plans for a wood shed

[smabon]

I am planning a wood shed and I am trying to figure out the size of it. I figured I burned about 4 cords of wood this year (first year burning). I was thinking about building a shed that is 12' x 12' and set it up so that it is divided down the middle to make two 6' x 12' areas. I figure if I fill each half of the shed full, each side will be one winters supple. This way I would alternate which side I would burn from each year. So I would fill the whole shed this summer, work out of side A this up coming winter, refill side A next summer and burn out of side B next winter then refill side B the summer after that. This would give the wood about 2 years of drying time once I get it going. My question is, is 12 x 12 to big. Would the wood in the center of the shed get good air flow. Thanks for your time.

 

[webie]

I don't think 12 by 12 is too big I am working on plans for 12 by 44 feet I figure this would give me about 3 years supply I use about 8 full cord a year for heat and DHW , fire place out side in the fire pit , for camping get the idea here its not all just for heat some is for show , darn makes me feel like I should go cut another truckload, I plan the same case work off of one side then the other I have bad cutting years about 1 in every 5 because of weather so I like to stay well ahead right now I have a 4 year supply , this past fall I fell, bucked and processed 21 full cord of wood by myself , but 5 years ago I was at beg borrowing and ??? for wood for the winter . I like to have my wood about 18 to 20 inches in length but I usually figure about 24 inches per pile width , better to have a bit extra room . I hope this building at most has only 3 sides or you will have some major issues with drying you may be better off if it only has a back side and the roof so at least you would get some decent air flow , The key with drying firewood is air flow if you have none your wood will do probably 2 things start molding , not good and it will start rotting not good either the big key to good firewood is from green to dry as fast as possible (with in reason ) and then keep it more or less dry with in reason also , this is also the reason why if you fell your own wood you like to cut during certain times of the year so as the tree is in a dormant stage if you are cutting green wood (which is another thread I am planning on starting ). I just sold 8 full cord of red oak it was well seasoned cut split sat out side 1 year it was inside my pole shed for 5 years , I had to grab a few arm fulls before it all left my yard , this wood was some of the best I have ever burned and even though it was that dry it lasted a long time with a lot of BTU's . I am almost sorry i sold it .
Oh well reason to cut some more

 

[bigoak9745]

I agree with both of you, divide it up so you can seperate years. My neighbor has a 12x16 woodshed he built two years ago. Nice 3 sided slant roofed shed. works well and he has tarps rolled up that he can fasten down if needed in the winter on the front side. His only complaint was he did not divide it up so he has to move the wood as the oldest is to the rear of shed.

I am going to build a 12x16 shed this year, as soon as the spring arrives.

Dave

 

[LLigetfa]

The whole idea of dividing it up in two while it sounds good in theory, in practice it never quite works out the same. Unless you stack it so that new wood doesn't box in the old stuff, you will never use exactly half of your storage and end up with old stuff trapped behind new unless you can access the wood from the back or sides as well.

Rather than 12' x 12', I would make it 6 x 24 with four compartments. You will get more air moving through a 6 foot thick stack.

My woodshed is 10' x 20' and the first year I never gave thought to how best to fill it and ended up restacking the left overs. The second year I decided to divide it in two but that didn't work out as planned either. I'm still revising my plan years later. Maybe I'm just a slow learner?

My shed is built on 6 posts, 10 feet apart. The two gable ends are closed in with lattice as is the back side, so I have only one side open. The lattice is not strong enough so the wood cannot be leaned against it and as a result, I've been cross-piling both ends of every row. The rows run across the 10 foot width (N-S).

The new plan is to drive 8 foot T-bar fence posts next to the existing wood posts so that I can stack against them without cross-piling. I will lay in two rows N-S at both gable ends and three rows in the centre of the shed, all running across the 10 foot width and supported on the ends with the T-bar posts. I will then in-fill between the rows running them perpendicular (E-W).

