Possible Business Idea; Any Comments?

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Author	Replies: 6 / Views: 2,559
basicbob101 Pillar of the Community United States 819 Posts	Posted 01/22/2010 7:45 pm I have often thought of this but never put it into action. There is an old closed lumber yard I can get cheap. I thought about going around farms in the area to tear down old buildings an return the land to ag use; there is a market for old barn wood etc. step two after tearing the bldg down would be to take of 6" of top soil with my front loader and shift it through staggered 1/2 and 1/4 screen with a portable shaker. Clean and sort findings (coins, rings, scrap, etc). step three would be to use metal detector to search the cleared area for deeper finds, assuming that the nails and trash were removed in step two. step three would be put the topsoil back with the loader and leave it nice. thought if I could make the lumber pay for the operation plus a small profit it would be do'able, maybe even charge a small fee for the service. One problem I see is ownership of finds unless you get permission to keep all finds in writing up front. any comments? Report this Post to the Staff

RFB Pillar of the Community United States 532 Posts	Posted 01/22/2010 8:32 pm Labor, fuel, and logistics of disposal and re-purpose/removal of the lumber would make it a very deep sales cycle but I think it can be done. I would say to aim for smaller projects with a bobcat before I bought in a full size beast that costs a few hundred per hour to operate like a full size loader. Perhaps even the EPA may be a resource as you know there is a ton of Arsenic, Asbestos, and even Lead on all of the lumber you would be tearing out. No sense in paying the extra fees at a dump site when you could be collecting them as perks from the GOV for "hazardous community cleanup". Edit- spelling Edited by RFB 01/22/2010 8:33 pm Report this Post to the Staff
basicbob101 Pillar of the Community United States 819 Posts	Posted 01/23/2010 1:41 pm thanxz or the input RFB, I own a tractor/frontloader now, so no cost there, also have backblades,box blades, etc. I notice the price of barn wood around here, becoming fashionable for remodeling and panelling a room with, qts of architects using it now, plus hobbyists for wood projects, anttique reproductions, etc. I am thinking only of unpainted or severly weathered wood, clean, trim ends, sort, stack and sell. If that side of the business could yeild a profit, the finds would be gravy. Of course, something of value may or may not be found, but sooner or later a stash may be uncovered. Report this Post to the Staff
nohope587 Pillar of the Community United States 5953 Posts	Posted 01/23/2010 1:55 pm basicbob101 in Texas if you find it its yours not quite that simple but that's what it boils down to. Report this Post to the Staff
WpgLwr Pillar of the Community Canada 1082 Posts	Posted 01/23/2010 5:23 pm I think it wouldn't be a bad idea, if you have the time and the money to get involved in it. Yes, you are right about old barn wood -- a wall panelled with it in it's weathered gray color is definitely a sight to behold. (On a tangent, we in North America waste too much wood in demolition, and it's nice to see someone reusing it). I think what you should have for any demolition jobs is a contract that the landowner should sign which has clauses explaining the steps in the job and a clause that states that anything of value found in the course of the job is yours to keep, although to keep the landowner in the loop, I would give him first right of refusal to purchase the item (in case it's a family heirloom that was lost) at an assessed value by a jeweller or other expert, assessment to be paid by the landowner. Report this Post to the Staff
Agosos Valued Member Australia 155 Posts	Posted 02/06/2010 06:52 am I worked in the building industry for years.I found that alot of the timber from demolitions was well sought after by cabinet makers,and alot of the heavier timbers that were commonly used back in the day go for a fair wad of cash these days.its amazing what an old piece of weather beaten timber will come up like.Also,i have found a few old pennies used as packers in roof trusses,strange place to find a coin but I used to allways look out for them,i wonder if it was the same builder,from memory there were 23 different coins from 7 seperate houses. The only problem I see in sifting the soil is that If the soil is sandy it could wear away any fine details on your treasures. Oh and the moisture of the soil can cause it to block up your screens,so a sand dryer might be worth getting hold of,nothing worse than having to take apart your sqeeko to clean the screens every 5 mins because of wet dirt. A sqeeko would be your best bet(i dont know the actual name,thats what we called the one in my mates factory)it consists of several layers of siv screens which vibrate and seperate grain sizes into different bins,you could probably find something like it if you google sand screening. Good luck with your venture mate!! Edited by Agosos 02/06/2010 07:03 am Report this Post to the Staff
basicbob101 Pillar of the Community United States 819 Posts	Posted 02/08/2010 9:00 pm thanxZ for the tip Agosos, will look into that. still haven't decided to do it yet, still in the planning stages. If I do and it works, I will post results here. Report this Post to the Staff
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