Hi :o

My basement can get very damp smelling (ugh) in bad weather - even occasional water seepage.

Is it OK to store firewood there (for use in my newly installed brand-new Lopi woodstove?

I have nowhere else safe from itchy fingers which abound in this area. Outdoors is not advisable for that very reason.

Would the firewood remain dry, if I first lay out a plastic sheet, and on top of that, large cutouts from the brown carton which the stove came in?

Advice appreciated - thanks!

I can't guarantee your chances on keeping that firewood useable in a damp basement. I would suggest getting an old skid and getting it off the floor, but plastic and cardboard will not do any good, they will only compound the dampness factor. How many cords are you storing ?

Is there any way you can construct a wooden cage, with a lock to keep the wood in outside?

Tick

I vote for the well-secured outside (well away from house) storage. Damp wood in the basement is a great way to attract termites.

See, here's the big picture: I was going to use the handyman (who installed the wood stove) to also build some sort of shed directly adjacent to the garage. But he turned out to be a crook who did sloppy work on the stove & overcharged me, claiming the stove-company hadn't included the ceiling support & that he had to buy it elsewhere for $400, thus the total I shelled out to him was $1,200. This was a bald lie, since they told me yesterday that it ALL was included & sent me the itemization. Now don't quickly conclude that I'm gullible, because there's much more to the story including an excellent reference from a very reputable guy who's this man's cousin.

See, I hadn't wished to second-guess the jerk in front of his reputable buddy whom I wanted to keep on good terms with for other service work.

(btw, I included final pics in the AskMe Construction Forum, where I'd asked my original Qs for decisions re: fireplace/woodstove/other).

Anyway.. the garage is old with a locked door (no key) and crumbly patio/overhang above it which is about to collapse one of these years. Adjacent to it is the entry to basement. There's no opening within garage leading to basement (rather, the door to basement is directly outside it.)

Since aforesaid handyman turned out to be a jerk, I'd decided against using him further for construction of woodshed. He'd been trying to jack up the total for that, too, to the tune of $800. When I declined the job, he later phoned me with a "new" $450 quote for torching the above patio/overhang & enclosing the overhang to act as a shed. But by this point, frankly, I got cold feet at the thought of using him.

That's the gist of it, but only the tip of iceberg, since I'm not exaggerating when I say that Bad Luck 'R Me.


UPDATE:

Today I did a lot of legwork. Walked about 2 miles to lumberyard, where they throw out wood-slat skids for free pickup.

But the skids were outside, so how do I know whether there aren't termites eating at the skids (even the newer looking ones)?

Also, the 4-foot ones were very heavy (I'm a weak shrimp), so not sure if a taxi driver would be willing to help me get them loaded or what he'd charge.

Other alternative:

Later today, I went into the warehouse section of local supermarket, where I saw a large number of blue & red pepsi/coke & Polar stackable tray-crates.

The guy said the Pepsi & Coke guys show up approx. 3:00 pm, so I can ask them if any are available. But I bet they'll be quick to say "no" even if I ask if I can pay for them to bring me about 20 of them.

Anyway, I wonder, would one level of 20 such tray-crates be strong enough & sufficient to support a cord of wood? Each one measures 19" x 9.5"

I'm thinking that plastic crates could avoid termites, as opposed to wood skids. Is this assumption correct?