Michigan wood prices 2019/2020

[Drew3308]

Hello,

My Regency i2400 should be installed within the next couple of weeks. I just moved to a new house so I have yet to build up my wood supply and looking to purchase some. Prices seem to be all over the place and of course people trying to sell seasoned wood that was just split in the summer. I have a local guy at work selling a half cord of cherry that was cut and split in February of last year. He is asking $250 for it delivered. Would that wood be seasoned enough? Is that a fair price? I would rather go pick it up and save $80-$100 if I can.

 

[kborndale]

Was the wood cut split and stacked in Feb, or was it cut split and left in a large pile? Most likely left in a large pile, and if that is the case then I doubt it is ready to burn now. If it was stacked then it wont be perfect but should be burnable. You may need to get some construction scraps of broken up pallets to help it out when starting a fire.

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

Just crazy to me a cord of wood costs $250. Be cheaper to heat with gas than pay that much for 1 months worth of wood. Course im a cheapskate to begin with.

 

[trguitar]

$250 for a 1/2 cord seems very expensive. Here I pay $200 for 1 cord of oak.

 

[Drew3308]

I thought it was pretty expensive. It sounds like it was stacked as well when they cut and split it. I could probably get a cord for around $200 but it wouldn't be seasoned. I paid for a truck load a couple years ago for some that was supposedly seasoned and it pretty much gushed water once I put it in my insert.

 

[BigJ273]

Wood is ALWAYS wet when you buy it. But “wet wood” doesn’t sell. So they always call it “seasoned”. It’s not.

 

[RSNovi]

I typically pay $70 per face cord of hardwood delivered to my house. It is never seasoned long enough for my stove so I try to buy two years in advance.

I recently moved into a new house so my system broke down, but I am building it back up.

 

[Kevin Weis]

Wow, that's expensive. Anywhere around here you can get a full cord of oak for that as well.

 

[kennyp2339]

Take that money and save buying compressed wood bricks on Black Friday, supplement your regular heat by only burning when your at home, hopefully the stove is in the most populated room in the house, so keep the t-stat low on regular heat and burn the bricks.

 

[BigJ273]

$190 a cord delivered here, all oak.

 

[Drew3308]

I think I have already came to the conclusion I will not save any $$ this year using the insert as a main heat source. This is my first time living in a two story home as well and I have a 10 month old son that my wife thinks he is cold when his room is 70 degrees. I would just like to get some good dry wood to break the insert in and get a good feel for everything. Looks like I might have to bite the bullet and just pay a little more for some actual seasoned wood this year.

 

[Woody Stover]

I like Cherry, but not quite that much.

“wet wood” doesn’t sell. So they always call it “seasoned”. It’s not.

It is technically 'seasoned,' if they sprinkle a little salt on it.

 

[Drew3308]

Yeah, I am not going to pay $250, might low ball offer him $100 and say I will come get it and see what he says.

 

[Woody Stover]

Yeah, I am not going to pay $250, might low ball offer him $100 and say I will come get it and see what he says.

I might give him a little more than that since it's ready to burn. But are you sure of that..got a meter? I might be able to tell from the heft of it, but not too accurately. Cherry isn't the longest-burning wood either, ya gotta weigh that against the cost of some BioBricks.

 

[Grizzerbear]

$250......man its crazy the different prices of wood around country. A cord is anywhere from $130-$160 on average around here and thats oak/hickory. Thats anywhere from green to maybe "seasoned" 6 months. True seasoned wood to be bought here is non-existent.

 

[billb3]

cherry is selling for a premium here as it seems to be a bit of a fad to burn it in outdoor firepits and chimineas as a "step up" from white pine. $300/cord in a huge pile.

iirc, the equivalency for nat gas here is $14/therm vs $250/cord for hardwood. I think we are at $17/therm here in Ma. ( I use oil )

Although with a little one I would want a back-up source of heat just in case.

Buy a cord of something and even if it is only half seasoned cross stack it all, whatever it takes to try to accelerate the seasoning and/or get some bio-bricks or compressed product.
Even seasoned pine is better than nothing although shoveling it in like coal is no fun.

 

[peakbagger]

Its around $225 to $250 a cord for green wood cut split and delivered in my area. The unemployment rate is so low in NH that most of the folks who cut wood are doing other work (like construction or tourist jobs). There are some folks who sell on craiglist for cash but caveat emptor. I just paid $80 for 1/4 cord of kiln dried hardwood. Its one step away from not needing kindling to light. No gas in the street or the area and propane pricing tends to get pricey when its cold.

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

a local guy at work selling a half cord of cherry that was cut and split in February of last year. He is asking $250 for it delivered.

Yikes, I didn't notice it was a half cord, that's outrageous. I wouldn't even entertain the idea of buying at that price. Better off just heating with gas or oil then, it'd be cheaper by far.

 

[Drew3308]

Yikes, I didn't notice it was a half cord, that's outrageous. I wouldn't even entertain the idea of buying at that price. Better off just heating with gas or oil then, it'd be cheaper by far.

I know, I found a truck load for $135 about 40 miles from me. I might just see if that guy will do that.

 

[kborndale]

I know, I found a truck load for $135 about 40 miles from me. I might just see if that guy will do that.

How much wood is in this truck load for $135?

 

[Drew3308]

How much wood is in this truck load for $135?

However much I can fit in my Ram short bed which I think should be around 55-60 cubic feet.

 

[EbS-P]

I’d burn pine and bio bricks at that price. I liked the bio bricks. Figure in they are 0% water and I think it’s money ahead vs pricey cord wood. and there almost no ash. I tried to burn marginal wood to start last winter it took all the fun out of a new stove. My wife kept asking if I was sure I was doing it right. It’s just fire . Three bio bricks at 11 pm and I’d have enough to restart in the morning

 

[Drew3308]

I’d burn pine and bio bricks at that price. I liked the bio bricks. Figure in they are 0% water and I think it’s money ahead vs pricey cord wood. and there almost no ash. I tried to burn marginal wood to start last winter it took all the fun out of a new stove. My wife kept asking if I was sure I was doing it right. It’s just fire . Three bio bricks at 11 pm and I’d have enough to restart in the morning

Yeah I had crap wood one winter and it was super frustrating. I will look into the bio bricks, I also am getting some wood from a friend and will see how dry that is. Maybe I will luck out and that is good.

 

[backinthelab]

Where in Michigan are you? I'm in Macomb and a face cord is about $80 from the local tree companies. My neighbors kid splits and sells firewood for extra cash so I threw him $100 and he delivered and stacked it for me.

 

[Drew3308]

Where in Michigan are you? I'm in Macomb and a face cord is about $80 from the local tree companies. My neighbors kid splits and sells firewood for extra cash so I threw him $100 and he delivered and stacked it for me.

I am in St.Joe, stones throw from Lake Michigan.