if the beems are in good shape they are worth a few bucks research it

 

Anything is negociable......

I doubt he would get rid of the concrete for you.

It may be very fair of you to expect everything down to the concrete is cleaned away.

Or, he could pay a bit for what he takes and leaves it messier.

It doesn't sound like there is a lot of good wood here, so you maybe can't expect too much.

Man, I wonder where the business card is I got, the fellas in MN that restore barns, they might be interested if they are close too. Bet they are at the Owatonna Power Show again next month. Can't remember their web site.

--->Paul

 

I've taken several down, I got the wood in exchange to taking ALL of it (wood--not foundation), including the metal roofing.

 

Timberframe buildings can have value long past what most people thing is salvagable. There are companies that travel hundreds of miles to take down such buildings, ranging in size from small, single room cabins up to 40' x 100' barns.

Here are three websites that may interest you:

http://www.primitivelogandtimberworks.com/index.htm
http://www.vintagelog.com/index.htm
http://www.ibuyloghomes.com/oldloghomes.htm

Do some research... it's likely more valuable than you think.

 

The fist thing that came in my mind when I seen this topic was my sisters barn. It has been passed down from my grand farther to my mother and now my sister (she got the house,barn and the land around them and I got the rest of the land)

 

This type of work is part of my buisness. There are many things to consider in deciding value to any reclaimed structure. Like access to the site, trees around it, hill, low soft ground,is the building painted, water damage, species of material,sizes of timbers,hand hewn or sawn, volume of material,shingles need to be disposed of if present,can debri be burned on site,is the foundation burial part of the project,insurance requirements,other stuctures like silos that need to go with foundation burial, staging areas for reclaimed materials, can large trucks get to the site.
With all that considered, some units are still worth paying for like a large beam timber frame of quality hardwoods (hand hewn) with log floor beams,and unpainted wide board siding of any species , with no water damage if the foundation is not part of the deal. Then value can be between $1-$2/ sg. ft ,so 30x40 could be $1200-$2500. Then there are buildings that are so far gone that it would cost that much to have someone take it down.
My suggestion is to contact several dismantlers you may find one that is in the market for a unit like yours.
Look on the internet for barn board, ect. and you should find dozens of recyclers.
Good luck,

 

Definitely get more than one bid on it. They're just finishing taking Dad's old 30x70 barn down now. We had guys who wanted $2000 to take it down, some who would do it for nothing, and the winner gave $2500 for it with a contract to leave nothing but the foundation.

 

It can vary all over--depending on your location, the market, and the barn in question. I have taken down barns that would have been burned and bulldozed otherwise, didn't cost me anything in cash and I wasn't paid either. Just because material in the barn has a market value, doesn't mean that the guy taking it down will pay you that amount, as he has to make it worthwhile in his time and materials and tools to do it. Taking away or clearing the foundation can be costly in machine time and disposal fees, too.

 

I have helped a carpenter buddy of mine dismantle old barns. He did it for some of the amazing wood they used to use to build the things. We took everything but the foundation and left the place ---- and span. My buddy got some very fine wood for cheap (equipment rental and he paid me) the land owner got rid of an eye sore. The value of some types of timbers is often hidden to the average eye. We have had people offer us money for old outbuildings that have two hundred year old walnut in them. We still use the buildings so we wont sell, but sometimes it is tempting. I say look around and even talk to custom cabinet makers, as they are always looking for nice old timbers. You may make it out of this with a tidy profit.

 

Our old barn was destroyed in a storm a couple of years ago. We had some old cars and lots of other stuff stored in there, so we started clearing the mess ourselves. We had some salvage guys come in and they helped us clear off the metal roofing in exchange for the metal. Taking off that roofing is a job in and of itself, and at that point we were very thankful for their help. It was all such a big mess, one of those jobs that was very overwhelming. Next, we began burning wood that didn't have any value. We made piles for the rest. Siding, main beams, smaller support beams, the old trees that were used to frame the roof, etc. and so on. It was a lot of work, took the ENTIRE summer, and was pretty dangerous, but we got it cleared down to the cement floor and the foundation (half the barn was cement floor/half dirt floor/some wood floor). We took pictures of the salvaged wood and posted it on ebay. It sold for over a thousand. The guys that bought it worked for someone who used the stuff in houses and cabins etc. They told us that this was the easiest job they had ever done because the barn was already down and ready to load. We needed to get the barn cleaned up so we pulled up our sleeves and did it. Since your barn isn't already down I would take pictures of it standing and put it on ebay. List your terms. If you want all of it gone and cleaned up down to the foundation then state that (I would!) Trust me when I say this....if you can find someone to do it for the wood saving you all that work it will be so worth it! I don't think you'd be lucky enough to find someone who will clear the foundation and prepare the area for rebuilding for just the price of the wood though. That was a big job for us, we had to hire someone to bring in equipment. They broke the concrete up, removed the foundation, and dug a big very very deep hole and buried it all. Then they leveled the site for us. We rubuilt last summer. If you have old stone foundation (our barn was over 100yrs old too, but the foundation had been replaced at one point in its history so it was cement block) then the person buying the barn MAY be interested in taking that off your hands too. The guy that bought ours would have taken ours if it had been stone. We did have one salvage guy that just wanted to come in and take certain sections out of beams, taking and paying for only the best wood (by the foot even!) and leaving everything else. Don't do that. Find someone who wants the whole thing or will at least get rid of what they don't want. Good luck to you!

 

Timberframe buildings can have value long past what most people thing is salvagable...Do some research... it's likely more valuable than you think.

Agreed. Antique barns are disappearing at an incredible rate. Consider contacting your local preservation group for more leads before you sell it to just anybody.

 

If I were there I would serooiusly copnsider jacking up the barn and restoring and rebuilding it for current use....

 

I agree. If it has enough value for somebody to take it down and salvage the wood, then there is enough value to fix it up and use it. If its not worth fixing than it is not worth taking down and salvaging.

Wrap a long chain around it and pull it down with a tractor, then burn.