If I were to build a shed today, I would build it half as wide (5'), and twice as long (40'). That would give me 8 compartments 5' x 5' with partition walls I can stack up against.

 

[iceman]

well guys mine piece of crap i threw together is about 18x12 built on cinder blocks one side is 10x12 then it goes up a foot to the 8x12 side .... what a mess!! never built anything to cover it! and yeah it is very hard for wind to go through 18 ft of wood! but the 8x12 has about 3.5 cd in it and i have another 2 cord along a fence that should be ready by jan (c/s nov 08) and i plan on buying 2cds of green to start filling up the 10x12 side for next years .. but unlike you guys i dont have space for a something 40 ft lg i can only dream!

 

[LLigetfa]

.. but unlike you guys i dont have space for a something 40 ft lg i can only dream!

LOL
I jokingly tell people that I have just enough space to land a 747 but not take-off but it's not true. I have a 300 foot wide strip that's a half mile long. When I bought the place, I didn't realize that it is in direct line to the International Falls airport runway and that I'd have low flying jets directly overhead. Hope one doesn't come in too low and knock over my woodpile.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I am planning a wood shed and I am trying to figure out the size of it. I figured I burned about 4 cords of wood this year (first year burning). I was thinking about building a shed that is 12' x 12' and set it up so that it is divided down the middle to make two 6' x 12' areas. I figure if I fill each half of the shed full, each side will be one winters supple. This way I would alternate which side I would burn from each year. So I would fill the whole shed this summer, work out of side A this up coming winter, refill side A next summer and burn out of side B next winter then refill side B the summer after that. This would give the wood about 2 years of drying time once I get it going. My question is, is 12 x 12 to big. Would the wood in the center of the shed get good air flow. Thanks for your time.

There's no such thing as "too big."

 

[lobsta1]

My shed is open on 3 sides. It is actually a leanto against my cinder block garage.From the ground to the joists it is about 9'. It is 18' long x 8' wide. The end
I have been burning from all winter was filled last May. Mostly ash, different types of maple & locust. With my old Russo stove seasoning was never a problem. With my new NC13 it is amazing how much water boils out of the wood. I'd say it is strictly from lack of sun & NO AIRFLOW in a stack that big.
Al

 

[ansehnlich1]

If I were to build a shed today, I would build it half as wide (5'), and twice as long (40'). That would give me 8 compartments 5' x 5' with partition walls I can stack up against.

Yes, I think I've read where you've said this before. I agree, I'm thinking of a simple structure about 5 feet wide, enough to get 2 rows under and some overhang, maybe even only 4 feet wide, and as long as I need cuz I have the room.

I don't think I even need to go any higher than 6 feet, don't really need to get in under it, just need a roof over the wood that's all, and being it's only 2 rows deep, and accesible from either side, I don't see no need to go 8 feet high with the thing.

 

[fossil]

Mine's 12' x 16', but one 6' x 8' corner's open and has no floor. The floored area's 144 ft², and I stack ~7' high, so theoretically it'd hold nearly 8 cords. I filled it in a "herringbone" pattern, and can pull wood from two directions. I'm not at all concerned about not having it sectioned off, because I don't put wood in the shed unless it's already seasoned. Some of those splits will probably still be in there when my daughter comes to clean this place out. Seasoning takes place elsewhere in stacks and heaps out in the open air. There's never anything in my shed that's not ready to burn. Rick

 

[Easyellis8]

Fossil, that is one nice looking shed that you have there, I saved this picture a while back for future reference; where did you get the plans for it? I am assuming that the open space is for your splitter. What type of wood is it made of? You mentioned being able to pull wood from two directions, does this mean that you have access through a back door that you are pulling from?

 

[fossil]

Fossil, that is one nice looking shed that you have there, I saved this picture a while back for future reference; where did you get the plans for it? I am assuming that the open space is for your splitter. What type of wood is it made of? You mentioned being able to pull wood from two directions, does this mean that you have access through a back door that you are pulling from?

