4x8 Firewood Shed Plan

4×8 firewood shed plans: what you get

These 4×8 firewood shed plans are for an open-front woodshed with an 8 ft wide front, 4 ft of depth and room for about 0.79 cord of 16 in split firewood. The PDF has 39 pages: a shopping list with quantities, a cut list with every length, and 18 step-by-step sections with 3D drawings, from the gravel pad to the last wall slat.

The shed stands on 3 pressure-treated 4×4 skids. Its floor is pressure-treated 2×6 boards laid flat with 9/16″ gaps, the back and side walls are 1×6 slats with 1 in gaps, and the front is one open bay 7′ 6″ wide. The 3/12 lean-to roof slopes from a 6′ 5 1/8″ front wall to a 5′ 6″ back wall and overhangs 1′ 0″ front and back, so rain stays off the stack while air moves through it.

Every part in the lists is drawn on its step page, and the shopping list, the cut list and the drawings were checked against each other part for part before the plan went on sale. The 4×8 firewood shed plan sells for $14.99 as an instant PDF download that works on a phone, a tablet or a printed copy.

How much firewood does the 4×8 firewood shed hold?

The stack space inside the walls is 7′ 5″ wide, 3′ 3 1/2″ deep and 5′ 1″ high. Filled to every inch that is 124 cu ft, or 0.97 of a full cord. A full cord is 128 cu ft of tightly stacked wood, a stack 4 ft high, 4 ft deep and 8 ft long.

What you really stack depends on your log length, because only whole rows fit from the back wall to the front posts. With 16 in logs the shed takes 2 rows front to back, about 0.79 cord or 2.4 face cords. The best fit is 12 or 18 in logs at 0.88 cord. A face cord (also called a rick) is one row of logs 4 ft high and 8 ft long, so its volume changes with the log length.

Loose or crooked wood takes more room than a tight stack, so treat these numbers as the most the shed holds. Whatever depth your log length leaves in front of the last row is working room for an armful of kindling.

4×8 firewood shed specs

Every number below is printed in the plan’s Specs table. Lengths are in feet and inches, and lumber sizes are nominal: a 2×4 is really 1 1/2 in by 3 1/2 in.

Why an open front, slatted walls and a gapped floor?

Firewood dries when air moves across it and stays wet when rain or ground moisture reaches it. A closed storage shed keeps the rain off but traps damp air, so wood can mold in it. This shed is built the other way around: open where air can move, covered where water falls.

• Open front. The front wall is one open bay under a doubled 2×10 header, so you load and take wood from the front and the wind can reach the stack. Knee braces 2′ 1 7/16″ long, cut at 45 degrees on both ends, stiffen the posts against racking.
• Slatted back and sides. 10 rows of 1×6 slats on the back wall and 12 on the sides, each with a 1 in gap, keep the stack in and let air through. A spacer block ripped from a 2×4 offcut sets every gap the same.
• Gapped floor off the ground. The deck sits 10 1/2″ above grade on skids, and its boards have 9/16″ gaps. Air comes up through the bottom of the stack and bark and dirt fall through instead of holding water against the wood.
• Deep overhangs. The roof reaches 1′ 0″ past the front and back walls, which keeps blowing rain off the face of the stack and drips clear of the slats.

Every part that touches the ground or holds the wood (skids, floor, slats and bottom plates) is pressure-treated. The rest of the frame is sealed with an exterior water sealer or stain before the slats go on.

Materials list for the 4×8 firewood shed

This is the plan’s shopping list, item by item. Lumber is listed in the stock length that wastes the least for its parts, and every quantity is what you carry home, not a guess with extra added. The PDF also says what each board is used for and has the cutting plan that turns these boards into parts.

The plan does not list prices because lumber costs change every week. Take the list to the pro desk of your lumber yard or home center for a quote; they can pull it in one order.

The main parts and their lengths

The full cut list in the PDF gives every part of the 4×8 firewood shed, its lumber and its exact length, including the stepped side wall studs, the slats cut to the roof line and the blocking. These are the main framing parts:

Cut and label the parts one section at a time. The cutting plan shows which board each part comes from, so the offcuts are big enough for the blocking, the lookout blocks and the slat spacer blocks.

Tools you need

Nothing on this list is a specialty tool. The plan is written so one person can build the shed: no wall is carried, the front wall is built in place piece by piece, and the back wall is tipped up against a stop block nailed to the rim.

• Circular saw, speed square and framing square for every cut, the 45 degree knee brace ends and the roof angle
• Handsaw, wood chisel and flat pry bar to cut the bottom plate out of the open bay
• Drill/driver with bits for the deck screws and pilot holes near board ends
• Framing hammer, or a framing nailer and compressor
• 4 ft level, an 8 ft straight board and a string line for the skids, walls and rafters
• 25 ft tape, chalk line and a carpenter’s pencil
• Step ladder, two sawhorses and two clamps
• Utility knife, caulk gun and tin snips for the felt, shingles and drip edge
• Shovel, rake and hand tamper for the gravel pad
• Safety glasses, hearing protection and gloves

Plan on about 382 framing nails (3 1/2 in, hot-dip galvanized) and 408 slat nails. Use galvanized or coated exterior fasteners everywhere: pressure-treated lumber corrodes plain steel.

How to build the 4×8 firewood shed, step by step

The PDF splits the build into 18 step-by-step sections, each with numbered steps, measured drawings and a 3D view with the new parts in orange. This is the order the plan follows:

Step 1: Lay out the site and the gravel pad

Mark the corners 8′ 0″ along the front and 4′ 0″ along the sides, then move one stake until both diagonals measure 8′ 11 5/16″. Strip the sod 12 in past the shed on every side and spread 4 in of 3/4 in crushed stone (about 0.9 cu yd), compacted in two layers and raked level.

