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How to build a firewood shed: set a raised base on a level, well-drained spot, frame a treated floor with gaps for air, stand four braced posts with the front pair taller, add a sloped roof with overhang, then close the back and sides with spaced slats. A 4 by 8 foot shed holds about a cord.

Open woodshed or closed shed?

Firewood dries in moving air, not in a sealed box. The EPA Burn Wise card says to split the wood, stack it off the ground, cover the top and leave the sides open, and to dry softwood at least 6 months and hardwood at least 12.

That gives two kinds of firewood shed:

  • Open woodshed. A roof on posts with slatted back and sides and an open front. It dries and stores wood. This is the build below.
  • Closed storage shed. Four solid walls and a door. It keeps seasoned wood dry and locked, but dries green wood slowly. Our guide on how to store firewood so it dries covers that case.

Size it before you buy lumber. A cord is 128 cubic feet, and the EPA rates its open 4 by 8 foot design at about one cord. Our guide on how big a firewood shed should be has stack sizes for 1 to 6 cords and for enclosed sheds. If you are still choosing between a shed and a rack, see firewood shed vs rack.

Materials, sizes and tools

The EPA Burn Wise plan is a good model for a first build: about one cord under a 4 by 8 foot roof and about five hours of work for two people. This table shows its materials list next to the upgrades used in the steps below.

Part EPA plan Upgrade in this guide
Floor frame 2×6 treated pine Same, 4 by 8 feet outside
Floor joists 2×4 treated pine 2×6 treated joists 16 inches apart
Floor slats 1×4 treated pine 2×4 or 5/4 treated deck boards (EPA also suggests 2×4)
Posts 4×4 treated posts, lag screws 4×4 treated, 8 feet at the back and 10 feet at the front, two 1/2 inch carriage bolts each
Headers Not listed separately Two 2×6 boards per side, 10 feet long
Rafters 2×4 treated pine Same, 24 inches apart, cut from 8 foot boards, with galvanized rafter ties
Roof One 4 by 8 foot sheet of 1/2 inch OSB, liquid roofing Metal roof about 7 by 10 feet on 2×4 purlins (EPA suggests 6 by 10)
Side and back slats 1×4 treated pine 1×4 or 2×4, gaps 1 to 2 inches

EPA notes its prices are dated; its 2017 flyer put the shed at about $270. Treat that as a rough estimate only, since lumber prices change and vary by region.

Tools: circular saw, drill and driver, socket wrench, 4 foot level, speed square, tape, shovel and tamper. Have a helper hold posts plumb and lift the roof panels.

Safety: wear a dust mask, eye protection and gloves when you cut treated lumber, and never burn treated offcuts or sawdust in a stove or fire pit.

How to build a firewood shed in 8 steps

The steps follow the order of the EPA plan, with the upgrades from the table. For a longer shed, add a post with a concrete block under it about every 8 feet, join header boards only over a post with the joints in the two boards staggered, and keep the blocks under the long sides about 4 feet apart.

Step 1: Pick the spot

Look for level ground that drains, with room to bring in a wheelbarrow or back up a truck. Face the open front away from the wind that usually brings your rain, and give the shed sun and breeze where you can, since both speed drying.

Keep it away from the house. Michigan State University Extension advises against storing firewood against the house because it can bring wood-damaging insects close to it.

Step 2: Set a raised base

The frame should never sit on soil. The USDA Wood Handbook chapter on biodeterioration explains that decay fungi need wet wood, which is why wood touching damp ground rots first.

Clear the sod and set solid concrete blocks or pavers at each corner and at mid-span on both long sides, six in all. Make the corner ones large enough to carry both the frame corner and the post beside it.

Blocks alone are the quick option. Blocks on a few inches of compacted gravel drain better and settle less; see our gravel shed foundation and concrete block foundation guides. Level the blocks to each other with a straight board and a level.

Step 3: Frame a slatted floor

Build a 4 by 8 foot rectangle of treated 2×6 boards and check it for square: both diagonals should match. Fit 2×6 joists front to back inside it, 16 inches apart, with galvanized joist hangers or screws.

Screw the floor boards across the joists, running the long way, with gaps of about half an inch to an inch. Air reaches the bottom row and blown-in rain drains out. A full stack is heavy, so close joist spacing and the mid-span blocks keep the floor from sagging.

Step 4: Stand and brace the posts

Stand a treated 4×4 post at each outside corner of the floor frame, its bottom on the corner block and flush with the bottom of the frame. Bolt it with two 1/2 inch carriage bolts, through a 2×6 backer block inside the frame. Use full 8 foot posts at the back and cut 10 foot posts to 112 inches at the front.

That leaves about 7 feet clear at the back, plenty for a 6 foot stack. The posts and headers sit outside the floor, so the 16 inch rise is spread over about 58 inches: a slope of about 3 1/4 in 12. Leave the front posts a full 10 feet for about 5 in 12, steeper for shingles or heavy snow.

