Lacking room to store wood in his basement and tired of carrying wood down basement stairs, Ray Johannsen, Pipestone, Minn. decided to build an underground wood bin alongside his house.

The bin, made with concrete, is built right against the foundation of the house. The top blocks bolt to the foundation and two steel rails support the roof, which is made of wood siding and slopes to the front to keep moisture off.

The roof on the 10-ft. wide bin. that extends 6 ft. off the house, lifts up so they can use a tractor and loader to fill it with wood. To get into the bin, the Johannsens cut a door in their basement wall.

"Since the bin is in the front of the house," Ray says, "we plan on putting astro turf over it to improve the looks."

The Johannsens would be happy to share their plans with interested readers.