Called about a wood delivery yesterday

[Woodsplitter67]

I was driving back to my house yesterday around lunchtime. I was like 3 towns over and on a road I normally dont take, but this was the way GPS wanted to go. I drove past a place that was selling wood. There were massive long piles of split wood obviously from a processor. The wood in some.spots had to be 10/12 ft high and hundreds of feet long..

I called to see what was the pricing as I have never heard of this company. The man was nice and gave me the information. It was all oak its 240 per cord and is seasoned... for 5 months.. they prefer it to be seasoned for 9 months but that was all sold out he explained.

I took some pictures when driving by. This wood is sitting in a field in mud, its been raining for days. You can see the water on my windows. If its seasoned for 5 months this means that the woods been sitting here since October and all winter. The woods been split for sure, but not actually seasoned. The top portion may have lost a couple of points but the bottom is water logged and probably staring to rot.

I can't see the wood being anything less then 31/32 % MC. I fined it had to believe that people are paying 240 a cord for not even colse to seasoned wood and are happy with it, I cant see how they dont get complaints and continually sell that much wood.

 

[redyute]

hell of a lot of wood

 

[armanidog]

hell of a lot of wood

This was Helsinki, Finland during the 1940's. Impressive stacks.

 

[NickW]

In WI I used to see mixed hardwood cords usually at well over $300 and oak closer to $400...and that was pre pandemic. Never bought any and haven't looked in a few years, but that seems pretty cheap to me even if you have to season it for a couple of years.

 

[spuldup]

Cut and split wood is expensive. It's sold here in Western PA for $200-300 and you know it was cut less than 3 months ago. Slabwood (mostly bark) is $100 per cord but mostly useless except to start fires (next winter, that is). As a first year wood burner It has been hard even in this mild winter. I was fortunate to stumble across a guy selling 3 year old CSS white oak blocking and debarked thick slabwood from the local veneer plant for $100/almost a cord. I bought 5 of these loads and cut probably another 3-4 of standing dead on our property to feed the old wood furnace. Had we a newer efficient furnace or boiler I'd probably only need 3-4 total for this past winter.

 

[Eman85]

I used to pass a place on 287 in NJ that had a mountain of split firewood, I'm sure they were selling.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

To me.. for wet wood that's maybe ready to burn in fall 2025.. seams pricey.. I dont know what otheres here in NJ are purchasing for and if its seasoned..

I dont purchase wood..I never have.. to me Id say like 150 tops for green wood, It may be seasoned for 5 months..its not burnable.. its green.. or kinda brown with alot of water in it


Anybody from NJ.. feel.free to chime in

 

[trailrated]

I'd pay the 240 a cord for the oak IF I got the stuff on top or mid pile. IMO, 240 is reasonable for a cord of oak. But I would this purchase this for the winter of 24/25'

 

[JRHAWK9]

In WI I used to see mixed hardwood cords usually at well over $300 and oak closer to $400...and that was pre pandemic.

This makes me want to raise my prices of my 6 year old c/s/s oak up from $405/cord. I don't want to sell a lot of it, so maybe $450/cord is what I should be asking next year.

 

[Ashful]

To me.. for wet wood that's maybe ready to burn in fall 2025.. seams pricey.. I dont know what otheres here in NJ are purchasing for and if its seasoned..

I dont purchase wood..I never have.. to me Id say like 150 tops for green wood, It may be seasoned for 5 months..its not burnable.. its green.. or kinda brown with alot of water in it


Anybody from NJ.. feel.free to chime in

If you use Craigslist as a barometer, it seems oak is going around $275/cord around here, and I don't believe any of it is more seasoned than what you show in your photo. I wouldn't pay it, but someone is.

 

[NickW]

This makes me want to raise my prices of my 6 year old c/s/s oak up from $405/cord. I don't want to sell a lot of it, so maybe $450/cord is what I should be asking next year.

One of these years I'm going to PM you before leaving the Northwoods and instead of getting off 51 at 10 to head east keep coming south to admire your wood piles....

 

[Ashful]

One of these years I'm going to PM you before leaving the Northwoods and instead of getting off 51 at 10 to head east keep coming south to admire your wood piles....

Get a photo of the real face, while you're there. You gotta be curious, with that avatar.

 

[Niro]

$240 is not bad for Oak. Plenty of people will just burn it in an out door pit or an open fireplace with some wine and it will likely burn this fall. But heating with it is as you know another story.

