Firewood Storage Shed Plans

There are many causes for using firewood as a heat source as well as aesthetic addition. Its cost is low and can even be free with your own source. It is a renewable resource and, when harvested the right way, it can be helpful to forests and property owners.

While people sometimes think of burning wood as detrimental to the environment, newer high efficiency woodstoves and outdoor wood furnaces are quite clean-burning, many times burning at more than an 80% efficiency rating.

Burning firewood is non-electrical. When the electricity goes out on a cold, wintry evening why not have a hot fire to gather around with your family.

Wood burning appliances come in many shapes and sizes nowadays and are made with many different materials. With typical iron woodstoves, soapstone, and enamel, there are plenty of aesthetically pleasing choices for relying on wood as a heat source.

Of course, my favorite is an open fire in an attractive fireplace. Truly, nothing can beat that. Fires are romantic, lovely, and - an added bonus - keep you warm.

Firewood Storage Sheds keep your wood dry and ready to use when you need it. Dry wood burns more efficiently. This saves you money and hard work gathering wood while at the same time helping the environment and keeping you warmer.

Now that winter is coming to an end many people stop thinking about firewood. WAIT! Now is the time to start storing firewood for next season.

Without firewood on your own property, finding good wood can be hard. I always recommend starting in the classified section of your local paper. Looking in the phone book is usually productive.

In my area you frequently see dump trucks packed with firewood in the Lowes parking lot or any well traveled area with a for sale sign on them. Here's what you have to watch for: Many people selling firewood cut, split, and load firewood themselves.

This wood may be acceptable, but you should burn it only once it has been aged for one year at least. A good firewood business will be selling firewood that is properly aged and is ready to use.

Whether you plan to age your firewood yourself or are going to purchase it pre-seasoned, firewood must be properly stored.

Often people just pile their wood and throw a tarp over it. This is one of the worst ways to keep firewood stored. The tarp can trap moisture from the wood and from the ground, creating a sauna. The wood, just like people, cannot dry in a sauna. Your wood will rot if left in a environment like this.

A shed to store your firewood in is the best way to go. A roof and three sides are all that is necessary. This allows for an abundance of air flow as well as access to your stored wood.

A good idea is to install a floor of some kind; several inches of gravel with plastic underneath can be sufficient. The plastic creates a vapor barrier and prevents moisture beneath the logs. At the same time this discourages critters and pests.

Freshly cut wood should be stacked loosely in your firewood storage shed and left for an entire season to allow for air circulation. This will dry the wood and makes it burn more cleanly. Wood that has been seasoned already must be kept in your wood shed to insure that it doesn't pick up any moisture from the ground or because of rain or snow.

Building a firewood storage shed is the cheapest and best method for storing your wood. Wood shed plans can be found online pretty easily. Find plans that come with construction directions, several plans to choose from, and a list of materials. Having a materials list will make getting materials much easier and cheaper.

Bring your plans and materials list to both supply yards and box stores to get a quote. They will often compete with each other for your business. Your supplier will likely become an invaluable resource after you buy your materials. They should be helpful with any questions you may have while in the building process.

When looking at possible placement of your firewood shed, carefully think about accessibility. Trudging all over the place on a cold, snowy night in order to get wood is not what you want.

Notice the direction weather usually comes from and place your wood shed with the opening in the opposite direction. If rain and snow is constantly blowing into your shed it won't really be keeping your firewood dry.

Remember also that no matter who is delivering your firewood, one of you will have to move it from a truck to your storage shed. It's smart to position your firewood shed so that you can fill and empty it with ease. If you don't have a place that serves both of these needs well, remember that you only have to fill it once, whereas you will be getting firewood all winter long.

Firewood is a clean and rewarding heat source when properly aged and stored. It is renewable, cost effective, efficient, and beautiful. A well planned storage facility will allow you to delight in each aspect of your wood heating process without some of the usual headaches. Even if you burn a small quantity of wood each year just for ambience, having properly aged, easily accessible wood makes having that fire easier and more enjoyable.

Kris Schmandt is a construction expert who has been in business for himself for seven years. He spends much of his time running his construction company in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. In his spare time he gives construction and shed building advice online. For more information about this topic, visit firewood storage shed plans on his website.