ᐅ Harvesting your own construction timber or hiring a company

Hello dear forum members,

We are currently facing the question of whether to harvest the timber ourselves for our upcoming single-family home due to beetle infestation in our own forest.
We need to fell several cubic meters of wood in the next few weeks. This timber can be used for the roof structure, etc. (beams, battens, boards, rafters, and so on).

The situation is as follows:
We plan to start construction around early 2022 / late 2021. The house will have a gable roof in a T-shape with a double garage. The floor plan is approximately (8x10 + 5x6) meters ((26x33 + 16x20) feet).
At the moment, we do not have a building plan, so we will either have to store the timber temporarily or cut it roughly to approximate dimensions.
The main question for us now is also the financial aspect.
Is the work worth it at all? We will fell the trees ourselves and then have the timber sawn at a sawmill. We will also build the roof with the help of friends who are carpenters.

Is it worthwhile to harvest and have the timber sawn ourselves, or is it better to go directly through a company (carpentry firm) that sells the timber to me or even constructs the entire roof structure?

Does anyone have experience with this?
With potential savings of only 2,000 to 5,000 euros, I would need to carefully consider whether the extra effort pays off.

What do you think about this project? I look forward to your helpful advice.
Thanks in advance.

Hi,
I see a few issues here.
First, only KVH (strength graded, dried construction timber) is used for the roof frame. This process balances out twists, defects, and lengths. You can have the same done with your wood.
Your wood needs to be dry by then, which raises the problem of storage and drying before processing. Most carpentry companies plan and order the wood fully pre-cut and prepared; for this, you might be able to supply the wood yourself. If your carpenter still assembles on site, then respect to them.
These are all minor issues that can be resolved, but overall, I don’t think it’s worth the effort, or the work and problem-solving involved are too great.
However, I know someone who did exactly this. I believe in that case, the emotional aspect of using their own wood was more important than anything else.

One more thing comes to mind.
I also know someone who had their wood cut (spruce) and used it for all the floors in their house. It looks really good, better than you might expect. Of course, spruce is not hardwood, but you can get scratches from children even in oak.

In our family, we had a case where we cut and processed our own wood for a pergola. In the end, it was not only more time-consuming but also more expensive.

If you enjoy cutting wood and the carpenter cooperates (warranty issue?), it might work.

Financially, I don’t think it makes any sense at all. I see it more as a hobby.

Just checked with us... the cut timber for the roof structure (plus wedge board) was valued at €2,000.

So if you calculate your labor plus the sawmill costs, the only savings you'll experience are emotional ones.

It might even end up more expensive if the quality of your wood isn't ideal.

Nice idea, but probably not a good one.

I also tend to think that it can only get more expensive, so it’s better to turn it into firewood and install a large stove. You’ll benefit more from that.