Handhewn Barn Beams

[rancar]

Buckeye's post on hewn fieldstones reminded me of how valuable old handhewn barn posts and beams have become. In my local Want Ad Digest, Capital District, upstate New York, I've seen barn beams, maybe 15-20 in total 20'-25' long being priced by their owners at $4K-6K for all /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif. Is this for real??? Are old barn beams in your neighborhoods selling in this price range?

Regards,
Bob Ancar
Cambridge, NY

 

[JJT]

Bob, You might see them priced that high, but are they really selling? I'm also in the capital district and picked up a tractor trailer load of 40' 8x12's for the cost of loading, trucking and unloading. Field stone is another matter, I've sold several tri-axle loads at $100 - $200/yard, depending on mileage, size and customer requirements. I once had a customer that had to have moss covered stones, that load was hand picked out of a streambed and the customer paid a premium. JJT

 

[Steelfan]

This reminds me of when I was trying to find someone to tear down a old log home for the logs. I was told by just about everyone that the logs and the wide floorboards would be worth something. When I found someone to look at them for such a deal, I was told they were the wrong kind of wood. Unbelievable with the 12" to 16" tongue, and groove flooring, no one wanted them. So I kept the best ones. I know its a little different from the Barn Beams, but thought of it when I saw this post.

 

[rancar]

John--

I don't know if these beams at these prices are selling or not. I do know I have old Want Ad Digests I've saved from 5 years ago. Then, asking prices were $1-2K for similar loads. I believe builders may use these to some degree to add some type of authentic character in barn conversion projects, old homes, and the like. But, I never envisioned these kind of prices that are being asked /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif. I have similar type of beams in my barn that I salvaged from old hog barn that fell down on our property. Many of these are oak and chestnut. Now, I'm going to take a closer look at them to see their quality and to try to determine their marketability. Selling a load of these beams for $5K would certainly make a nice down payment on the JD4710. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Regards,
Bob Ancar
Cambridge, NY

 

[AndyR]

Depending on the size, species and quality of the beam - that may actually be a resonable price. Sometimes you get a customer requirement for old wood and you either work it into a timber frame or apply it over a stick frame to get the same effect. anybody can ask those kind of prices - the key is knowing when and where to advertise. There is a market but I don't think it is particularly large.

The same goes with old wood from barns and houses. When I get ready to rework my 1852 40x80 bank barn I will (hopefully) have a buyer lined up for the old siding on the south side - but I'm not betting the ranch on it.