Anyone else provide wood for another burner

I provide wood to a rental cottage on my farm and I never know how much the people who are renting it are going to use. Really throws me off. Some renters use hardly any others heat almost 100% with the wood I provide. 2-3 cords a year. That on top of the 6-8 I need adds up. I heat a slowly less drafty 2200 sq. ft.1810 farmhouse 100%.

I guess I am just ranting because my current tenants are 100% ers which is good but throws me way off and I need to go scrounge some standing dead out of the woods today to make sure there is enough to burn at the end of the year.

That's good that you do that for them but I would think they could at least give you a little labor to help keep themselves warm.

are they permanent renters? we rented a house in maryland for skiing, ya know like for a long weekend. anyways they provide X amount of wood, if you want more they will deliver for a fee. It was reasonable.

My 2 older brothers & oldest sis/husband all have fireplaces in their houses.Dont burn very much. When they need it,I bring them 1 p/u load of good dry wood every Fall,that usually lasts them all winter & sometimes a bit longer.
If they run out after that before winter is over they're on their own.They all make big money compared to me,have paid vacation/holidays/almost unlimited sick leave,where I have none of those things.They can afford $60-75 for a load delivered & stacked.

1 Neighbor uses mine and I help keep his rack full, he gives us free food samples from his work. Wife has been fighting cancer and he works 2 jobs so I'm happy to give him all he needs, about a cord a year. Also took 1 tree down plus trimed up another for him last year. He says that saved him over a $1,000. Other neighbors have been told to just ask if they need any, but they don't really burn any wood.

Some landlords rent with heat included (usually some other fuel of course) - sounds like you are doing the same. You just need to estimate the value of the wood, your time, costs associated with putting up the wood, and make sure the rent reflects those costs - then you won't need to be concerned with level of use. Cheers!

The cottage was built in 1942 and primary heat is electric baseboard. I provide wood as part of the rent it is stated as such in the rental contract. Anyway I generally rent to Grad students and I don't trust them around equipment. Not even a maul.

And it isn't the providing wood that is an issue it is the not knowing how much any particular renter is going to burn. I have been trying to get 3 years ahead now that I have done some renovating to my big barn so that should help even out any shortfall from one year to the next.

I ended up finding 3 good dry standing dead oaks that I split up and 2 not so dry that got split in half and thrown on the to split later pile. So I feel better now that my stock is somewhat replenished.

Why not take the average amount of wood used over the last few renters plan for and adjust your next contract to reflect that number? Any wood over that is $XX.XX per XX. Is that workable?

You are doing them a big favour by cutting for them. A BIG Favor. I cut for someone also.

My Uncle lives about 1.5 miles down the road and he hasn't bought wood in 2 seasons

All I ask from him, help me when asked.... I also won a new Husq 435 chainsaw last year (Raffle) and Gave him that saw for Christmas.... Obviously he is my Favorite Uncle.

I sell some wood, but he is the only one that gets Free wood. I drive by his house daily and would hate to see smoke pouring from his chimney, like in yrs past. Last yr I talked him into a new stove (I plugged the 30-NC, but the US 2000 won)

I don't supply wood for anyone but gotta say this posting is a A+++++++ in my book.

Thanks Rory, makes my day a little brighter when I see their faces.

Sounds like a tough situation. If you are paying for the utilities, you should be overjoyed that they are willing to light a fire and continue to feed the stove. The alternative (e.g., somebody that cranks the thermostat to 80 and uses the electric baseboard heaters) would be worse I think. Yeah, it sucks that you have to cut all the wood for them, but it would suck even more to pay a huge utility bill. Now that you are 3 years ahead, it shouldn't really be that big a problem for you. I think I would just be happy that the cottage is rented out and bringing in extra money.

I pay for trash service and the cottage is on my farm so well and septic. They are responsible for electric and what not. The cottage is old and poorly insulated and leaky. I have added insulation, but there are some factors that make it hard to seal. My family used to own a furniture factory that was from tree to table as far as integration. So all the interior walls and ceilings are heart pine T&G. It is cool to look at but the boards shrink in the winter and gaps appear. So I feel I need to provide wood since there is a nice free standing wood stove in the living room.

Cottage



See the T&G walls and ceiling?

Truly a good deed.

Very nice cottage and it appears you are a very nice person too. Thing is, people will take advantage of your niceness, if that is even a word. Cheapskates like me would prefer 100% to burn free wood versus paying for electricity to heat the house. My advice would be for you to get them to help a day a month or so for every month they burn wood. Maybe lock the wood up and leave the wood shed open after they have put in the time to earn the wood. Or, limit the amount of wood provided for free unless they are willing to help c/s/s it. Definitely a dilemma on your hands. I know I hate it when I feel like my generosity is being taken advantage of.

I might change the wording of the rental agreement with the next renters. Really I just need to get way ahead in terms of wood on hand.

That "I love poplar" thread was right on time as well. I was thinking the exact thing as far as shoulder burning a couple days before that thread showed up. I have done it before but not in the last few years. I cut down a 20" poplar on Sat. that was hollow at the base and so had no timber value. Split the rounds in half and stacked separately in the barn. I will fill the cottage wood shed with that next fall.

I am spoiled and have been heating 100% with oak so it was interesting how quick the saw ate up that tulip poplar.

I like this idea a lot.

When I moved back to NY from FL the cottage we rented had a stove and the land lord suggested we use the stove as our primary heat rather than the electric heat that was there. We were free to raid his woodpile as needed. However, I went scrounging to add to the pile and I wasnt shy about using his maul when there were rounds to split. He never told me I needed to provide my own wood but the next winter I bought my own and scrounged some as well. If I was in your situation I would probably put a small surcharge for firewood in the lease. Maybe give them 2 cords and then charge your areas cord price for any thing more than 2. But, I would probably take the renters personality and ability, age etc into account as well.

Not in this lifetime,woodburning is serious not for lazy moochers who want everything provided for them with no effort on their part. If you want that go ask the US Federal Gov't for help they'll provide all your needs for ya,food ,shelter,and the promise of safety for you and your family. kinda makes ya feel all warm and fuzzy.

I cut for a neighbor that watches my kids a lot. Split last summer while they swam in her pool. Her son is a good worker though, and I don't mind. When I'm old, he'll keep me set up.

I supply a friend with wood for his Keystone. He heats his upstairs apartment on evenings and weekends--goes through a couple of cords per year.
He pays me back in services; he can fix or build just about anything. We don't keep score, but it comes out about even over time.

Not sure if this would count or not . . . but I end up giving some wood away to a buddy for camping and smoking . . . but in return he often will put in a day or two of work . . . it is actually a win-win for us both . . . I get more work done and more work hauled home . . . he gets some free wood and gets to "play" with his chainsaw . . . and we both enjoy hanging out and having lunch.

I give my next door neighbor wood to burn in his fire place on occasion. They are young newly weds and only burn in their fireplace occasionally. They are good neighbors. I actually back up his driveway to get between our houses, and back to where I unload and process wood. He will help me unload if he sees me out there and has helped me split.

The guy up the road from me lets me cut all I want. In return I usually haul him 4 loads out a year. Takes me less time than driving to my old cutting place and a lot f wear and tear on the truck.