My new house has a really nice fireplace. It has an outside vent that is used to draw air into the steel firebox and its a real masonry fireplace not one of those prefabbed drop in metal box types that they use so often these days. Recently I had exhausted the supply of crappy wood the previous owner left for me so I needed more wood. Apparently want ads are on their way out with the demise of newspapers so I ended up looking on CraigsList. I found a guy who looked good however the link on CraigsList has a trailing period in it which broke the link. When I called him I apprised him of the malformed link telling him he should have his son fix it asap since the CL ad did not have a phone number or anything and clicking the link was the only way ther would get (or not get with the broken link) customers. He told me how great the wood was, seasoned for two years and all oak, cherry, maybe some hickory and we agreed he would deliver a "pickup truck load" the next morning for $80. Sooooo the next morning he shows up. First problem, ITS A MINI PICKUP TRUCK! Not as much wood as I had envisioned... AND I unload 2/3 of the wood myself as he slowly unloads as little as possible. Keep in mind price included delivery on my driveway so I was doing his work. So far if you are keeping track I have helped him fix his website and pretty much unloaded the truck for him and the truck is LITTLE. So time comes to pay and I expect a price break for helping fix the link unloading the wood, etc. NOPE full price! I ask him what kind of wood is that does not look like oak or cherry to me... He says well looks like you got all hickory and goes on and on about how great hickory is to burn So the wood technically burns good but it pops like firecrackers and I cannot leave the fireplace doors open or the carpet will get holes burned in it due to all the popping. So I got MAYBE 1/2 face cord (probably less) of split hickory delivered for $80 and I feel like I got ripped. Why is it so hard to get good firewood? What is a fair price for a face cord delivered to my driveway? What is the best wood to burn? Did I get ripped off?
I would of been pissed if he showed up in a little truck.....But, that being said, the price seems about right from what we get around here. My dad gets a cord for $160. I think he should if atleast told you it was not a full size truck
Any hardwood is good to burn for a fireplace, hickory is great except it sounds to me like it isn't completely dry yet. Good firewood has to be split and stacked properly so it dries, this guy may or may not have stacked it right. I looked up firewood on the craigslist for here, most of them are $60-100 for a "truck load," one says $75 for a half cord.
They seem to get around $135 or so for a "cord" or wood around here. Or so I've been told at least. The biggest problem I've seen is that no one seems to know what a cord of wood is. They will pull up with a pickup load and dump it in your drive and then argue with you about whether its a cord or not.
I always get my firewood from craigslist but I never pay for it. I look in free section and on an average, there is a good ad about once a week, but you got to be on it right away as good wood goes quick. I don't know how your area is as far as that goes though.
From what experience I have I have found that oak has been the best firewood I have used. Now we have a gas log so no more firewood...hooray!
We go outside and get our own. If you run out, go into the woods, there is always a down tree or limb.
when I sold split red oak, I sold it for 45 a rick and 80 a cord... that was 15 years ago. I tried to buy some last year and the guy wanted 200 a cord. I politely declined. My dad has a barn full of wood from the different storms that have hit them in the last few years, so I drug my trailer to La and got a trailer load
Yeah I got a buddy that has a thousand ares of farmland near Churubusco (busco as the locals call it) and in the years past I have gone out there with him and cut wood. But damn that is hard work I am getting too old to cut wood...
After reading this thread, I checked Craigslist. I found three different ads for firewood for free, as long as I pick it up. Since I have a Tundra, should be no issue. I plan to pick it up tomorrow. I have a pretty sweet fireplace in my apt, that I never expected to use (since I would never pay for firewood), but I might get to use it now! Sweet!
Free wood is all I have used. Most times I know someone looking to have a felled tree removed. have to do some work but I'm 120 bucks to the good and we drink a beer or two.
The only ads I ever see around here for free wood more or less say "Free Firewood. You just have to cut it down, haul it out, cut it, split it, and take it home." I.e., we have a lot with a bunch of trees on it, but we don't want to pay somebody to remove the trees for us.
I guess it all depends on the kind of "cord" you're talking about. Pick one....Face Cord, Stove Cord, Furnace Cord (which are all basically the same), or Bush Cord which is the standard 4X4X8 (128c/ft).
