Making a Woodstore

Build Your Own Winter-Ready Woodstore

…and keep your firewood dry and close-at-hand all year round for winter warmth, summer pizza nights, and every BBQ in between. If you are living rural, anytime is a good time to think about wood storage.

Having several m³ of firewood delivered each year for winter heating, many rural properties will store cut wood ready for drying in an outhouse or dedicated storage shed. But having an additional, smaller wood store, housing several days’ worth of wood, close to the house, is handy too when accessing log supplies in the depth of winter. No more chilly sprints in the dead of night for a wood fire top-up!

If storing wood in direct proximity to the house it is important to ensure that fire wood is not in direct contact with the weather boards. Borer would find this most convenient and any water runoff or subsequent moisture pooling could be problematic. Keeping this in mind, a hard-backed wood store is best when storing firewood close to, or up against, the house.

Can anything be upcycled to create a similar woodstore? Absolutely.

Reclaimed timber, old pallets, or dismantled fencing can all be repurposed into a sturdy, rustic woodstore. Even retired bookshelves or unwanted furniture frames can be transformed into weather-protected storage with a few thoughtful modifications.

TIP: Just remember: untreated wood may be prone to rot if it’s in contact with the ground, and some older furniture pieces could be inviting for borer. When in doubt, use exterior-grade materials, elevate the structure with treated rails, and check all pieces for integrity before building.

This DIY project is a simple wood store with three shelves, much like an outdoor bookcase. Easy-access shelves allow different sizes of fire wood and kindling to be stored in an orderly fashion.

While the back and sides of this project are solid, the shelves are not, allowing for additional air-flow to inhibit the build-up of moisture.

The roof is flat, in this instance, due to the wood store being located under a large eave, away from the elements. The flat roof design acts as a handy multi-purpose shelf too. A tilted roof would be recommended for wood stores in weather-prone areas.

TIPS: Dry, seasoned wood will give you a hotter fire, less smoke and you’ll use less wood in the process. If positioned in a ‘wet floor’ area, chock with H4 treated fence post railings to raise the structure above ground level, minimizing any ground damp interference.

We couldn’t live without it! Each ‘cubicle’ works out for an evening’s wood supply in the depth of winter, so the whole shelf provides approximately a week’s worth of burning fuel.

How to Build a Woodstore

Materials required

2 sheets x 18mm 2400x1200mm treated H3.2 plywood
21m x 88x32mm smooth decking timber
50mm deck screws

How to

Step 1: Measure and cut plywood sheets into 1 x 1200x1800mm (the solid back of the wood store), 2 x 1200x400mm (the sides), and 1 x 450x1900mm length (the roof, allowing an overhang on three sides).

Sand surfaces to remove any burrs.

Step 2: Measure and cut decking timber into lengths of 9 x 1800mm (horizontal shelves), 9 x 350mm (horizontal shelf supports beneath), and 1 x 1200mm (vertical central support for extra strengthening).

Step 3: Place 1200hx1800w mm length of plywood sheet (the back) on the ground. On top, lay out 3 x 1800mm decking (on their narrow edge) at desired shelf height. Ensure the lower length of decking is 32mm from the base of the intended structure, to allow for shelf supports (which will be secured later).

Ensure the decking is square to the edge of the plywood then mark the edges of the plywood sheet for reference. The position markings are important as you’ll now need to reposition the decking so it is beneath the plywood sheet in the same position, in order to secure it with screws.

Step 4: Predrill 5 holes spaced evenly along the back of the plywood aligned with each piece of decking panel (shelves) beneath, then secure with screws.

Step 5: Take the 2 x 1200x400mm plywood lengths (the sides) and secure with screws (a) through the plywood sides and into the end of each decking panel and (b) where the plywood sides meet the plywood back, intermittently along the join. The sides are now affixed.

Step 6: Take 6 x 350mm decking (shelf supports), position two beneath each of the three intended shelves (previously affixed in Step#4), one on either extreme side of the horizontal decking, touching the plywood sides. Screw in place, through the plywood sides and through the plywood back, into the shelf supports.

Step 7: Position then screw the remaining 1800mm decking lengths to the shelf supports (allowing 3 decking lengths per shelf) with a gap between each for air flow. The structure will look like an open bookshelf with back, sides and shelves in place.

Step 8: Take the remaining 3 x 350mm decking lengths (shelf supports) and secure with screws beneath the centre of each shelf. This will eliminate any bowing under the strain of a fully laden shelf. Again, screw through the decking itself, then through the plywood at the back.

Step 9: Take the 1 x 1200mm decking length (a vertical central support) and screw into the front-facing ends of the decking shelves. This assists with weight bearing of all three shelves, once loaded with firewood, avoiding buckling under the weight.

Step 10: Finally secure the 1 x 450x1900mm (the roof) to the top of the structure. Position to allow an overhang on front and sides but flush to the back, then screw to secure through the roof and into the back and sides.

TIP: round off the edges of the front of the roof. At 1200mm high, square edges can be a hazard.

Step 11: Finally, it’s time to stain or paint! We stained the interior with Resene Colourwood natural wood stain, undercoated the exterior with Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer, then finally top coated with two layers of Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel tinted to Grey Friars.