Summary

A log store looks like the simplest outdoor timber structure a carpenter can build, and in terms of labour it often is — but the design decisions that separate a good log store from a bad one are the same ones that determine whether the customer's wood actually meets the Ready to Burn moisture standard, or sits at 30%+ moisture producing smoke, creosote, and a call-back complaint about their stove. Get the airflow wrong and the store becomes an expensive way to keep wet wood wet.

Pricing follows the same logic as the smaller garden outbuildings covered elsewhere on this wiki: the base and foundation are frequently under-priced relative to the visible structure, timber treatment and durability class matter because the store lives outside permanently, and sizing needs to match how the customer actually burns — a household running a wood burner through a full UK heating season needs meaningfully more storage capacity than the single small store most people picture when they ask for a quote. For the moisture-content science that drives the design brief, see wood fuel moisture content; for the equivalent small-outbuilding base pricing, see shed base pricing guide.

This guide covers lean-to, freestanding, and multi-bay log stores, sizing against realistic winter wood consumption, the airflow and base design that actually works, and a worked pricing example.

Key Facts

Quick Reference Table

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Job Capacity Base Labour Typical Price £
Small lean-to store 0.5-1m³ Paving slabs/gravel 0.25-0.5 day £150-£400
Kit/flat-pack freestanding store 1-1.5m³ Paving slabs 0.5 day £250-£550
Bespoke freestanding single-bay 1-2m³ Paving slabs/gravel 0.75-1 day £400-£800
Two-bay store (season + ready-to-burn) 2-4m³ Small concrete pad 1-1.5 days £700-£1,500
Bespoke oak-framed store 2-4m³ Concrete pad/footings 2-3 days £1,500-£3,000+

Detailed Guidance

Sizing for how the customer actually burns

The most common under-sizing mistake is building a store around what looks tidy in the garden rather than what the household will actually burn through a UK winter. A well-insulated home running a modern stove for evening use through a typical Oct-March season commonly gets through 3-5m³ of wood; an open fire, a poorly insulated house, or a household burning most evenings uses noticeably more. Because freshly split hardwood needs 12-24 months of air-seasoning to reach below the 20% moisture content required for clean, compliant burning (see wood fuel moisture content for the full moisture science and species-by-species seasoning times), the practical answer for most households burning regularly is a two-bay store: one bay holding this season's ready-to-burn wood, the other holding next year's wood as it seasons. Quoting a single small store for a household that burns through a full winter sets the customer up to run out of seasoned wood by February and start burning wet logs — exactly the scenario that drives excess creosote and chimney-fire risk.

Airflow is the design brief, not an afterthought

A log store's entire job is to keep rain off the top of the pile while allowing air to move freely through the sides. This is a genuinely different brief to a shed or a bin store, where the instinct is to enclose and protect. Enclosing the sides of a log store — solid panels, close-boarded cladding, or a lean-to built flush against a wall on three sides — traps humid air around the logs and can actively slow drying or cause re-wetting of wood that was previously dry, even though the structure "looks" more finished. The correct build is open or widely slatted sides for cross-ventilation, a roof that oversails the stack by 50-100mm to throw rain clear, and — critically — a raised base.

The base — off the ground, not on it

Logs stacked directly on soil or grass wick moisture up from the ground into the bottom layer of the stack indefinitely, regardless of how well the top and sides are designed. A raised base is not optional: bearers or pallets for a basic DIY-style store, or a proper paving-slab or gravel base for a built structure, following the same base logic as shed base pricing guide at a smaller scale. A gravel bed over a membrane both raises the stack and improves drainage away from the base; paving slabs on compacted hardcore give a cleaner, more durable finish for a bespoke build. Either way, the base needs to be level and well-draining — a store sat in a puddle after rain defeats the purpose of the roof above it.

Timber and construction

The frame — particularly any posts in ground contact — needs a higher timber durability class than the slatted sides, since ground-contact timber faces sustained moisture exposure that above-ground slats don't (commonly cited as Use Class 4 for the frame versus Use Class 3 for the cladding under BS 8417; confirm the specific class against species before ordering). Posts set into the ground follow the same one-third burial principle used for fencing, in postcrete or concrete, adjusting the depth up in clay or waterlogged ground — see fence post installation depth. For a premium finish, oak-framed stores are increasingly popular, matching a garden's existing oak-framed structures (pergolas, gazebos) — see pergola planning for comparable foundation options (concrete pad, ground screw, or metal spike) that apply equally well to a log store's posts.

Planning and fire safety

Domestic log stores fall under the same permitted development framework as other small garden outbuildings — generally acceptable within the height and garden-coverage limits for outbuildings, without a planning application, provided the store isn't positioned in front of the principal elevation and the property isn't listed or in a conservation area with an Article 4 direction removing the right. As with any timber structure, proximity to a boundary or another building brings Building Regulations Part B (external fire spread) into consideration — a log store, by definition, holds a substantial quantity of dry, combustible fuel, so siting it hard against a boundary fence, a garage, or the house itself deserves more thought than siting a bin store in the same position. Keep the store a sensible distance from the house and boundary where the garden allows, and flag the fire-load consideration to the customer if space forces a near-boundary position.

Pricing Example (Freestanding two-bay log store, 1.8m wide × 0.6m deep × 1.8m high, ~2m³ total capacity, regional)

Item Cost
Paving slab base + gravel bed £180
Pressure-treated timber frame (posts, rails) £220
Slatted sides (spaced battens) £160
Roof (felt-covered ply, oversailed) £140
Fixings, postcrete £50
Labour (carpenter, 1 day) £220
Margin 20% £194
Total £1,164

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a log store cost?

A small lean-to store against an existing wall or fence costs £150-£400. A freestanding single-bay store is £300-£700, and a larger two-bay store sized for a full winter's wood plus a seasoning batch runs £600-£1,500. Bespoke oak-framed stores start around £1,200 and can exceed £3,000 for a larger, matched-to-garden build.

How big should a log store be?

Bigger than most customers first ask for. A household regularly burning a stove through a UK winter typically gets through 3-5m³ of wood per season, and because hardwood needs 12-24 months to season, a two-bay design — one bay of ready-to-burn wood, one bay seasoning next year's batch — is the practical recommendation for anyone burning regularly rather than occasionally. See wood fuel moisture content for seasoning times by species.

Should a log store be fully enclosed?

No. A fully enclosed store with solid sides traps humid air around the logs and can slow drying or cause re-wetting, even though it looks more finished than an open-sided design. The correct build is a roof that sheds rain off the top plus open or slatted sides for continuous cross-ventilation, with the log stack raised off the ground on a proper base.

Does a log store need planning permission?

Usually not for a standard domestic garden — it falls under the same permitted development rules as other small outbuildings, within the height and garden-coverage limits, provided it isn't positioned in front of the principal elevation and the property isn't listed or in a conservation area with restricted permitted development rights.

What timber should a log store frame be made from?

Pressure-treated softwood is the standard, cost-effective choice, with the frame (especially any posts in ground contact) specified to a higher durability class than the slatted sides — commonly Use Class 4 for ground-contact timber versus Use Class 3 for above-ground cladding under BS 8417. Confirm the specific class against the timber species before ordering; under-specified timber in ground contact will fail years before the above-ground structure.

Regulations & Standards