Here at Zembecowicz Manor we heat our house with wood. Wood heat is carbon neutral, and modern wood stoves have efficiency ratings that rival a gas furnace. On top of that, you aren't dependent upon heavy industries that you have no control over to heat your home. If you're interested in maximizing your autonomy, wood heat is the way to go.
Last Winter I rigged up a series of racks to store my firewood in, and covered them with a giant tarp. While this did work, dealing with the tarp became an enormous pain in the ass. Last Winter, I resolved to build a woodshed. I did just that.
My property is sloped, which is great for drainage, but a pain in the ass for building things. I dug three trenches and filled them with 1" minus gravel. After that I built a level floor on a series of piers.
The next step was to build a floor of 3/4" plywood.
I built a frame from 4"X4"s on which to construct a roof.
A roof was then constructed from 2'X6's and 1/2 inch plywood.
I installed a standard tarpaper and shingle roof.
After adding some fence planks and staining it, I have a shed.