 

[JRHAWK9]

Get a photo of the real face, while you're there. You gotta be curious, with that avatar.

hey now....that's my glamour shot!!

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I guess I look at what I have on hand here at the house and say.. thats 3500 worth of wood??? Doesn't seam right.. I guess it is.. I guess if you look at what they are asking for wet wood compared to what Im selling actual dry wood for.. I guess its not bad

 

[yooperdave]

hey now....that's my glamour shot!!

Why the nerve! And right after your visit to the dentist! Go figure, huh?

 

[JRHAWK9]

Why the nerve! And right after your visit to the dentist! Go figure, huh?

....and right before the exorcism to get rid of that look in my eyes.

 

[Ashful]

I guess I look at what I have on hand here at the house and say.. thats 3500 worth of wood??? Doesn't seam right.. I guess it is.. I guess if you look at what they are asking for wet wood compared to what Im selling actual dry wood for.. I guess its not bad

It'll be interesting, if and when I live long enough to sell this place, what becomes of the 20 - 40 cords I have in constant rotation in the back yard. I've paired down from 30 cords CSS'd to just 17, but I easily have that and more again in stacked logs.

Sell it? Leave it? See if the buyer is willing to pay for it? Likely, it will become one of the levers in negotiation, such as forgiving some other inspection issue by compensating cost in firewood.

 

[MinM]

I actually have that dilemma on a smaller scale right now- moving into a new house at the end of the month. Old house has 10+ cords in rotation, and another 3 or 4 waiting for chainsaw and X27.

 

[broadhead]

Cut and split wood is expensive. It's sold here in Western PA for $200-300 and you know it was cut less than 3 months ago. Slabwood (mostly bark) is $100 per cord but mostly useless except to start fires (next winter, that is). As a first year wood burner It has been hard even in this mild winter. I was fortunate to stumble across a guy selling 3 year old CSS white oak blocking and debarked thick slabwood from the local veneer plant for $100/almost a cord. I bought 5 of these loads and cut probably another 3-4 of standing dead on our property to feed the old wood furnace. Had we a newer efficient furnace or boiler I'd probably only need 3-4 total for this past winter.

What is the place called? You know Lipinski's in Kennerdell has $50 slab bundles with some pretty large pieces in the bundles. Not sure the exact cuft of the bundles but pretty close to a cord I'd say. Slabs work great to pack in the tetris pieces after filling the stove with some big splits. Really helps ensure good use of the firebox.

 

[Ashful]

I actually have that dilemma on a smaller scale right now- moving into a new house at the end of the month. Old house has 10+ cords in rotation, and another 3 or 4 waiting for chainsaw and X27.

Have you come up with a plan, yet? When's settlement on the old place? Have you asked if the buyer wants to comp you for some part of it?

Ideal would be just taking one year's worth with you (3-4 cords?), and getting new owner to buy the balance from you, to leave it there.

 

[JamesGuido]

240 is a danggood price!
a guy in Franklin WI (a few miles from home) was selling face cord seasoned oak for 60 bucks...
i heard about it while i was outta town and it was all gone upon my return.

 

[MinM]

Have you come up with a plan, yet? When's settlement on the old place? Have you asked if the buyer wants to comp you for some part of it?

Ideal would be just taking one year's worth with you (3-4 cords?), and getting new owner to buy the balance from you, to leave it there.

My knee jerk plan was to rent a UHaul, employ child labor and take it with me. Admittedly, I'm a little irrationally attached to the wood. It was all tree length logs from my current property that I chainsawed and hand split with the X27 or the 8lb maul, so I feel that there's a lot of my sweat mixed in the moisture of every piece of firewood. The stupid thing is, the new place doesn't have a wood stove (yet). Old place isn't on the market yet and might end up as a rental property.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

My knee jerk plan was to rent a UHaul, employ child labor and take it with me. Admittedly, I'm a little irrationally attached to the wood. It was all tree length logs from my current property that I chainsawed and hand split with the X27 or the 8lb maul, so I feel that there's a lot of my sweat mixed in the moisture of every piece of firewood. The stupid thing is, the new place doesn't have a wood stove (yet). Old place isn't on the market yet and might end up as a rental property.

Take it with you. The time/money/effort to replace it is near priceless now. Find a guy with a semi and fill it. Just throw it in.

 

[weee123]

I’ve seen some prices on marketplace for $300 a cord of oak. Me personally i don’t and won’t buy firewood. I would start a tree service before buying my own firewood.