - drive lengths of pipe into the ground and stack my rows between them - when the rows get to be about 4' tall, or the pipes start to bow out, tie a stout rope between the pipes, as level as possible, and keep on stacking on top of the rope. The weight of the rounds tightens the rope and holds everything together. I now have 4 overflow stacks - w/ about 4' of pipe sticking out of the ground, each stack is about 4'6" tall at the ends, and heaps up to about 6' high in the center, by about 11' long (a function of the pallets I was using) - I'm guessing about 2/3-3/4 of a cord per stack...

Gooserider

 

[fossil]

I kinda went over the top with mine. It needed to look pretty nice, as it sits very close to my house, and is in full view when you drive up to the front door. It's built off the ground, like a deck, and all the deck and siding boards have generous spacing between them for good air circulation. The face you see in the pic is the east side. Even with three solid rows of stacked wood in there, I can see the sun peeking through between splits in the evening as it sets. Our weather comes generally from the west and we often have sideways blowing snow (like we did today). This shed will hold nearly 8 cords (theoretically), more practically about 6 1/2 or so. Space under roof for splitting or whatever. I have a good deal more wood elsewhere on the property, most of it uncovered, for future years. (If I'd taken a pic of the shed today, you'd see it in a winter wonderland). Rick

 

[free75degrees]

fossil, that's one of the nicest looking wood sheds i've ever seen. Just seeing that will serve as inspiration on how I'll want my shed to look.

 

[raybonz]

I kinda went over the top with mine. It needed to look pretty nice, as it sits very close to my house, and is in full view when you drive up to the front door. It's built off the ground, like a deck, and all the deck and siding boards have generous spacing between them for good air circulation. The face you see in the pic is the east side. Even with three solid rows of stacked wood in there, I can see the sun peeking through between splits in the evening as it sets. Our weather comes generally from the west and we often have sideways blowing snow (like we did today). This shed will hold nearly 8 cords (theoretically), more practically about 6 1/2 or so. Space under roof for splitting or whatever. I have a good deal more wood elsewhere on the property, most of it uncovered, for future years. (If I'd taken a pic of the shed today, you'd see it in a winter wonderland). Rick

Great looking well built shed Rick!!

Ray

 

[crs7200]

I've been leaning toward one of those carports. Would you really need to box in the sides? If so, I think I would just run more metal roofing down one long side and face that west.

I know that you don't HAVE to keep the snow of the sides or from blowing into the wood.

BuT Go outside in a downpour or snowstorm, or after the snow or rain has been blown in by driving winds that we get up here in Northern NY.

Much , much easier to open a door, walk inside where there isn't any snow, and grab some wood to put in the stove. No snow to clear off, or wet wood from the rain.

As far as the sides that I put on. I almost got the sides from the company, but this was cheaper and I had the time to do it. I was thinking about just hanging tarps for the winter, but this way, I have extra storage space for anything else I want to put in there.

 

[JSJAC]

Here are a couple pics of my new wood shed. It is 14 feet by 20 feet and 8.5 feet high on the inside.Hope the pics worked first try.

 

[raybonz]

For $800 plus tax, you can buy a TNT Carport that is 21' x 12'. These are NOT the cheap carports that fold up in a storm or hard wind. They are VERY sturdy. The man that sells them in my area has had the same one set up for over 6 years. It has seen some MAJOR snow storms and extreme winds and it is still standing and not a mark on it. He purposly DOES NOT clean the roof in the winter to show the strength. Now, I wouldn't recommend that, but it is good for advertising. I can't take credit for the idea. My buddy had one installed 3 years ago and when I saw how well it worked, I bought one.

I know what you mean about the tarps and the snow. My first 2 years I fought with that all winter. Not fun at all. This year I just go out and grab the wood and throw it in the stove.

I enclosed mine with sides, except fot the back. There are doors in the front and side that open to allow for air circulation while drying.

I don't knowhow much you want to spend, but if you add up the cost of lumber and any roof supplys you have to buy, this may be a good choice for you.

Mine is 18' x 21' and here's a few pics.

Real nice woodshed you created from a carport... I did price them online and they go for about $1000 installed around here.. Is yours certified? I noticed some are and some are not.. Lumber is very expensive and my shelter set me back about $1000 and that was built on my old deck..
How much did it cost you to enclose the sides?


Ray

 

[crs7200]

Yhe difference between certified and non- certified is 12 gauge or 14 gauge. Not a huge difference. Mine is not.

I had some lumber left over from an old deck also and I used that for the framing on the front. The rest cost me apoox,$120

 

[JSJAC]

I will try to get the pics up again.

 

[raybonz]

Yhe difference between certified and non- certified is 12 gauge or 14 gauge. Not a huge difference. Mine is not.

I had some lumber left over from an old deck also and I used that for the framing on the front. The rest cost me apoox,$120

Hi Bart,
I'd say you got the most bang for the buck on that shelter plus it looks good.. One more question, how did you anchor the shelter to the ground.. We can get high winds in this area and that's a concern..

Ray

 

[crs7200]

My shelter is anchored to the ground with 3 foot long steel rods (4 rods per side) that are included in the price of the shelter. You can have them use mobile home anchors but it cost more. I don't know how much more, but more.

 

[raybonz]

My shelter is anchored to the ground with 3 foot long steel rods (4 rods per side) that are included in the price of the shelter. You can have them use mobile home anchors but it cost more. I don't know how much more, but more.

One more question, who manufactured that shelter?

Thanx,
Ray

 

[Gooserider]

Here are a couple pics of my new wood shed. It is 14 feet by 20 feet and 8.5 feet high on the inside.Hope the pics worked first try.

They didn't... Try reading the sticky at the top of every area on how to prepare pictures for uploading - it covers most of the common things that cause people to have problems....

Gooserider