Woodshed question

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AT sawyer

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Joined
Jan 14, 2008
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Location
Northern Michigan
Almost every woodshed I see is well removed from the house. I live in the snowbelt and would like to build a woodshed directly behind my garage for easy access. Any reason not to do that?
 
If I lived where you are I'd want my woodshed attached to the house, or as close as possible. The 1850s farmhouse I lived in during the 1970s in NY, next to Canada--when you walked out the back door you were in the woodshed. In the worst weather I could go get an armful of firewood without truly going outside (although it might be 20 below 0 in the woodshed).

Where I live now--in a western pine forest--we have such high fire risk that I built my woodshed a good distance from the house. If it ever goes up in flames, my house should be safe. Plus, carrying armloads of firewood to the house is pretty much my only exercise during the winter when I hibernate, doing little more than sit by the fire inside.

I have a small, enclosed woodshed built onto the front of the house that sometimes when we're about to get major snow I will stock with a pickup load or two of wood so I don't have to trek through deep snow heavily loaded.

What you do have to consider with an attached woodshed, or one close by, is what critters you'll be providing cover for. In my area I have to trap pack rats in my wood supply every fall. Rodents, insects--you have to weigh their presence (and how you can manage such) with convenience.
 
Termites would be a very good reason to avoid storing wood close to the house. However, I think (don't know) that if the OP is in northern Michigan then maybe termites are not a threat.

When I lived in Oklahoma termites were bad. I have a very old workbench with two vises that belonged originally to my grandfather--it's made of beech, tough wood, and it's a prize possession of mine. Happened to be down on the floor in my shop one day (in Oklahoma) and found that termites had come in and chewed up the leg of my workbench. Pissed me off something wicked. I got rid of the termites and found the damage was mostly cosmetic, the bench is still sound.

Of course black carpenter ants can be a true PIA in the north. I've used some kind of poison to deal with them, however.
 
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