The Hearthstead is our answer to firewood storage: a 10x20 lean-to with a ventilated 10x10 bay that holds approximately five cords of properly stacked wood, plus a 10x10 enclosed room for tools and equipment. Wood on one side, tools on the other, one roof.
If you heat with wood, or just love a fire on a cold night, here is how it is built and why the details matter.
Why firewood needs airflow
Firewood needs air moving through it to season and stay dry. The Hearthstead's firewood side is open and ventilated on purpose. The roof keeps rain and snow off the stack, while air moves through it, so the wood keeps drying instead of holding moisture. It is the same idea we build into our chicken coops: shelter from the weather, without sealing the air in.
How much is five cords?
A cord is 128 cubic feet, so five cords is about 640 cubic feet of wood. In the 10x10 bay, that works out to a stack a little over six feet high. The walls are eight feet on the high side.
The enclosed side
The other half of the Hearthstead is a 10x10 enclosed storage room for tools, equipment, and seasonal supplies. It has:
- Six-foot-wide double doors, for easy access to mowers, equipment, and seasonal supplies
- A ¾-inch tongue-and-groove floor that holds up to real use
- Eight-foot walls on the high side for generous interior height
Keeping your tools a few steps from the woodpile, under the same roof, is the whole point.
How it is finished
The Hearthstead is finished with LP 8-inch groove siding and topped with black 29-gauge metal roof panels. It keeps a practical lean-to profile.
Like everything we build, it can be adjusted. If you want a different door, a different color, or a change to the layout, we can put together a 3D rendering of your changes before we build anything. On the Hearthstead page you can spin the 3D model, and on a phone you can place it life-size in your own yard.
What about a permit?
The Hearthstead is 200 square feet, which is sized to fit New Jersey's shed permit exemption. In New Jersey, a detached shed of 200 square feet or less is generally exempt from a construction permit.
That does not mean there are no rules. Your town's zoning setbacks still apply at any size, and some towns have their own rules. Our NJ shed permit guide covers the basics.
The homeowner typically pulls the permit, and we may be able to assist, so ask about it when you get your quote.
How it gets built
We build our sheds the same way we build our coops. We prebuild most of it in our shop, then deliver the sections and assemble them on your property, like a modular home. That lets us reach fenced or tight yards that a fully pre-built shed on a truck could not get into.
See the full specs and the 3D model on The Hearthstead page, or ask us for a free quote.