1. close to the back door, with no intervening gates;
2. not too far from the driveway for deliveries of wood;
3. well-ventilated to facilitate drying;
4. two bays, each big enough to hold 1 normal winter's firewood, which we estimated at 3 cords.
The two bay requirement is important. It means that we can fill one bay while consuming wood from the other. It allows us to keep wood for two years, ensuring that it is properly dried. And it provides a reserve if one winter proves to be colder than average.
It took about a month to build. I did all the labour myself. The roof is steel. The floor will be gravel in a couple of days. The exterior boards are spaced 1/2" apart for ventilation. The soffits at the top and bottom of the shed roof are open, again for ventilation. And the retainers at the sides of the bays keep the firewood 8" from the exterior walls. The space between the bays is 9.5". The bays are each 7 feet by 10 feet, and wood can be stacked 6 feet high at the rear and 8 feet at the front.
