Tearing down old smoke house shed

WVH1977 · Apr 22, 2017

I have been tearing down an old shed on my property. I have salvaged about 30 8ft boards out of it so far. I started burning a lot of the scrap and picking the nails out with my big magnet. There are still some nice boards left that I have not got to yet. They are probably 100 years or older and heart pine. My neighbor said his grandfather built it back in the 30's with wood from another existing barn. I am just wondering if I should keep de-nailiing and keeping the decent boards or just burn it all up. I am getting kind of tired of fooling with it and burning the rest of it would take care of it fast. I guess I am kind of a pack-rat with this kind of thing. I am trying to justify with myself that I will eventually used the salvaged boards for other projects.

What would some of you do in this situation? Keep as many boards as possible or burn it up and be done?

WVH1977 · Apr 22, 2017

Just to let everyone know. i am not going to be burning right where it is in the picture, I have a burn pile I am taking it to.

s219 · Apr 22, 2017

Have you considered selling the wood? I know that woodworkers and custom home builders love reclaimed heart pine.

Slowpoke Slim · Apr 22, 2017

^+1

Selling that old reclaimed barn wood might net you a nice pile of cash. I sure wouldn't burn any "good" boards.

s219 · Apr 22, 2017

If you decide to sell it, I can put the word out to a couple guys in the area who look for that wood.

WVH1977 · Apr 22, 2017

I thought about doing that but I have a lot of projects going on right now besides this one. It is nice and wet today so I could make a lot of it disappear with a good fire. I am just not sure I want to put it up for sale and wait for someone who wants it. I think I have enough boards now for some of the projects I want to do in the future. I just have a hard time burning up boards that are still in good shape but at the same time I need to get this done so I can move on to the next project. I don't want to end up like my uncle, 2 outbuildings filled with wood that he still has not used yet. lol

WVH1977 · Apr 22, 2017

s219 said:
If you decide to sell it, I can put the word out to a couple guys in the area who look for that wood.

I wouldn't even know what price to put on it. Never sold reclaimed wood.

EddieWalker · Apr 22, 2017

I have found that for me, it's better to get rid of it the fastest way possible. Everything I've tried to save for later use is either in the way all the time, or it deteriorates. I'm now down to a very small area of supplies that I keep on hand that is probably twice the size it needs to be. Boards just have a way of bending and twisting on me.

I also hate dealing with selling stuff. If there is real value there, I'll do it, but not for less money then I can make by going to work for half a day and doing something productive that I enjoy.

muddstopper · Apr 22, 2017

I have done similar demolitions and saved the lumber before too. I will just say that if you decide to keep the lumber, it is very important you stack and sticker it in the dry. If the wood gets wet, rained on or is dead stacked, it will be rotten and useless in about a year. How it can last so long nailed into a wall and rot so fast in a stack is beyond me.

My house was built out of lumber my dad and I cut and had sawed. It was stickered stacked under a shed until it was used to build the house in 1984. White pine boards, 12in wide board and batten style siding. Dad let a guy talk him into covering up the board and batten siding a few years later with vinyl. I moved into the house in 1999. I noticed moisture around the windows and removed all the vinyl siding when I found out water was seeping around the vinyl trim work. Poor installation. I had enough rot around the windows I decided to strip off the wood siding down to the studs and reside the house, again using vinyl. the lumber was just as white and clear as it was the day it was nailed up, except where it was water damaged. I pulled all the nails, and sticker stacked it and covered with tin to protect it. I used a little here and there, but notied it was getting bad pretty fast. Some of the lumber I reused to build a storage building is still good, what wasnt used and left in the stack is long gone. It rotted where the stickers and lumber contacted, termites and bugs infested it. Now the lumber lasted for years under a covered shed, and on the walls of my storage shed, but it didnt last a full year stickered stacked and covered out in the weather.

WVH1977 · Apr 22, 2017

Update:

I took advantage of the rain today and got a lot done on the demolition. I went ahead and salvaged the good pieces and burnt the rest. Now I am down to sawing up the floor and burning it. I always have a hard time getting rid of things like wood but I think I did ok today. I did not salvage every piece. My boss wants some of the wood to make barn doors out of so that will get rid of some of it.

Once I get rid of the floor I have to close up the the side on the new shed. Whatever idiot used to live here decided it was a good idea to put the new shed up against that old smoke house shed. Now I have to remove some of the shingles and put some plywood down on the roof and close it back up. They cut like 5" of shingles off and then put that black tar down to try and connect it to the old shed. I have no idea what they were thinking. Anyway it will be fixed right this time and look a whole lot better. This is one job I really have not enjoyed so much. Only took me five years to start on this project. LOL