Old Barn lumber pricing

[Rand]

My father in law has a 600 acre farm in Wisconsin. He has an old barn on top of a hill that was built before the days of power machinery. It's roof has deteriorated and it's not worth it to him to fix it.

A man offered him 500 bucks to take down the barn and haul the wood away. The barn timbers are straight oak logs with the bark stripped off. It's about 80 years old and 5,000-6000 sq feet.

It seems to me that 500 dollars for that wood is a screamin deal. Any opinions?

Does anyone know how much old oak would sell for by the board foot?

[ironhat]

Tell that man, "No thanks", and go in search of a company which is buying log structures for the purpose of creating rustic flooring. One opened up a couple of yeards ago and is buying up old homes which have the logs covered with siding and parging of concrete as well as barns. The $500 offer is extremely low, I would think. Do more footwork before settling on this price. If he's pushy it's all the more reason to smell a low-ball figure.

These folks aren't near you but you can call to get an idea of what these folks pay for a structure or, at least, wahat they charge for the logs after they are reclaimed. Maybe I'm completely off base but I think that you can do better.

[scmhogg]

Rand,

There was a TOH episode where they spoke with a company that bought old barns and broke them down to make replicas for rich "farmers". I recall that they were paying top dollar for the old growth stuff.

http://www.endlesspools.com/whatis/w...hmagazine.html

Steve

[sweensdv]

I agree that a second opinion is needed. He may well be sitting on a gold mine but he also could be lucky to get rid of the structure and put $500 in his pocket at the same time. Another competitive bid would put to rest any doubts he may be having.

[backpacker85]

A good friend of mine growing up in NE Ohio started a company in Duluth MN (Duluth Timber) that specializes in recycling old structures. They opened a branch just north of you in Edison WA, and also went in partnership with an outfit called Recycled Lumberworks, in Bellingham WA.

Your structure is a lot smaller than what they usually do, but they may be a good source of information on pricing, or possibly someone else nearby that does smaller structures for a fair price.

If nothing else, a few minutes browsing either of their websites is worthwhile.

If you talk to Max T., tell him Webb from Madison says hello

[Richard in Smithville]

You might want to drop a pm to cranbrook2. John uses nothing but reclaimed lumber that he dismantles from old barns and houses. He might be able to give you some ideas.

[Rand]

Thank you all for the advice

[germdoc]

Where is it at in WI? I have a friend--father of one of my daughter's best friends--who has a flooring business and may be interested in making an offer, or would know someone who would.

I would love some of that wood myself!