How to Build a Log Store - [Professional Guide]

Even though central heating must be one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century, lots of people still use wood as a fuel, which means that lots of people still need to store logs over the winter (and, indeed, the rest of the year).  If this sounds like you, then here is an illustrated, step-by-step guide to building a log store against a wall.

How to build a log store against a wall

The basic idea behind building a log store against a wall is that you create a frame for the base and put uprights at each corner (and possibly in the middle as well).  You then wrap these round with further lengths of wood and top it with a roof.

If this sounds simple, the good news is that this is because it is simple.  The hard work is basically making sure you have the right supplies.  What this will mean in practice will depend on how big you want your log store to be.  Assuming you want your log store to be about 1.8M by 1.8M then you will need the following supplies.

Materials

• Floor - 2 x 1.756m (front and back), 2 x 0.556 m (sides), 12 x 0.65m (filler)
• Main Structure: 3 x 1.77m (back), 2 x 1.567m (front), tops trimmed at a 20° angle
• Roof Structure: 2 x 1.756 m (front and back), 2 x 0.855m (sides, front and back trimmed at 20° angle)
• Roof Covering: 9 x 1.8 m Featheredge Boards
• Cladding: 32 x 0.669 m (sides), 20 x 1.718 m (back)
• Hardware: 10 x M8 100mm bolts, nut & washer, 10 x
• M8 125mm bolts and nuts (if you can’t find the right sizes go bigger rather than smaller) plus as many nails as you can find.

Tools

• Clamps
• Mitre saw
• Drill and drill bit (cordless is really useful)
• Hammer
• Nailer
• Spirit level

How To Build A Log Store

Once you have gathered your materials, here is how to put everything together.

Step 1

Take the 2 x 1.567m lengths of wood and drill four holes in each.  The top two holes go 50mm from the top of the post and the bottom two holes go 75mm from the bottom of the post.  Then line the posts up with 2 of the 1.756m lengths of wood.  One of these pieces goes at the top for the front of the roof and the other goes at the bottom for the front of the floor.  Now drill all the way through and add the bolts (shorter ones at the top and longer ones at the bottom).

Do the same again for the back frame.  The only difference is that you’ll have an extra post in the middle and you’ll need to make sure that the panels are all slanted the right way.  Remember the roof is going to pitch downwards from the back to the front.

Step 2

Take the 2 x 0.556m lengths of wood for the sides of the floor and nail them to the front frame.  Then line up the back frame and nail them to that.

Step 3

Check everything is as it should be now.  It may be a pain to have to undo your handiwork up to this point, but if there is an issue it will be a whole lot easier to deal with it at this stage than later.  Use your spirit level (if you don’t have one download an app) and also clamp one of the floor pieces into place and check it fits neatly.

Assuming it does, this will give you enough stability to attach the 2 x 0.855m which will be the sides of your roof.  The given measurements will create a slight overhang (top and bottom).  That’s fine.  It will help with drainage.  If you struggle to line up the pieces, try using another piece of wood as a guide.  This is one part of the build where it does help to have a second pair of hands although most people should be able to manage it on their own.

Step 4

Lay the floor.  The low-energy way to do this is to grab one of the cladding battens and use it to “measure” the distance between the floorboards so that they’re all equally spaced.  Depending on where, exactly, your boards land up relative to the main posts, you may have to trim them slightly.  This is fine.  What matters is that they fit neatly from one end of the floor to the other (and that they are nailed securely in place).  Remember to remove the cladding piece when you’re done.

Step 5

Clad the sides of your log store.  Frankly, this will take a long time if you use a hammer, but if you have a nail gun, then it’s actually very quick.  In either case, it’s straightforward.  The process is basically the same as for the floor, right down to using a piece of cladding to “measure” the distances between the planks.  You shouldn’t have to trim anything this time.

Keep checking everything as you go along to make sure it’s still level.  If you do start going out of your correct line, you want to find out sooner rather than later!

Step 6

Lay your roof.  Start from the back “roof structure” plank and put the very top roof plant on top of it.  Make sure the narrow edge is pointing downwards and nail it into place.  Repeat all the way down, always with the narrow edge pointing downwards.  The very last plank goes on top of the front “roof structure” plank and you’re probably going to need an offcut of wood to get it at the correct angle.  All the roof plants should overlap each other, if you’re using these measurements the overlap will be about 3cm.

In short

Making your own log store is a basic DIY project anyone can do with limited supplies and common tools.  The result will be at least as good as the more affordable ready-made alternatives and will probably cost less.  It’s OK if your log store is not completely watertight.  A bit of surface water isn’t going to do any real damage.  It’s more important that your log store is well ventilated so the inside of the wood is kept dry.