The Ten Dollar Wood Shed
by Robert White
This article first appeared on the Cottage
and Country Home Plans web page
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The shed above was built from
these plans by Ted from Montreal. |
| Spring is the best time to build a wood shed, when the importance of
having one is still fresh in your mind and when a whole summer's drying
time lies ahead. A wood shed is also a great first project for the
novice carpenter. It is not usually subject to building codes or
permits, nor does it require a great investment in time or money. Use
the following plan and instructions only as a starting point. Simply
heed the following design principles, then plunge in with your own
expression of the wood-butcher's craft. Be creative with materials that
you have on hand. |
This shed was built by David from
Pennsylvania. Looks like more than ten bucks worth.
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There are only three main design factors in the creation of a good wood
shed: shelter, ventilation and access. If your design makes provision
for these factors, it will work. It also helps if you design it into
half-cord sections. This allows you to easily keep track of the amount
of wood you consume, or have delivered. A cord of wood is the amount of
wood, loosely stacked, occupying a volume 4' x 4' x 8' - the adjacent
design will easily hold one full cord. For proper stock rotation, use up
one section completely before starting on the next. That way you won't
end up with all your seasoned stuff at the back, buried under a new load
of green wood!
The basic post and beam framework for this wood shed took less than one
day for one person (with occasional assistance) to erect, and cost less
than $10 in materials for the framework.
Making use of small diameter (6") logs from your property or the
beach will save money and provides that genuine rustic look. First, peel
the bark from the logs to eliminate bark beetle habitat - use a garden
spade or hatchet - and knock off any branch stubs. Make recesses for the
posts as shown.
The posts are attached to the beam while both are lying flat on the
ground. Nail the strapping first to the post then roll the post so that
the strapping lies beneath. Next, place the beam on top of the
strapping. Bend the strapping up and around the beam and nail to the
other side of the post. A half-dozen 1-1/2" galvanized nails will
secure things nicely.
Raise each post and beam assembly onto foundation rocks, then add
bracing till the structure stands rigidly in place. Discrepancies in
height can be evened out by packing dirt and sand under the lowest rock,
or by scooping out beneath the highest one.
The roofing framework is your option. The structure shown uses full 8
foot 2 x 4's, spaced 24 inches apart. They can be covered with plywood
or slats, then asphalt roll-roofing or shingles. Or, for a sunny, bright
interior, use corrugated fibreglass panels nailed to wavy nailing
strips. What else do you have for roofing? Recycled sheet metal roofing?
Hand-split shakes. Sheet metal cut from junked car roofs and fridges?
On my roof I dispensed with the 2 x 4's and used slab lumber - that's
the lumber produced during the first cut of a log - which I picked up
free from a local mini-mill operation. It is curved on one side, and is
of variable width and thickness. I evened it all up with wood cutoffs
for shims, then covered it with fibreglass sheets that someone was
throwing out. I used more slab lumber, split into narrower widths, for
slatted walls. Spaced slats, vertical or horizontal, are important to
the proper ventilation of a woodshed. Two finishing touches: A layer of
plastic on the floor will block dampness from coming up from the ground.
And stack the firewood on lumber off-cuts for good air circulation under
your woodpile.
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