Step 2: Set the skids

Lay 3 pressure-treated 4×4 skids, 8′ 0″ long, on the pad with the outer skids flush with the floor edges. Level each one along its length and to the others with a straight board, and raise a low skid with gravel or treated shims, never untreated wood.

Step 3: Build the floor frame

Cut two pressure-treated 2×6 rims at 8′ 0″ and 7 joists at 3′ 9″. Mark both rims at once, 16 in on center, nail three 3 1/2 in galvanized nails through the rim into each joist, and square the frame by its diagonals before you toe-nail it to the skids.

Step 4: Lay the gapped deck

Screw down 8 rows of pressure-treated 2×6 laid flat, with 9/16″ gaps, two 3 in deck screws into every joist. The plan gives the mark for the front edge of every row, so nothing is ripped and the last board ends flush with the back rim.

Step 5: Frame the back and side walls

Frame the 5′ 6″ back wall flat on the deck, tip it up against the stop block and brace it plumb. The side walls have a sloped top plate and stepped studs that follow the roof line; the plan gives each stud length.

Step 6: Build the open front

Build the 6′ 5 1/8″ front wall in place: king studs, trimmers and a doubled 2×10 header over the bay, then cut the bottom plate out of the opening. Screw in the 2′ 1 7/16″ knee braces with two 5 in structural screws at each end.

Step 7: Join the walls

Nail the corners every 12 in, add the strap ties and cut the bottom plate out of the open bay. No long diagonal braces: once the slats are on, they, the roof deck and the knee braces keep the shed square, the way small woodsheds are built. Until then a 2×4 tacked inside each slatted wall holds it.

Step 8: Set the rafters

Cut one pattern rafter, test it on both walls, then cut 7 2×4 rafters for 16 in on center, plus 2 fly rafters for the rakes. Each middle rafter gets a hurricane tie on both walls, the two end rafters are nailed down into the sloped side wall plates, and blocking goes between the rafters over the walls.

Step 9: Sheathe and shingle the roof

Nail 3 sheets of 7/16 in OSB (4 by 8 ft), add the fascia and drip edge, then two layers of 15 lb felt because the roof is below 4/12. Lay 2 bundles of 3-tab shingles with four nails per shingle below the sealant strip.

Step 10: Nail on the wall slats

Start at the bottom with the spacer blocks: 10 rows of 1×6 slats on the back wall and 12 on the sides, two 2 in galvanized nails per stud. The top rows taper to the roof line, and the plan draws each wall seen from outside.

Step 11: Seal and stack

Coat the untreated framing, rafter tails and fascia with exterior sealer or stain. The pressure-treated parts wait until they are dry, then get the same coat. Stack the first load tight and level, bark side up on top.

How long does it take to build?

The plan estimates about 30 hours for one person, about 2 full weekends for a first-timer. Staining waits until the pressure-treated wood dries, so it is not in these hours.

The skill level is basic framing: measuring, square cuts, nailing and checking level and plumb. The angled cuts are the 45 degree knee brace ends, the rafter plumb and seat cuts, and the sloped tops of the side wall studs and slats, and the plan gives every angle and every mark to copy.

Where to put a firewood shed

• Distance from the house. Many fire departments advise keeping stored firewood away from the house, and wood piles draw insects. Follow your local guidance and check your local permit office for setback rules.
• Drainage. Pick a spot where water does not stand after rain. The gravel pad is 10′ 0″ by 6′ 0″, 12 in larger than the shed on every side, so rain drains away from the skids.
• Wind and rain. Face the open front away from the wind that brings most of your rain if you can, and leave room in front to walk up with a wheelbarrow.
• Sun and air. A spot with sun and moving air dries wood faster than a corner behind a fence. Keep the back wall a hand’s width off any fence or wall so air can pass the slats.
• Wind on an empty shed. An open shed catches wind like a sail when it is empty. On windy sites the plan shows optional earth anchors, one per corner, strapped over the outer skids.

How to stack and season wood in the shed

Stack split wood tight and level, starting 1 1/2 in in front of the back wall’s studs so air moves behind the stack. Keep the front face plumb and never past the inside face of the front posts, so the knee braces stay clear, and keep the top about 2 in under the back wall’s top plates.

Put the bark side up on the top layer so rain runs off. Burn the oldest wood first: stack new wood on one side and take from the other. Most split hardwood needs 6 to 12 months under cover to season, and the open front, the slats and the gapped floor keep air moving through it the whole time.

Split wood dries faster than rounds, and wood cut in late winter or spring is usually ready to burn by the next fall. A cheap moisture meter tells you when a split face reads low enough for your stove.

What is in the free 4×8 firewood shed plan preview?

Download the free 4×8 firewood shed plan preview before you buy. It shows the shed from the front and the side with its overall size, the build stages in order and real pages from the plan, so you can see how the drawings look and whether the size fits your yard.

Not right for you? Email [email protected] within 30 days of your purchase for a full refund.

Before you build

Rules for sheds, such as size limits, setbacks and permits, vary by town and HOA, and some towns treat a roofed woodshed like any other shed. Check your local permit office before you build.

This plan uses common small-shed framing. Heavy snow areas or high-wind zones may need closer rafter spacing, larger rafters or anchors to the ground; your local permit office knows the loads for your address.

Every spring, check the roof for lifted shingles, tighten loose slats, sweep bark off the floor and make sure the skids are still level and the gravel drains. More firewood shed sizes and every lean-to plan are on the lean-to shed plans page, and every plan we sell is on all shed plans.