An open-sided, single-slope log store roughly 16 ft long, 2 ft deep, with the wood deck held about 4 in off the gravel on sleeper rails. The back posts stand 5 ft, the front posts 6 ft, giving the roof a steep pitch that sheds snow toward the open front. Two stacking bays of 8 ft each, split by a center post, hold a full two face cords (about 16 linear feet of 16-in to 18-in splits stacked 4 ft high).
The frame is black locust, the most rot-resistant lumber available in the Northwest Hills and the right call for a structure that lives outdoors uncovered on its open faces for decades. The whole rack is a freestanding frame that rests on a compacted gravel pad on two locust skid runners, so there are no post holes to dig and nothing to frost-heave.
Open sides plus a raised deck give firewood the cross-ventilation it needs to drop below 20% moisture in a single season. The mono-slope roof keeps rain and snowmelt off the stack while the open front lets you load and pull wood without fighting a door.
One spec is still a placeholder: the elevation at the chosen site relative to the shed pad. Before ordering gravel, measure the fall across the 16 ft run. If it is more than about 3 in, plan a low retaining edge of stone or a locust curb on the downhill side of the pad so the base stays level. Dimensions below assume a near-level pad once prepped.
Working dimensions for the full 16 ft, two-bay frame. Confirm the site elevation and fall before ordering.
Quantities cover the full 16 ft, two-bay frame. Black locust is sold rough-sawn and often in 8 ft lengths, so the cut list builds the 16 ft runs from 8 ft stock lapped over the center post. Use stainless or hot-dipped galvanized fasteners only, plain zinc corrodes against locust tannins.
| Tool | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tape measure (25 ft) | Owned | Layout and spacing |
| Level (4 ft) | Owned | Critical for the pad, plumb on the posts |
| Framing square | Owned | Corner checks on the frame |
| Combination square | Owned | Marking cuts and bolt layout |
| Circular saw | Owned | Cutting runners, beams, rails |
| 10 in sliding compound miter saw | Owned | Clean square cuts on posts and rafters |
| Reciprocating saw (Makita 18V) | Owned | Trimming rough stock to length |
| Cordless drill | Owned | Pre-drill every hole, locust is dense and hard |
| Impact driver (Makita 18V) | Owned | Driving structural and roofing screws |
| Forstner bits (counterbore for bolt heads) | Owned | Recessing carriage bolt heads |
| Wheelbarrow | Owned | Moving gravel to the pad |
| Shovel + garden fork | Owned | Pad excavation |
| Soil tamper (hand) | Owned | Small-pad alternative to the plate compactor, two passes |
| Sawhorses / workbench | Owned | Cutting and assembly station |
| Work gloves | Owned | Handling rough locust |
| Safety glasses | Owned | Cutting and drilling |
| Hearing protection | Owned | Power saws |
| Plate compactor | Rent $60-90/day | Sunbelt Rentals, Torrington. Most reliable base for the 17 ft pad. Hand tamper works over two passes if you skip the rental. |
| Tin snips or circ-saw metal blade | Buy $15-28 | Cutting the corrugated roof panels, snips for a clean edge or a metal blade for speed |
| Item | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Black locust 4x4 posts (6) | $120 | $210 |
| Black locust 4x4 skid runners (4) | $90 | $150 |
| Black locust 2x6 top beams (4) | $80 | $130 |
| Locust or white oak 2x4 rafters (9) | $45 | $75 |
| 2x4 purlins, sleepers, retainer rails | $108 | $174 |
| Corrugated metal roof panels (3) | $75 | $120 |
| Roofing screws, structural screws, carriage bolts | $76 | $121 |
| 3/4 in crushed stone + geotextile | $73 | $115 |
| Tin snips or metal blade | $15 | $28 |
| Plate compactor rental (1 day, optional) | $0 | $90 |
| DIY Total | $650 | $1,025 |
| Professional install (Litchfield County CT) | $2,500 | $4,500 |
DIY total is all materials plus the one optional rental, with tools already owned except the panel snips. Pro install assumes a carpenter building a custom locust log store, materials and labor, Litchfield County rates. Locust is the biggest line, sourcing rough-sawn direct from a sawmill is where the real savings live.
Black locust and white oak are high-tannin woods. Plain zinc-plated screws and brackets will corrode and bleed black streaks within a season. Use stainless steel or hot-dipped galvanized only for every fastener that touches the frame. This is the single most common way a locust build goes wrong.
Black locust is the right primary choice: rot-resistant for 25+ years in ground or weather contact, locally available rough-sawn, and it ages to a handsome silver-grey. If the sawmill is short on locust, white oak is the next best structural substitute, and Western red cedar works for the non-structural rafters and rails at lower cost. Avoid pressure-treated here: you have a naturally rot-resistant option on hand, and PT looks wrong next to the shed.
Locust is the biggest line. Sourcing rough-sawn direct from a sawmill rather than a retail yard is where the real savings live. Substituting white oak or cedar for the non-structural rafters and rails trims cost without touching the structural integrity. The metal roof and gravel are fixed and minor.
Skipping the level check on the pad leads to a rack that racks out of square as it loads.
Using zinc fasteners with locust bleeds black streaks and loosens within a year.
Stacking wood tight against a back wall instead of leaving an air gap traps moisture and slows seasoning.
Setting the runners directly on soil instead of gravel reintroduces the ground contact you built the rack to avoid.
Black locust: Granby Sawmill is the closest reliable source for rough-sawn locust, call ahead for 4x4 and 2x6 availability since they cut to order.
White oak backup: Iffland Lumber (Litchfield) or Northwest Building Supply (Cornwall Bridge).
Metal roofing, fasteners, gravel: Torrington Lowe's for panels and screws, gravel by the yard from a local landscape supplier is cheaper than bagged.
Geotextile: any of the building-supply yards.
Almost none, which is the point of locust.