Log Store
A ventilated, roofed timber store for seasoning and dry storage of firewood. Slatted sides for airflow, a sloped roof, and a raised floor — the three details that turn green wood into burnable seasoned logs.
What you'll need
Materials
- Frame timber, slatted cladding for sides and back, marine ply or timber roof deck, roofing felt or corrugated bitumen sheet, treated bearers for the raised floor, stainless screws.
Tools
- Drill/driver, saw, spirit level, square, tape measure, clamps. Roofing felt nails or stainless screws if using a felt roof.
Material complexity: Low
Allow 10% on cladding battens; roof felt sold by the metre, get an extra metre.
Main risk: Poor airflow — logs won't season, mould develops, and the store wastes its purpose.
Tips & traps
- Solid sides — logs don't dry, mould grows.
- Floor flat on the ground — bottom layer stays wet and rots.
- No roof overhang — front row of logs gets soaked.
- Sized too small — green logs need 12 months of headspace, so you need year-1 and year-2 stock visible at once.
- Sited in deep shade or against a wall on all sides.
Planning & timber detail
Why build this?
A log store does ONE thing — keep wood dry and ventilated — and does it for decades if built right. It is the single biggest factor in whether your wood burner runs efficiently. Buying kiln-dried logs at £8+ per net costs about double per kWh of heat versus seasoning your own.
Where it works best
Against a south or west-facing wall is ideal for drying. Avoid deep shade. Needs prevailing wind to blow through it, not at it — orient so the open front faces away from the wind.
Planning notes
Site so the open front faces away from prevailing wind and rain. Allow airflow on all sides — don't push it against a fence or wall on the back face. If it sits on grass, put paving slabs under the bearers.
Typical sizes
1m³ of cut logs (the standard wood-burner size) is roughly a cube 1m × 1m × 1m. A 1500mm tall store with a 600mm depth and 1200mm width holds slightly more than 1m³ allowing for air gaps.
Suitable timber options
Treated redwood is the practical default. Larch is harder and longer-lived if you don't mind the upfront cost. Cedar for kerb appeal in a visible spot.
Fixing and finishing
Stainless or coated structural screws. For the roof, use proper roofing nails or screws with washers — not generic woodscrews.
Slope the roof at least 10° front to back so rain runs off cleanly. Overhang the roof 100–150mm beyond the front to protect the logs from driving rain. Pitched is even better but more work.
Maintenance
Sweep out the floor each summer when stock is low. Check the roof felt every 2 years — replace before it cracks. Re-coat any finish every 2–4 years.
Re-felt every 5–7 years. Check the bearers for rot every spring — that's where ground-contact failure starts.
Timber behaviour
Durability
UC4 for any timber touching the ground (the bearers). UC3 for the frame and cladding. Critical: raise the floor at least 100mm off the ground for airflow underneath.
Movement
Standard slatted-cladding movement applies. Roof deck should be allowed to move slightly relative to the frame to prevent felt cracking.
Go deeper
Get the Timber Buying Companion
An 8-page practical guide to choosing better boards, avoiding waste and spotting common timber problems before you buy.