Storing wood on small property

[dafattkidd]

I have like 1/3 acre. It's a corner lot. My house is spread over most of the property, and sits awkwardly on the lot. I live where two hills meet so there's a lot of levels in my yard. Figuring out where to stack wood is challenging. Does anyone else share this challenge? Those of you who are also stacking wood on small lots of land I'd love to hear from you. How do you get creative? How do you keep it from looking messy? Are you stacking higher than four feet? I'd love to hear some ideas.

 

[firefighterjake]

Well my lot is two acres . . . and it's pretty level . . . but I believe I may be able to answer some of your questions.

Some folks with smaller lots go with the Holtz Miete (aka Holtz Hausen) as they feel it offers a compact way to store a good amount of wood and looks nice at the same time.

Some folks with smaller lots build small woodsheds, but stack high . . . heck even some folks with large lots like to stack high. I think LL has some pics of his woodshed and high stacks.

Some folks with uneven lots have built up platforms with one end resting nearly level to the ground and the other end being supported several inches to a few feet with blocking/piers.

 

[northwinds]

I had 15 cords on a similar lot. It was a challenge, and I had a neighbor who wasn't happy about it. The problem went away
when I moved to a 2.6 acre lot this month. Hopefully, you have nice neighbors who you can bribe with beer. Holz Hausen
wood piles are also a way to place a large amount of wood in a small amount of space.

(broken link removed to http://www.thechimneysweep.ca/6seasoningwood.html)

Edit: While I type, jake beats me to my answer.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

I have a small lot, only .15 of an acre. My wood storing solution was to build, and incorporate my wood shed into a fence, making use of the small unused area between my driveway and the fence line. This is the area I was storing my wood anyway, but with the woodshed I'm able to store more wood in a much cleaner and more organized fashion, not to mention the wood stays drier with no unsightly tarps to content with.

Shot from the backside.

Here's a short video of the area during the construction phase showing the narrow strip of unused land that I utilized for the woodshed.

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[thewoodlands]

I had 15 cords on a similar lot. It was a challenge, and I had a neighbor who wasn't happy about it. The problem went away
when I moved to a 2.6 acre lot this month. Hopefully, you have nice neighbors who you can bribe with beer. Holz Hausen
wood piles are also a way to place a large amount of wood in a small amount of space.

(broken link removed to http://www.thechimneysweep.ca/6seasoningwood.html)

Edit: While I type, jake beats me to my answer.

Hey northwinds how do you like that extra room, when we moved from the village on top of each other out in the country what a difference plus when outside pick a tree any tree.

Zap

 

[firefighterjake]

I had 15 cords on a similar lot. It was a challenge, and I had a neighbor who wasn't happy about it. The problem went away
when I moved to a 2.6 acre lot this month. Hopefully, you have nice neighbors who you can bribe with beer. Holz Hausen
wood piles are also a way to place a large amount of wood in a small amount of space.

(broken link removed to http://www.thechimneysweep.ca/6seasoningwood.html)

Edit: While I type, jake beats me to my answer.

Sorry . . . I'm a very fast typist . . . thanks to taking a high school typing class and four years of college in learning how to be a journalist.

 

[northwinds]

I had 15 cords on a similar lot. It was a challenge, and I had a neighbor who wasn't happy about it. The problem went away
when I moved to a 2.6 acre lot this month. Hopefully, you have nice neighbors who you can bribe with beer. Holz Hausen
wood piles are also a way to place a large amount of wood in a small amount of space.

(broken link removed to http://www.thechimneysweep.ca/6seasoningwood.html)

Edit: While I type, jake beats me to my answer.

Hey northwinds how do you like that extra room, when we moved from the village on top of each other out in the country what a difference plus when outside pick a tree any tree.

Zap

It's woodstacking paradise. I've got five cords in the pole shed and five cords behind the pole shed. Plus, there's room for lots more. The neighbors can't see any of it.

 

[LLigetfa]

. . . heck even some folks with large lots like to stack high. I think LL has some pics of his woodshed and high stacks...

LOL

Ja, 18 acres and I still cram it 9 & 1/2 feet high in my shed. I don't put it in the shed straight away. I leave it sit out for at least the Summer or longer before putting it up in the shed.

 

[fishinpa]

This wood shed looks familiar. Didn't you post a video of a secret crawlspace under the palat in the middle of the shed?

Yeah, well if I remember, it ain't no secret really.

 

[Flatbedford]

I keep about 8 cords on my 1/4 acre. I stack on pallets 4' deep X about 5' high. One row is about 25' long, the other is nearly 40' long.

The short stack

The long one.
These two cover most of the 100' of my property line. My neighbors tease me that I am too cheap to put up a fence and stack wood instead. No complaints yet.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I raise my stacks up on concrete blocks. This may allow you to level the areas under the blocks and leave the rest of the area sloped. On top of the blocks I lay a frame made of 12 foot long 2x4s and use 2x3s nailed perpendicular to them to keep the long ones spaced 1 foot apart. I stack about as high as my head so it's not too hard to reach the higher pieces when standing on ice. Too high and there is a greater chance they will fall over too. So my stacks are about 5-5.5 feet tall on top of a 1 foot air space made of concrete blocks and a 2x4 frame. I drive a 7 foot T-post in each end. They hold about 2/3 of a cord each.

Matt

 

[Flatbedford]

If you stack on pallets, you can step them up or down hill with one end on top of the one next to it to go with the terrain.

 

[dafattkidd]

These are great! Keep 'em coming.

 

[dafattkidd]

Holy crap, Carbon Liberator,

That woodshed is amazing. I saw it once before on the forum. I will never have the time to build such awesomeness. It seems like it would cost me more money in material and time than I will be saving this winter in oil. And I think my wife would kill me if I put that much time into the wood. But that is an awesome woodshed.

