Our New Woodshed

In this post, I’ll share with you how we built our new woodshed. Isn’t she cute?

Back in December we had a raucous wind storm that caused a large oak tree from our neighbors’ property to fall on top of our shed. We were abundantly thankful it didn’t fall on our house! They helped us repair the shed and let us keep all the wood from the tree. They even split it for us with their fancy splitting machine! Talk about great neighbors.

That was a fantastic blessing because wood can be costly, but we found ourselves with a laughably large pile of wood (probably about a full cord) that we didn’t yet have a home for, as we’ve been storing only a small amount of wood around the side of our house.

Not only that, but the giant wood pile kept getting drenched in rain storms. It would never dry out if we didn’t build a woodshed and soon. Thus, a project was born out of necessity.

We searched online and found a free woodshed plan on the EPA’s Burn Wise page with all the materials listed for the project and a really helpful YouTube video tutorial. In three days time we bought the materials, built the shed, painted it, and loaded it full with all that great wood. Now it can start drying and will hopefully be ready by the fall season to burn.

If you want to make this straightforward little woodshed, read on! The complete instructions and more information on how to build this shed can be found on the EPA’s website.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 3 – 4” x 4” x 12’ (We had the lumbar yard cut these in half, so we had 6 – 4″ x 4″ x 6′)
• 2 – 2” x 6” x 8’
• 8 – 2” x 4” x 8’
• 13 – 1” x 4” x 8’
• 12 – ¼” x 5” Hex lag screws
• 1 pound box of 1 and 1/2” deck screws
• 1 pound box of 3” deck screws
• Liquid roof
• 6- 12” x 8” x 12” deck block/concrete feet
• 1- 4’ x 8’ plywood
• Tools, including a drill and a circular saw

We spent about $400 on everything we needed for this project, including the wood, the screws, a large can of liquid roof, and paint. Not inexpensive, but keep in mind this is during COVID and everything is more expensive these days!

Here’s how we built the woodshed:

First, we assembled the floor flame. The front and back pieces were 2” x 6” x 8” so we didn’t have to cut those, but the sides needed to be 2” x 4” x 45,” so we did have to cut the wood to 45″ long. Then we attached the sides to the front and back pieces using 3” deck screws.

Next, we added floor joists using five 2” x 4” x 4’ pieces of wood. We attached the floor joists to the 2” x 6” x 8’ pieces (the front and back) floor frame with two 3” deck screws on each end of the floor joist pieces.

Per the video, we kept aside three of the floor joists and installed them after the 4” x 4” posts were in place.

Once the floor frame was ready, we used spare pieces of wood to prop it off the ground. We did this because the 4” x 4” posts have to extend 3-1/2” below the floor frame since they will fit into the concrete deck blocks. Keeping the wood elevated and off the ground helps keep it from rotting, so these concrete deck blocks are great for that.

At this point, it was time to add the posts. There are six 4″ x 4″ posts in this project. We cut three of the posts to 5’6” long, and the other three to 6’ long. Per the video, the 6’ long posts should be in the front, and the 5’6” long posts should be in the back, but we did it backwards. It works either way. When we added the posts to the floor frame, we temporarily secured them using 3-1/2” deck screws. You can leave the deck screws in, but you will need to add the lag screws later for a more secure attachment.

Next, we moved the frame to the woodshed’s permanent location. We didn’t want the structure to get too heavy for us to lift.

Now that we had the shed in place, it was time to add the remaining 3 floor joists on each side of the 4” x 4” posts. We attached the floor joists with two 3” deck screws on each end.

We then lifted up the frame and fit the ends of the posts into the concrete deck blocks.

At this stage, we needed to secure each 4”x 4” post to the 2” x 6” x 8’ pieces at the front and back of the floor frame by using two ¼” x 5” hex lag screws per post for a total of 12 lag screws. See a close up in the pic below.

Once we secured the posts, we added the floor slats. These are the 1” x 4” x 8’ pieces. We eyeballed the spacing. Obviously you don’t want the firewood to fall through the gaps, so keep that in mind if you make it.

We used the 1 ½” deck screws to attach the floor slats to the floor joists. The video says to use two screws on each end, but we used 1 because the wood was starting to split on us and we decided that was secure enough. You have to attach each area the floor slats cross the joists, so it ends up being a lot of screws.

Once we finished the floor, we added the back slats. We had to cut four of the 1” x 4” pieces to 89” long. We attached those to the posts using the 1 ½” deck screws, eyeballing the spacing.

After we attached the back slats, it was time to add the sides. We cut four more of the 1” x 4” to measure 1” x 4” x 45”. Then we attached those to the posts with the 1 ½” deck screws, again just eyeballing the spacing trying to match it up with the back slats and the other sides.

Once we had the back and sides built, it was time to attach the roof rafters. We used six 2” x 4” x 4’ pieces. We attached one rafter to each side of the front and back posts and used two 3” deck screws to attach them.

Then we added the roof! We had to have the 4’x8’ plywood board cut into quarters to fit into our vehicle, so we struggled a bit to get the roof to match up well but eventually got it done! You’re supposed to secure the roof using 1 ½” deck screws every 6 inches along each rafter. I don’t think we ended up doing that many, but we got it secured.

We called it good for the day after this, and the next morning “painted” on liquid roof. I say “painted” because it was more like smearing tarry molasses and trying to get an even layer. We did leave the can outside overnight, though, so maybe that was part of the issue! Either way, we got the roof painted on, and let it dry.

Then we decided to paint it with outdoor paint to preserve it. You could stain it or leave it natural, but we wanted to prolong its life. We went with a snazzy blue.

We let it dry overnight, and the next morning loaded it up with the wood! Fantastic!

So just like that in three days time we built this great little wood shed. Go check out the EPA’s instructions and video tutorial, they were excellent! Let me know if you decide to add this woodshed to your own homestead in the comments below!