Money restoring old stoves?

[DaveNY49]

I have a chance to buy this old Fire View for cheap. Needs some restoration. I’m considering doing it to sell it. Have two questions

1 what do you think I could get for it fully restored?

2. I see some guys who restore and sell old stoves. Is it a profitable passtime?

 

[peakbagger]

What do you value your time at?. Is this going to be a legit business or a hobby? My guess is unless you have a niche working on rare stoves its at best a hobby that might be somewhat cash positive on occasion.

 

[bholler]

I have a chance to buy this old Fire View for cheap. Needs some restoration. I’m considering doing it to sell it. Have two questions

1 what do you think I could get for it fully restored?

2. I see some guys who restore and sell old stoves. Is it a profitable passtime?

You aren't going to make much hourly at all unless you are doing it for people who are attached to the stove for some reason. A typical old steel stove you might add $200 to tge value of the stove by cleaning it up painting it redong the gaskets and brick. After your cost that probably only leaves $75 or so for a few hours work. So there just isn't much room there. When it comes to working on people's stoves we pretty much start at $500 to take it down to bare metal paint bricks etc and it goes up from there. We did a cook stove last year that ended up just over $5000 but that was with having missing or broken parts cast or fabricating them myself. Even at that my hourly rate wasn't as high as I would normally get. But I enjoyed it and was glad to save their stove for them. It had been in the family 3 generations.

 

[DaveNY49]

Thanks bhollaer. I wasn’t planning on restoring stoves for existing owners. I was thinking more about buying used stoves on marketplace, making them new and re selling them. I see so many stoves for sale in various fb wood stove groups going for a good chunk and they are selling. Especially Fishers and Timberlines. There are three groups I’m in where people routinely post these stoves for $800-$1200 after a complete restore and there is always 20 plus comments asking to buy it. I know the customer base of restores stoves is small but if you find them you have a sale. The restored stoves I see being sold in groups are stoves I see on market place for sale old and rusty sitting in someone’s garage selling for $150-$300. If I am willing to travel within a 2-3 hour radius to pick up a stove I think even with new brick, sanding and paint it’s still a good profit. The only bad part is the weight lol. I may try to sell a few and see how it goes. This would be a labor of love for a little extra cash. If I pulled in $500-$1000 a month selling a few stoves I’d be happy

 

[bholler]

Thanks bhollaer. I wasn’t planning on restoring stoves for existing owners. I was thinking more about buying used stoves on marketplace, making them new and re selling them. I see so many stoves for sale in various fb wood stove groups going for a good chunk and they are selling. Especially Fishers and Timberlines. There are three groups I’m in where people routinely post these stoves for $800-$1200 after a complete restore and there is always 20 plus comments asking to buy it. I know the customer base of restores stoves is small but if you find them you have a sale. The restored stoves I see being sold in groups are stoves I see on market place for sale old and rusty sitting in someone’s garage selling for $150-$300. If I am willing to travel within a 2-3 hour radius to pick up a stove I think even with new brick, sanding and paint it’s still a good profit. The only bad part is the weight lol. I may try to sell a few and see how it goes. This would be a labor of love for a little extra cash. If I pulled in $500-$1000 a month selling a few stoves I’d be happy

If the used market for those brand stoves is that high by you chances are you will have a hard time finding cheap ones. And the lesser brand ones you can get cheap aren't going to sell for much. But hey give it a shot it's unlikely you will actually loose money

 

[DaveNY49]

I just heard there is a new stove coming out soon that is supposed to be the best stove ever. It’s going to be called the Bholler.

 

[bholler]

I just heard there is a new stove coming out soon that is supposed to be the best stove ever. It’s going to be called the Bholler.

Lol I doubt that

 

[coaly]

I just heard there is a new stove coming out soon that is supposed to be the best stove ever. It’s going to be called the Bholler.

There was a Better N Ben’s and you see what happened to that.

 

[brenndatomu]

I've flipped a few popular model wood furnaces...might put a lil extra coin in your pocket in the end, but the hourly rate is peanuts.