Plumb each post on two faces. Add permanent diagonal 2×4 braces from post to frame at the back and both sides, because an open frame has no sheathing to stop it leaning under a full stack. Brace the open front with 2×4 knee braces about 2 feet long at 45 degrees from each front post up to the header, above the stack.

Step 5: Frame the roof

Bolt a header of two 2×6 boards to the outside faces of the front posts, top edges level with the post tops, with two 1/2 inch carriage bolts through both boards at each post. Do the same at the back. Make them 10 feet long so each end sticks out 1 foot past the posts.

Set 2×4 rafters front to back on the headers, 24 inches apart, with the end rafters on the header tips. Cut them about 7 feet long, so the roof runs about 16 inches past the front header and 6 inches past the back. Bevel or notch each rafter where it sits on a header, and fasten it with a galvanized rafter tie, since wind lifts roofs at the rafters first. Lay 2×4 purlins flat across the rafters at the spacing your metal roof maker lists, with two screws at each rafter.

This is a simple layout, not an engineered design. In heavy-snow areas, space the rafters 16 inches apart and ask your local permit office what snow load to plan for.

Step 6: Put on the roof

Fasten metal panels to the purlins with gasketed metal roofing screws, then add the maker’s drip edge or trim. Each panel and shingle maker sets a minimum slope, so check the label against your pitch. Our shed roof pitch guide explains rise and run, and metal vs shingle shed roof compares the two.

The EPA’s OSB and liquid roofing option is cheaper but short-lived. If you use it, coat the edges as well as the face, since bare OSB edges soak up water and swell.

Step 7: Close the back and sides with spaced slats

Screw horizontal slats to the back and side posts with gaps of about 1 to 2 inches. The gaps let wind through the stack; the slats keep the wood from sliding out. On the 8 foot back wall, add a 2×4 stud at mid-span so long slats do not bow.

Leave the front open. If blown rain wets the stack ends, a short slatted panel at each front corner shields them without blocking air.

Step 8: Anchor it and load it

A light shed with a big overhang can lift in a strong wind, and a loose block is not an anchor. Strap each corner of the floor frame to an auger-style ground anchor screwed into firm soil.

Stack the first row an inch or two off the back slats. Crisscross the last pieces at each end of a row into a crib so the stack stands on its own, and keep the top a few inches below the rafters. Before you burn a piece, split it and test the fresh face with a moisture meter. University of Maryland Extension uses about 20 percent moisture as the mark for dry firewood.

Common mistakes

  • Frame on bare dirt. Even treated lumber lasts longer up on blocks with air under it.
  • No bracing. An open frame without diagonal braces can lean once it is full.
  • A single flat 2×4 header. It sags over 8 feet under a roof and snow. Use two 2×6 boards on edge.
  • Roof flush with the floor. With no overhang, rain lands on the front of the stack.
  • Too flat a roof. Water and snow sit on it. Check your roofing maker’s minimum slope.
  • Plain steel screws in treated wood. They rust out. Use galvanized or coated fasteners.

Rules on shed size, height and placement vary by town, and some exempt small woodsheds while others do not. Check your local permit office before you build.

What we checked: the one cord size, build time, lumber list, overhang and metal roof from the EPA Burn Wise plan; drying times from the EPA Burn Wise card; decay from the USDA Wood Handbook; the 20 percent mark from UMD Extension; the house-wall advice from MSU Extension. Post heights, slope and overhang are our own arithmetic for this layout.

Plans that fit

The open woodshed above dries wood. If you also want seasoned wood and tools kept dry behind a locking door, a 3DSHEDPLANS™ lean-to plan is the closed version. Each plan is a PDF with step-by-step 3D images and a material list with the quantity of each item.

Many wood burners use both: an open woodshed for this year’s drying and a closed shed for wood that is ready. Compare more single-slope sizes in our lean-to shed plans, see the lean-to build steps, or browse all shed plans.

Frequently asked questions

What is the easiest way to build a firewood shed?

Build a small open-front woodshed about 4 by 8 feet: a treated floor frame on blocks or pavers, four treated 4×4 posts with the front pair taller, a sloped roof and slatted sides. The EPA Burn Wise plan for this size holds about one cord and takes two people about five hours.

What wood should I use for a firewood shed?

Use pressure-treated lumber for the floor frame and posts, and pick stock rated for ground contact on the end tag since they sit close to damp ground. Fasten it with galvanized or coated screws and bolts, because treated wood corrodes plain steel.

Should a firewood shed have open sides?

For drying, yes. Open or slatted sides let wind carry moisture away while the roof keeps rain off the top. A shed closed on every side suits wood that is already seasoned; green wood dries slowly in it.

How much roof overhang does a woodshed need?

The EPA suggests extending its 4 by 8 foot roof about a foot on all sides. Give the open front the most, around 12 to 18 inches past the posts, since that side takes the blown rain.

Do I need a permit for a firewood shed?

It depends on where you live. Rules on size, height and distance from property lines vary by town, and some exempt small sheds while others do not. Check your local permit office before you buy lumber.

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