Logs for a garden room stove need to suit short burns, small fireboxes and limited storage space. More households now have a garden office, shepherd’s hut or summerhouse with its own little stove. At Empress Fencing, we supply fencing and timber supplies in Clitheroe, including kiln dried firewood delivered across the BB postcode area. This guide explains which logs work best and how to keep a small supply dry.
How a Small Garden Stove Differs From a House Stove
A garden room stove works quite differently from a living room stove. It heats a small space quickly. However, it is often lit for an hour or two rather than a whole evening.
Short Burns and Quick Heat
Most garden rooms are used in short sessions. You might light the stove for a morning’s work or a couple of hours in the evening. Therefore, logs for a garden room stove should give fast heat rather than a long, slow burn.
A small timber building also warms up very quickly. As a result, an overloaded stove can make the room uncomfortably hot. Smaller, more frequent loads usually work better than one big fill.
Softwood Logs for a Garden Room Stove
Softwood suits short sessions very well. It catches quickly and gives a lively flame within minutes. Our 10 nets of softwood logs and 2 nets of kindling bundle is kiln dried Norwegian Spruce and Larch.
Nets are also easy to handle in a garden. You can carry one down the path without a barrow. Moreover, a net or two fits neatly beside the hut door or under a bench.
Hardwood for Longer Sits
Sometimes you want the stove going all afternoon. In that case, hardwood logs for a garden room stove are the better choice. Our mixed hardwood may include oak, ash, beech, birch, sycamore, alder and hornbeam, although the species mix cannot be specified.
Hardwood burns more slowly and holds a steady heat. So, many owners light with softwood and then add a hardwood log or two. That combination gives quick warmth followed by a longer, even burn. Our builders bag of logs holds around 0.6 cubic metres of this kiln dried mix.
Log Length and Tiny Fireboxes
Garden room stoves are often very compact. Some shepherd’s hut stoves have fireboxes barely wider than a shoebox. Therefore, the length of logs for a garden room stove matters a great deal.
Our logs are cut on average to 8 inches long, with a maximum diameter of 6 inches. That suits many small stoves well. However, measure the inside of your firebox first, leaving space around the log for air. Our guide to log length for a stove explains how.
If a few logs are slightly too long, split them in half lengthways. Thinner pieces also catch faster, which suits short sessions anyway.
Choosing Logs for a Garden Room Stove That Light Cleanly
Dry fuel matters even more in a small space. A smoky stove in a garden office soon fills the room with smell. In addition, a smouldering fire can tar a short flue quickly.
All of our firewood is kiln dried to under 20% moisture and Ready to Burn certified. As a result, it lights reliably and burns cleanly from the first match. Our guide on why kiln-dried logs are better for your chimney and stove covers the benefits in detail.
Kindling matters too. One net of our kiln dried kindling lights around 10 to 12 fires. For a garden office used most weekdays, the 5 nets of kindling lasts well into the new year.
Storing a Few Days’ Supply Dry
Most garden rooms have very little storage inside. That is fine, because you only need a few days of logs near the stove. Keep them in a basket on the hearth, but not touching the stove itself.
Keep the main supply of logs for a garden room stove in a proper log store nearby. The log store 3×5 is 3ft wide and 5ft high, with a sloping feather edge board roof. Its slatted back and sides let air move through the logs. Furthermore, it arrives fully assembled, so it is ready to fill straight away.
Avoid leaving nets on damp grass or decking. Wet Lancashire autumns soak the bottom of a net within a day or two. Instead, lift them onto a pallet or a shelf.
Lighting a Cold Garden Room Quickly
A garden room is often cold and damp when you first open the door. The flue is cold too, so the stove may draw poorly at first. Therefore, a quick, hot start matters.
Use plenty of dry kindling and a single firelighter. Then add two or three small softwood logs once the kindling catches. Leave the air fully open for the first 15 minutes, so the flue warms and the draw improves.
Also keep the room ventilated, as the stove manufacturer recommends. A carbon monoxide alarm is essential in any small building with a stove. Test it before the first fire of the season.
Getting Logs Down the Garden
Garden rooms are often at the far end of the plot. The driver will deliver to the most appropriate spot near the road. However, they cannot carry logs down the garden or lift them over walls.
So, plan how you will move the logs to the store. Nets are easiest to carry. A builders bag is slid off the back of the van, then emptied by barrow. Add access notes in the order comments box to help the driver.
Ordering in Langho and Billington
Many homes in Langho have larger gardens with room for a summerhouse or garden office. Our page on logs for sale Langho covers deliveries in the village.
Billington sits close by, with a mix of terraced homes and newer houses. See our logs for sale Billington page for local detail.
Need logs for a garden room stove this autumn? Call Empress Fencing on 01200 449930 to talk through nets, hardwood and kindling. Delivery is free on orders over £150 across all BB postcode areas, and we aim to deliver within 5 working days.
