Need advice on looking at salvaged lumber

[whit richardson]

I found a local listing from some folks advertising they have a early 1800's carriage house that was severely damaged and will have to be torn down. They claim the inside is covered in some very nice wood, don't know what kind but very pretty. They are looking for someone to look it over and give them an offer before they have it demo'd. I can go by and check it out but how do you get a idea of value without raising too much interest from the local pros?

I can probably go over there and take a piece to id and reference.

I've had situations before where I called some local salvagers to get idea on something only to find when I showed up they had beat a path there before me a scooped up the deal.

Who knows more about this area?

[Jim Koepke]

This is a situation where you need to understand the seller more than you need to know the wood's species.

My approach would be to look at the wood and decide on the spot whether it would be usable for me. Then how much it would be worth to me. If possible, a few tools would be put to surface to see how it planes or cuts. If it was something useable for my work, then the work of making an offer would be considered.

The starting point would be to consider the board footage that could be useable. How much work will be needed to remove and salvage the wood. Most important would be to talk with the sellers to see if they will reveal what they think they should be paid. Knowing where the seller stands can save a lot of time and trouble. Especially when they are thinking maybe they can get a couple hundred for something that is actually worth thousands or thinking they can get rich off of something that isn't worth the trouble.

jim

[whit richardson]

I have to agree it's a case of understanding their expectations and also if they need to get this thing down quickly. I don't know about your area but in the Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky area there are pro lumber salvage folks and scores of part timers hawking barn timbers, tobacco barn flooring (often beech) and other goods found from our rural heritage and history.

It gets to the point that some folks think any wood out of an old barn is gold. The flip side is that some of this stuff really is great old growth lumber. Indiana was completely forested with huge trees when the first settlers showed up.

[Tom Hargrove]

I live in the Chicago area, and my garage is a carriage house built in the 1860's. The lumber is interesting, but after 140+ years of use, has lots of nails and other hardware throughout. Be sure to factor hardware removal in your calculations of value. The old iron nails in my house and garage are very difficult to remove in one piece, (much worse than steel wire nails), since they usually break off when being pulled out. I planed an old 2x4 I found in the attic of the carriage house/garage. It was nice, but nothing to get excited about. Don't forget that old paint has lead in it, so if you are looking at painted siding, paint removal and disposal could be an issue.

I also salvaged some siding from the barn on our family farm in Michigan, and the hardware came out easily. After removing the paint and taking a light pass through the planer, beautiful wood was revealed. I was told it is chestnut, but don't know for certain.

Good luck.

[whit richardson]

Thanks for the info. I'll need to meet these folks and gauge their attitude towards this deal as mentioned above. Next look at the wood and the structure and decide if it's worth messing with it. I don't want to get into EPA disposal issues or siding pieces riddled with metal so I'll wear my good glasses. ;-)