ᐅ Harvesting your own construction timber or hiring a company
Created on: 16 Jul 2020 09:58
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Andreas94
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.
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.
H
hampshire16 Jul 2020 12:12When do you plan to start building? How will you dry the wood until then? Can you manage without laminated beams? How will you ensure the quality?
That sounds like a good idea for a garden shed, but I would advise against it for a residential house.
That sounds like a good idea for a garden shed, but I would advise against it for a residential house.
Additionally, there might be warranty issues or problems. The carpenter will always argue that the wood was your responsibility. However, there isn’t much that can go wrong there. I would sell or make use of the trees now; too many dependencies only complicate the construction planning unnecessarily. The savings to be achieved are unlikely to reach four figures, especially if you subtract any proceeds or utility value from the trees.
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Andreas9416 Jul 2020 13:49Well, selling the trees quickly might be easy, but the current value is simply ridiculous and not an option for us.
Firewood – at least you’d get something out of it, but using trees that are meant for construction timber in this way would be a waste.
Storage won’t be a problem. Construction timber is stored outdoors and is screwed together to prevent warping, etc.
This used to be standard practice.
Is the savings really that minimal here?
The initial effort definitely shouldn’t be included in the calculation, because the wood has to be cut anyway.
Firewood – at least you’d get something out of it, but using trees that are meant for construction timber in this way would be a waste.
Storage won’t be a problem. Construction timber is stored outdoors and is screwed together to prevent warping, etc.
This used to be standard practice.
Is the savings really that minimal here?
The initial effort definitely shouldn’t be included in the calculation, because the wood has to be cut anyway.
My father collected wood from the forest, had it cut, and planed it himself for ceilings, furniture, etc. We are now using some of it for raised garden beds and the dining table. It was stored in the barn for over 30 years without any worm damage. Thick larch planks are drying at the carpenter’s workshop. I’m not sure yet what we will make from those.
Maybe this could be useful for you as well.
Maybe this could be useful for you as well.
Lumpi_LE schrieb:
I also tend to think that it can only get more expensive, better to make firewood out of it and build a large stove. You’ll get more use out of that. I have to strongly disagree with you: Stark Carpentry and Joinery in Auhausen recently built their new storage hall from beetle-damaged wood and describes it as a material that is usually only sorted out due to discoloration, even though it is fully usable otherwise.
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