It's Raining - Time to Build a Log Store!
To do, or not to do (again!)
Oh no, Autumn's been here for a while and it's raining again!
Normally it wouldn't be an issue, but this year over half of my logs are lying in an untidy pile as opposed to being neatly stacked undercover, so although reasonably dry at the moment, they're getting rather damp, just at the time we'll want to start burning.
I'd been meaning to build a new home for our firewood since the previous one was demolished in Spring last year but didn't get around to it before last Winter and until recently had completely mislaid the intent to make a start this year too, but doesn't time fly!
Have I got time to the inclination to build one?, or should I simply look on line? - I remember that very question was posed last year which spurred me into looking around for what's available. After some mooching around local shed & timber suppliers then performing a little research on-line, the options at the time seemed to fall into three categories- 'too small', 'too flimsy' and 'how much?, they must be kidding!' so at the time I designed & started to cost my own before other events took over ... I've got the plans somewhere, just need to check them out, finalise what's needed and make a start.
A week passes, some alternative design options are worked on & considered, but effectively last year's effort seemed to provide a more robust solution for holding somewhere over two tonnes of wood, so I've got the design & prices, all I need is the wood, some screws & nails and some fence paint/preservative to seal any cross-grain for longevity .. it's a Friday, it's mid-October & time's short, so instead of waiting for a delivery, it'll all go in the car on Saturday morning whilst the timber-yard is still open, which it did ....
Weather vs Power-tools, a battle of wits
'That's it, if I need to unplug everything yet again and move these tools indoors once more the wood can stay where it is all Winter, I don't care!'
The valley of despair: I remember why I should have done this when the weather wouldn't be so changeable ... bright sun one minute, dark clouds & rain the next, even worse, hardly any clouds in sight, full sun & it's drizzling the sort of drizzle that you don't realise how wet you've got until drips start falling from your forehead! - never mind, it's only the third time I've packed up today and the weatherman said it'll be better tomorrow ... it wasn't it poured down and then there's the little matter of the back-end of hurricane 'Orphelia' (a Shakespearian character) and her little brother 'Brian' (a well known snail or mindful mistyping) !
Best laid plans
Failing to plan is planning to fail - Anyway, plans followed, rain dodged as necessary, a little 'now how do I do that' problem solving and a pile of sopping wet treated timber morphed into something resembling a log store ... plan delivered pretty much as intended - but due to inclement conditions, it did take almost a fortnight!
The store is designed to accommodate just under 3 cubic metres of stacked wood, so probably somewhere around 2 tonnes of hardwood (Ash/Oak). The floor is designed to enable the sweeping of leaves from below an empty side whilst the other is fully loaded as long as the removable centre partition remains in place.
The left bay is currently around 90% full, with the right-hand one probably about a third loaded. With what we've got stored beside the log-burner in the house there may be enough to see us through a mild Winter with the Solar PV & Heatpump combination in place, so considering it's currently a third of the way through November and we haven't burned used the fire yet I'm minded to not book a delivery and take a chance ... I'll have a think over the next couple of weeks & we'll see ...
1800x75x50 - Back
1800x100x25 - Back, Sides & Floor
2400x50x25 - Frame/Support
1500x75x75 - Front
2200x125 FE - Roof
100 Half Round - Front
Screws, nails & fencing paint
Total cost of materials ~£120