No plans, I sketched it out until I got it to be what I wanted, then a builder friend and I and a couple of his carpenters just put it together (I had a LOT of help). In some cases as it was going up, we just designed as we went to get what we were after. The open space can be for the splitter, or just for easy covered access and hand splitting of kindling or too-big splits from the stack. The shed underpinnings and vertical supports are all pressure treated 4" x something's (floor joists are 2" x something's) posts and beams supported by pre-cast concrete deck post footers. The deck is 2" x 6" common SPF decking. The sides are 1" x 6" cedar fence boards. The decking and the siding is all generously spaced for airflow from beneath the deck (it's raised up off the sloping ground) and from all sides. No back or side doors...when I say I can pull wood from two directions, I'm just talking about the fact that when I stand in the open corner, I'm looking at ends of stacked splits to the "left" and to the "right", because of the way I decided to load it. Rick

 

[Todd]

I'm building mine 26'x6' along the side of my garage. I'll store 3.5 cords on each side and leave a 2' or 3' space in the middle. That way I have two years worth, can get at either side and have a little room for kindling and wheel barrow in the middle. I will also leave another 3 or 4 cords outside in my processing area if I can stay that far ahead.

 

[Easyellis8]

Fossil, that is one nice looking shed that you have there, I saved this picture a while back for future reference; where did you get the plans for it? I am assuming that the open space is for your splitter. What type of wood is it made of? You mentioned being able to pull wood from two directions, does this mean that you have access through a back door that you are pulling from?

No plans, I sketched it out until I got it to be what I wanted, then a builder friend and I and a couple of his carpenters just put it together (I had a LOT of help). In some cases as it was going up, we just designed as we went to get what we were after. The open space can be for the splitter, or just for easy covered access and hand splitting of kindling or too-big splits from the stack. The shed underpinnings and vertical supports are all pressure treated 4" x something's (floor joists are 2" x something's) posts and beams supported by pre-cast concrete deck post footers. The deck is 2" x 6" common SPF decking. The sides are 1" x 6" cedar fence boards. The decking and the siding is all generously spaced for airflow from beneath the deck (it's raised up off the sloping ground) and from all sides. No back or side doors...when I say I can pull wood from two directions, I'm just talking about the fact that when I stand in the open corner, I'm looking at ends of stacked splits to the "left" and to the "right", because of the way I decided to load it. Rick

Gotcha, not bad w/o plans and building/designing on the go; if you do not mind, how much was the total investment?

 

[raybonz]

Mine's 12' x 16', but one 6' x 8' corner's open and has no floor. The floored area's 144 ft², and I stack ~7' high, so theoretically it'd hold nearly 8 cords. I filled it in a "herringbone" pattern, and can pull wood from two directions. I'm not at all concerned about not having it sectioned off, because I don't put wood in the shed unless it's already seasoned. Some of those splits will probably still be in there when my daughter comes to clean this place out. Seasoning takes place elsewhere in stacks and heaps out in the open air. There's never anything in my shed that's not ready to burn. Rick

That shed is the cats ass.. Your friends can build one for me anytime!! I'll even supply the beer!!

Ray

 

[dvellone]

I built my shed so that I could access the firewood from either end - the sides have vertical bracing with let-in diagonals for the rows to rest against, and the two ends are open for access. I pull firewood from one end for a season, then replace whatever I've used and the following burning season start pulling from the other end which is the firewood that's leftover from the previous season. Works well.

 

[toqua]

I built my shed 14x20 with a roof starting at 6 feet and going to 8 feet,I put up a wire wall every 4 feet so that I have just under three cord in each one. that seemes to work out good for me.


TOM

 

[raybonz]

I built my shed 14x20 with a roof starting at 6 feet and going to 8 feet,I put up a wire wall every 4 feet so that I have just under three cord in each one. that seemes to work out good for me.


TOM

Tom,
That shed sounds interesting. Do you have any pictures of it?

Ray

 

[toqua]

My son will be here on thur I will see if he will show me how to post a picture.

Tom