 

[madrone]

I have a tiny little .11 acre suburban lot. I built a very simple shed that holds 1.5 cord of ready-to-burn wood (4x8x6), and I can fit another cord to 1.5 along my driveway in a single row. I have extra "emergency" (can't stop scrounging) space next to the shed, and the week's worth on the porch. I've had up to 4 cords at one time. At any given time, I usually have about 3 cord. As a scrounger, I get serious about finding more wood when the shed's about half empty.
Burning mostly softwoods in a temperate climate makes this possible. If I had to wait 2-3 years for oak, I'd be cold for a year or 2. (Unless I score somebody's seasoned oak. It happened a couple of years ago, and it really sucked to go from that to the cottonwood in the next stack.)

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I have a tiny little 40 acres so I pack it in tight. Here is 9 cords.

 

[Flatbedford]

I have a tiny little 40 acres...

Did you get the mule to go with it?

 

[firefighterjake]

. . . heck even some folks with large lots like to stack high. I think LL has some pics of his woodshed and high stacks...

LOL

Ja, 18 acres and I still cram it 9 & 1/2 feet high in my shed. I don't put it in the shed straight away. I leave it sit out for at least the Summer or longer before putting it up in the shed.

Hehheh . . . I do the same . . . well I don't stack it 9 1/2 feet tall (more like 6-6 1/2 feet tall) . . . what I mean to say is I keep my wood outside all summer before loading up the shed . . . even though my wife keeps asking me when I'm going to put the piles stacked on the front lawn into the shed (well technically only a couple piles are on the front lawn, the rest are kind of to the side of the lawn) . . . I'm thinking she would prefer I move the wood sooner rather than later.

 

[LLigetfa]

I leave it sit out for at least the Summer or longer before putting it up in the shed.

Hehheh . . . I do the same . . . well I don't stack it 9 1/2 feet tall (more like 6-6 1/2 feet tall) . . . what I mean to say is I keep my wood outside all summer before loading up the shed . . . even though my wife keeps asking me when I'm going to put the piles stacked on the front lawn into the shed (well technically only a couple piles are on the front lawn, the rest are kind of to the side of the lawn) . . . I'm thinking she would prefer I move the wood sooner rather than later.

My wood processing area is beside my driveway between my house and the road. In fact, the house is not visible from the road but my outdoor stacks are. The wife nags me to get them moved into the shed. My shed was full last Winter so 5 cord stayed out and is still outside. I have the perfect excuse now... A pair of Flycatchers (Phoebe) returned to nest in my woodshed so I have to wait until they leave. They sometimes have more than one brood so it may have to wait.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Phoebe/id

Here's what a 9 & 1/2 foot tall stack looks like.

Here is a view from the outside after the Flycatchers left but before I filled it back up.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

Here is a neat way to store about 5 cords and make a great conversation piece. My Holz Hausen. This one is 10 feet in diameter, I also built one on four pallets, probably about 1/2 as much wood.

 

[dafattkidd]

Golf nut,

Do you find that the wood dries out faster than stacking?

 

[zzr7ky]

Hi - I've done it both ways. I don't see any difference. I've gone back to squarish stacks, about 10'X12' and 6' high to fit the bumper crop of Ash we're having this year. I'm not worried about drying speed anymore as the wood will all be 2 years or better when burned.

I might build a Haus style stack of Oak just for the novel look once the tidal wave of Ash is past.

 

[firefighterjake]

I leave it sit out for at least the Summer or longer before putting it up in the shed.

Hehheh . . . I do the same . . . well I don't stack it 9 1/2 feet tall (more like 6-6 1/2 feet tall) . . . what I mean to say is I keep my wood outside all summer before loading up the shed . . . even though my wife keeps asking me when I'm going to put the piles stacked on the front lawn into the shed (well technically only a couple piles are on the front lawn, the rest are kind of to the side of the lawn) . . . I'm thinking she would prefer I move the wood sooner rather than later.

My wood processing area is beside my driveway between my house and the road. In fact, the house is not visible from the road but my outdoor stacks are. The wife nags me to get them moved into the shed. My shed was full last Winter so 5 cord stayed out and is still outside. I have the perfect excuse now... A pair of Flycatchers (Phoebe) returned to nest in my woodshed so I have to wait until they leave. They sometimes have more than one brood so it may have to wait.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Phoebe/id

Here's what a 9 & 1/2 foot tall stack looks like.

Here is a view from the outside after the Flycatchers left but before I filled it back up.

I've got a pair of nesting phoebes as well . . . but they've built their nest in my garage . . . this is the third year the pair have come back. Last year they had two broods . . . gotta confess that they can be a bit messy sometimes, but I really get a kick out of seeing them . . . plus I figure they're doing some good by nabbing a few of the bugs around the house.

 

[oldspark]

Jake that is impressive! I love the HH method, it looks neat as he!! but from what I have read it can be a PITA to do and the drying time is the same or worse than single rows.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

The HH style probably does not dry any faster, but they are impressive and hold alot of wood in a small footprint (the point of this post). Once you get the hang of it they are not any harder to build than regular stacks. In some ways they are easier because you can take all the misfits (small and large pieces) and just throw them in the middle. You can also easily build them on slopes etc, which can be hard with normal pallet stacking. The key is just keeping the wood slanting inwards by occassionally putting in a cross piece once you see the stack getting level. This inward slant makes for tremendous strength where you can climb up and down the HH with foot holds (not something I would try on my normal stacks). You friends will be impressed, we tend to gravitate on the deck and talk about the HH when people come over.