3

I am about to make a 2400mm x 700mm x 1800mm firewood shed for storing dry wood and keeping it that way. The location is the least affected by elements on our property, it's very protected from wind, and the best site for minimising rain. However, the downside is that is gets precisely no sun. Unfortunately there really isn't anywhere else to put it.

I am more concerned about encroaching dampness and rats living in the free nest than anything.

My instinct says to make this shed water-tight so rain can't get in, put a door on it and seal it up, rather than the traditional style of wood shed which is more open to the elements for airflow/drying. I want to be able to go into my shed, grab a dry log, put it on the fire. When I put a tarp over the wood on a raised wooden platform it keeps it dry through storms and no condensation/mould forms and there is zero proper airflow there, but like I said, the wood is dry.

I am going to build the floor today, and if someone hadn't said to me "wood sheds need to have airflow, because all the ones I see do and because condensation mumble mumble" I wouldn't even have asked.

However, because this shed is not going to be airtight, there will be some degree of dampness that gets in. The floor will be raised off the ground by cinder blocks and I could space out the floor boards for ventilation but I was just going to try to keep it dry and rat free by sticking plywood on top of the boards to be honest. I am using clear corrugated PVC for the roof and sides of the shed.

EDIT: I realise now that it would be more descriptive to describe it as a glorified dry wood storage box, than a wood shed per se

Improve this question
5
  • 4
    What units are those dimensions in? Even if it's centimeters, 2400x700x1800 is a huge shed.
    – Johnny
    Jul 24, 2015 at 0:07
  • 3
    Clearly he's using picas.
    – Logarr
    Jul 24, 2015 at 3:51
  • @Johnny Milimeters, the only correct non-fractional base 10 unit of measure for lengths ;-P. Most of us humans after all gratefully live in the world where feet/inches are not used and are the aberration. They don't really even use feet/inches as much in the UK anymore! As a computer science student I have nothing against base 16 but come on...
    – Benjamin R
    Jul 24, 2015 at 11:08
  • I dismissed millimeters since I didn't see how you were going to conveniently load up wood in a 700mm wide fully enclosed shed. Around here, standard wood size for burning is around 400mm, so that doesn't leave much room to move around in there for stacking. If it had a tarp front, I could understand it, but if you're planning on 4 hard walls, I don't see how you're going to stack up your wood.
    – Johnny
    Jul 24, 2015 at 21:40
  • @Johnny the wood we use is relatively small, for a small wood stove-style burner. I am stacking them lengthwise. It will either have a door or an open/tarp front like you say.
    – Benjamin R
    Jul 24, 2015 at 23:52

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
5

Firewood needs to dry out. It won't dry out in a sealed shed nearly as fast and completely as it would in an open-air setup.

Worry about moisture in the air 'getting back in' to the wood isn't really much of a concern. It's not atmospheric moisture but the moisture that's in the wood initially that's the concern.

If you completely season your wood outside for a year or so, THEN bring it in to the airtight shed, that could work, but seems redundant to me.

If the only real concern is rats, then I think building a shed is equally problematic as they will find comfy homes under the shed or even inside after they chew a few holes in it.

The reason most firewood isn't stored in a shed is that it's just a waste of a perfectly good shed. :)

Improve this answer
7
  • I am buying dry firewood. It's wood that has already been dried. This shed is not for drying. It's for stopping wood getting wet again.
    – Benjamin R
    Jul 23, 2015 at 22:48
  • @BenjaminR ah, then a shed would be fine, but still seems like overkill. ALl you need is a roof above--even if that roof is just a tarp. Once firewood is dry, it's dry. At that point, you really only need to keep rain off of the top.
    – DA01
    Jul 23, 2015 at 22:49
  • Unless you want it to be tidy and neat, I guess!
    – Benjamin R
    Jul 23, 2015 at 22:54
  • 1
    @BenjaminR I wouldn't say you need an enclosed shed for tidiness, though. Example: small-cabin.com/forum/shared_files/uploaded/1403/19368_1_o.jpg
    – DA01
    Jul 23, 2015 at 23:17
  • 1
    Yep, I meant as opposed to a tarp :-)
    – Benjamin R
    Jul 23, 2015 at 23:43
3

Won't be airtight anyway, and if you are buying dry wood (that is) it won't matter if it somehow manages to approximate airtight. Ventilation is for actively drying.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.