I heat my home so we can be comfortable all winter long. I could stop with just this one reason but do also have to add that saving dollars is close to the top. There have been times in my life when I could not afford to heat my home any other way.
Yeah it's almost like finding a pot of gold on a treasure hunt when you get a great score. The self-sufficiency part and money being tight...that reminds me of the story of Larry Bird......who, as the hick from French Lick (Indiana) had grown up very poor.....but even after he made it big with the Celtics he still did things himself......including shoveling gravel for his mother's driveway........and he ended up throwing out his back and was never really the same after that. But he knew the satisfaction of getting a job done by yourself and he never forgot where he came from. One could argue that with his career he probably should have hired someone for the work....but the pride and the humbleness of doing it yourself was more important to him and I bet he didn't even think twice about doing it.
As is often the case here, I'm the odd person out. My firewood career started a couple years ago (I'm 52 now). I had a tree crew come in and take down several trees that were encroaching on buildings, etc. They left a few piles of logs and chips for me. Obviously I needed to do something with all that. Here's the thing: I don't heat with wood. Not that I have anything against it, I just don't own a wood stove. I'd seen some videos of people selling firewood, and I certainly wouldn't mind recouping some of the thousands of dollars I spent on tree removal. So I got into it for the money. Now I have come to enjoy it as pretty much everyone else here has talked about. I know I'll never get rich doing this and I don't care. I love working outdoors with my hands. It is a nice diversion from my 8-5 desk job. Oh, and I'm looking for a wood burner for my pole barn because I want to burn some of this glorious firewood myself!
When I moved here 11 years ago heating with wood wasn't a must-do, but it sure did free up some much needed space in the budget. After 7 or 8 years I was getting tired of moving wood into the basement and then over to the stove, loading the stove, cleaning out ashes, hot basement and cool main floor, etc....basically didn't like all the downsides to having a wood burner and we didn't really need to do it for the money anymore. So, I did what any sensible person would do....I spent $15K on a OWB install.
Close to the same for me. Except I'm slightly older 54. Started trying to recoup some of the cost of tree removal 5yrs ago got me hooked. I don't have a wood burner but do burn 2 cord of campwood a yr. Sell about 10 cord a yr
I do it just because I want to. It does make part of my house use-able that I would have to heat with electricity otherwise, but I'm not sure how much money I really save after the cost of saws, gas, parts, splitters, more gas, more parts, and beer. It is nice to be able to heat the garage too- I wouldn't be able to do that without wood- it is not insulated. I should probably work on that.
That stuff has some residual value though, well other than the gas n beer...once you pay for gas/oil/electric, its gone...but at least in Ohio, used splitters n pro grade saws apparently never go down in value!
for getting into firewood that way for sure. I would encourage you to install a wood heating appliance at least in your barn. To my mind there is nothing more satisfying than being in a warm spot on a cold night heating it with wood you made yourself.
Years ago it was save money by a long shot. Now I chose enjoy it and exercise. Maybe still save money,,,,don’t really know. I’ve never tried to heat my house with oil completely. One tank a year at most but many years I never turn the furnace on. Original warm air furnace rusted out after 25 years with probably seven tanks of oil through it. Even after replacing it I think I’m still ahead.
A fair question asked, but so many more answers than just two. I started for (#1) the comfort of a warm home for my family and (#2) knowing my winter warmth was stacked and waiting just outside of my bulkhead. (#3) Working outdoors in the heating season but smelling the woodsmoke heats my soul. (#4) Cutting firewood, enjoying the woods while I'm out there including listening to the birds during saw shutdown who aren't troubled by my presence. I'm part of their lives. (#5) Enjoying the one time scenes and scents. Saving to memory the sights of the same forest at different times of a day and season and the smell of fresh snow mixed with fresh sawdust. Warmth and chill, sun and flurries. (#6) All of that recalled later as I nap comfortably with my wife and dog next to the woodstove. (#7) Splitting the firewood "just right" and then stacking it "just right". Remembering many of those pieces of firewood from many handlings. (#8) Stepping into the house after being subjected to bitter cold from an arctic blast or just my normal getting-to-be-an-old-guy chill, feeling the comfort of heat from either of the woodburners welcoming me back, replacing chill with warmth. (#9) We buy oil once every 5 years, never more than 150 gallons. This house was planned and built to heat with wood as primary and oil as backup. (Bankers do not understand firewood. Just oil, propane or electricity as a heat source and a condition for a building loan.) We use a Vermont Castings Resolute as the primary, backed up by a Newmac combo hot air furnace - wood side mostly and oil side as in when we're away for over 10 hours. After 33 years of loving cutting, splitting and stacking, moving, stacking, moving, stacking, finally burning and being comfortable from each season's first burn through to the last I'd really say it is now because preparing and burning wood is now intertwined with my life. Sent from my SM-A526U1 using Tapatalk
True, but I am unlikely to ever sell any of it. My father has been gone since 2003, and I still have and use his saw and tractor. Still have his F-250 as well, but haven't even started it since 2015. I guess since work is slow enough to be posting on here, I should go work on that instead.
Lots of reason's but I voted for save money and I enjoy it! But in addition to those it's great exercise, the heat from burning wood is IMO is superior, just feels so much better. It also adds to being self sufficient, should the power go out or some sort of SHTF situation I can heat on my own. I also could never keep my house that warm without costing me an arm and a leg.
In Mike Myers' movie "So I Married an Axe Murderer", the main character's father is talking about how much he hates Colonel Sanders of KFC. Charlie asks, "Dad, how can you hate "The Colonel?" Stuart replies, "Because he puts an addictive chemical in his chicken that makes you crave it fortnightly, smartarse!" A good wood score is my KFC. I crave it when I don't have it, and when it's good it's OH SO GOOD. I detested all things firewood related when I was young and dumb, helping my stepdad with his business. When I got a house of my own I saw how it made more sense to swing an axe than keep writing checks to the oil company. On a side note: truck just died. Scrounging on hold until get another one, because if there's a way to haul firewood on a Vespa I haven't seen it.