Photo: Amélie Rec

How big should a wood shed be?

Ideally, a woodshed is sized just tall enough to comfortably walk inside to stack firewood. With a shed roof, the deeper the structure, the taller it needs to be. A cord of stacked firewood takes up 128 cu. ft.

finehomebuilding.com - Build a Modular Modern Woodshed - Fine Homebuilding

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Comprehensive and Intuitive to follow. Build That Shed!

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Synopsis: This simple woodshed can be built in a weekend, and sized up or down as needed. A detailed drawing and materials list shows the type and dimensions of lumber and hardware needed for construction, while photographs illustrate the process of building the shed, from preparing the base on concrete and/or gravel, to cutting the parts, to assembling the floor, walls, and roof. A few years ago, I offered to help a friend build a woodshed in his yard. I imagined a simple rack made of 2x4s and a few sheets of metal roofing—but when I found out the shed would need to hold five cords of wood, I had to adjust my plans. The design I came up with is easy to scale up or down, as I did for the much smaller shed shown in this article. Ideally, a woodshed is sized just tall enough to comfortably walk inside to stack firewood. With a shed roof, the deeper the structure, the taller it needs to be. A cord of stacked firewood takes up 128 cu. ft.—basically a 4-ft. by 4-ft. by 8-ft. pile. When planning your own shed, choose a height and floor layout that works for you, but don’t forget to consider adding a decent roof overhang on the front for extra protection from the elements. This shed measures 5 ft. deep, 8 ft. wide, and 8 ft. tall, so I was able to use standard-size framing lumber with minimal waste, but you can build whatever size fits the number of cords you want to store and the space you have in your yard…

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Sheltered Woodshed – A removable panel makes loading firewood easy but protects the wood from rain and snow. A Firm Foundation for a Backyard Shed – Here are four ways of building a basic, on-grade foundation for backyard buildings. Forum Question: Drying firewood – A discussion with tips for accelerating the fire-wood seasoning process.

Drawings: John Hartman; photos: Kiley Jacques

From FineHomebuilding #288

This article originally appeared in Fine Homebuilding magazine titles “Build a Streamlined Woodshed”

To view the entire article, please click the View PDF button below.

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How big can I build a shed without planning permission UK?

A shed with a floor space of less than 15 square metres would not normally have to comply with building regulations if it does not contain sleeping accommodation. Some restrictions do apply to sheds between 15 and 30 square metres.

sheds.co.uk - Do I Need Planning Permission For A Wooden Garden Shed?

In most cases, it would be possible to have quite a sizeable shed without falling foul of planning rules. However, it is worth bearing this statement in mind: “No more than half the area of land around the ‘original house’ would be covered by additions or other buildings.” That is taken verbatim from the planning portal relating to outbuildings. Any property that was built on or after 1st July 1948 is deemed to be the original house. If it was built earlier than that, you have to go by the house as it was on that date. So for example, if an extension was built in 1960, this would be discounted according to the above rule. Unless you have a particularly small garden, the chances are you could choose a nice-sized shed without any problems at all. Most people find they can choose the size they need without swallowing up too much of the garden – which most of us wouldn’t want to do anyway. It might surprise you to learn most log cabins come within the size requirements listed in the permitted development rules. That means you should be able to find the shed you want to put in your garden, and be able to position it somewhere that won’t fall foul of the rules. The best idea is to see which shed you would ideally like to get, decide where you would like to position it and then check the permitted development rules. The chances are you will be fine. But if you are in any doubt at all, getting some advice from your local planning officer will be the best route to take.