As the winter months draw near, many people begin to think about stocking up on firewood to have plenty of fuel to keep the house warm when it gets cold outside. Depending on where you live, you might need anywhere from a half a rick to several cords of wood on hand to keep that fireplace running when the temperatures fall. For some, having a fire in the fireplace is a fun, family event done primarily on weekends or holidays or when having people over to create atmosphere and that cozy feeling of “home”. However, for many, that fireplace is a critical part of their home heating plan and keeping a good supply of wood ready to use is part of that strategy.
Creating huge stacks of woodshed plans outside the house has its hazards. That is why purchasing some form of storage for the wood is an important way to manage that resource. For one thing, many times we buy firewood a year or more in advance to let it “season” before we use it. That means we let it dry out because burning wood that is freshly cut is not good for the fireplace and it does not burn as well as older wood. But to store wood that long can create a circumstance where termites and other unwanted life forms take up residence in the firewood pile. This is bad for your property and your home and potentially dangerous if you go out to work with the firewood and “discover” fire ants, snakes or some other living things that are using that woodpile for a home.
One method for storing firewood is a firewood rack. It is a simple metal frame that usually is built to hold a rick of wood. This is an adequate system because these racks have a floor so the wood is off the ground with some circulation under them to slow or stop the rot of the wood on the bottom level. Also elevating the wood diminishes the chances of ants or termites getting into the woodpile but it doesn’t to eliminate it entirely.
A small shed plans for your firewood is probably the best possible storage method. You completely enclose the wood thus eliminating all infestation by insects and cutting off the wood from becoming the home of a woodland creature like snakes. One of the most unpleasant aspects of storing the wood in the open air which is the effect of weather on your wood is also eliminated using a firewood shed. When you need to go out and bring in firewood after a big snowfall or ice storm and the wood is stacked in the open, often the firewood becomes frozen together and it takes a big effort to break it apart to bring in a batch to burn that night. Putting the wood in its own enclosure eliminates that problem.
A firewood shed can be stored near the house eliminating the long walk to get more wood and it is secure if there is any potential of your firewood being taken by unscrupulous people who would steal wood for their own use. It is an option that is a little more expensive but keeping your firewood in a shed will solve a lot of problems and make the chore of keeping a fire going in the wintertime a lot easier and pleasant too.