How to Build a Wood Shed for Firewood

Measure the site for the woodshed. A woodshed is normally 8-by-8-feet square. This shed stores a full cord plus enough room to gather an armload of wood or chop kindling without getting wet on rainy days. A cord of wood is 4-by-4-by-8-feet, or 128 cubic feet.

Remove all grass and vegetation within the site of the shed. Remove 4 inches of soil.

Dig a 24-inch-deep posthole at each corner of the shed. Add a posthole halfway between the posts on the right and left sides of the shed.

Pour 6 inches of crushed gravel into each posthole. Compact the crushed gravel using a hand compactor. Fill each hole with water and allow it to soak into the soil.

Place 8-foot posts in the shed’s front corners. Fill the holes with quick-setting concrete mix while a helper holds the posts straight. Add water to the concrete mix. Check the posts with a spirit level to ensure that they're vertical.

Place the 7-foot posts in the shed’s back corners and the 6-foot posts on the sides. Fill each posthole with a bag of concrete mix and add water. Allow it to dry overnight.

Fill the excavated area with 6 inches of crushed gravel. Tamp firmly with a hand compactor or electric plate compactor. Sprinkle it with water and tamp it again making a firm base for your shed.

Attach 1-by-6-inch boards horizontally to the outside of the shed, leaving a 1-inch gap between the boards. Use three 2-inch deck screws per post. Leave the shed’s front side open.

Attach a header hanger to each of the inner sides of the corner posts, 5 1/2 inches from the tops. Insert a 2-by-6-inch board spanning the shed’s front and back. Screw it together with deck screws.

Attach joist hangers every 24 inches on center on the headers. Insert 2-by-4-inch rafters into the joist hangers, screwing together with deck screws.

Attach exterior-grade OSB to the rafters, allowing the excess to extend off the back of the shed so rain drains away from the back wall. Center the seam over a rafter, butting the OSB sheets tightly together. Screw to each rafter using deck screws.

Shingle the roof using standard three-tab shingles. Begin at the bottom, nailing through the top of the shingles. Overlap each row of shingles until you reach the top of the roof. At the top, nail flashing over the shingles’ upper edges and into the header.

Arrange pallets inside the shed on top of the gravel base making a 4-by-8-foot raised area. The slats on the pallets should parallel the back wall of the shed. Using a permanent marker, mark 4 feet up on the back corner and side posts to indicate the height of a full cord of wood.