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Did my tree company just screw me over?

L

lunlunqq

Member
We decided to drop some tall trees around the house for safety and aesthetic reasons. We interviewed a few tree companies and went with the one that gave us the best quote. During the interview I specifically asked the company owner if we can offset some of the cost by selling the wood from the dropped trees (mostly 70 ft tall straight pine trees). He danced around my question and gave me the impression that nobody would want the wood (e.g., no wood mills nearby, pine is of low value, etc.).

Fast forward to today: most dropping has been done and they are cleaning up the site. I noticed they are cutting the trees into equal length log and ship them out on large trucks. I asked a guy and he confirmed that they are selling the logs.They actually did a good job with the trees; but I really don't like being lied to. Don't know if I would do something about this. Probably too much trouble and now worthy my time. But still really left a bad taste in my mouth.

BTW, anyone knows how much this much logs would sell for?

ukfCQAu.jpg


This is the pile they are working on now. There was some they already shipped out earlier and more in the back yard. Overall amount is probably twice as much as shown in the picture.
 
P

Prinz Eugn

Member
Yeah, sucks they weren't truthful.

But obviously you did get the cost offset, since now it's no mystery how they could make the lowest bid.
 
N

Ninja Scooter

Member
Does your contract with them say anything about clean up? If so you are probably screwed. You probably should have done some research on selling the wood independent of them.
 
W

Wamb0wneD

Member
Nice stealth brag thread about your house.
Yes I'm kinda jealous lol

But yeah, they probably made some good money with that.
 
Q

Quikies83

Member
Of course you were lied to. That's how these guys offer the lowest bid - they take and sell the lumber.
Pretty house - interesting that you chose to include it in the picture.
 
S

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
Mansion in a forest. Meanwhile I have to beg seattle for permission to remove one tree that has cracked the sidewalk and threatens to fall on the neighbors house. Then pay an expensive hippy to complain about how beautiful it is before ruining me with the bill.
 
O

Octavia

Unconfirmed Member
Op.

You made it.

Stop penny pinching and enjoy life.

Get off these forums, buy a custom poured concrete patio with brick oven fire, hire a personal pizza chef to cook on it, buy the best damn patio furniture you can, and just enjoy life.

Complaining on Neogaf would be the last thing I'd be doing with a house and yard like that.

Now if your wife died or something and you needed an outlet to vent, that would be different. I think you'll be alright without selling the wood. Wasn't worth your time anyways.
 
L

lunlunqq

Member
These are mostly pines. I'm a little upset also because there were a few trees that we felt no need to cut; but they talked us into letting them go. Now I feel that they were just after the timber.

Thanks for your compliments on the house. Funny thing is, after reading the "McMansin" thread, I suspected we've bought one ourselves. I posted pictures of the house in that thread and prople were making fun of it.
 
R

Rockk

Member
yeah they screwed you. Probably could have gotten a couple hundred for them at least. Ask them how many cords they cut and if it was mostly pine or not.

You might have considered hiring a consulting forestor depending on how many acres of land you own. Judging by the house I'd guess quite a few heh.
 
Thelonelykoopa

Thelonelykoopa

Member
Our house is heated by a wood furnace and from my experience with firewood those are some large logs so you are in the Thousands(If I was to buy as firewood meaning already chopped into pieces you would probably get less for them though by how much I wouldn't know)
 
C

cameron

Member
lunlunqq said:
These are mostly pines. I'm a little upset also because there were a few trees that we felt no need to cut; but they talked us into letting them go. Now I feel that they were just after the timber.

Thanks for your compliments on the house. Funny thing is, after reading the "McMansin" thread, I suspected we've bought one ourselves. I posted pictures of the house in that thread and prople were making fun of it.
Click to expand...

They were teasing. Your house and its surroundings are just lovely. Seriously.
 
D

DonShula

Member
If it's not in the contract, you're out of luck.

Lesson for next time I suppose. Ask around after you get a waffling answer like that. Dude indeed slow-rolled you.

You could always call him out on social media if you really feel like he misled you. Small businesses take that kind of thing pretty seriously and they'd probably suddenly want to "make it right."

Edit: nice house and lot BTW
 
M

Marky Mark

Member
Man you got burned, unlike that wood which is going straight to a saleyard at your expense and the tree guys are probably laughing their asses off over a beer right now.
 
I

Izuna

Banned
lunlunqq said:
These are mostly pines. I'm a little upset also because there were a few trees that we felt no need to cut; but they talked us into letting them go. Now I feel that they were just after the timber.

Thanks for your compliments on the house. Funny thing is, after reading the "McMansin" thread, I suspected we've bought one ourselves. I posted pictures of the house in that thread and prople were making fun of it.
Click to expand...

I want your house.

Unless it's in a middle of nowhere.

BUT.... you definitely got screwed
 
Z

Zombine

Banned
He could have built a log mansion out of those trees.
It's time to get into your tank and do something about this, OP.
 
n64coder

n64coder

Member
I assume that when any tree company bids on a job, they include the money they'll get for the wood into their cost estimate. If you wanted the wood, you would have to specify that in the contract and the quotes you'll get will be higher than before.
 
Y

Yaboosh

Super Sleuth
Things can be worth something to somebody with connections but be a boondoggle to the average person. That massive pile of logs is that. Merely transporting those logs would cost well over a thousand dollars.
 
L

lunlunqq

Member
n64coder said:
I assume that when any tree company bids on a job, they include the money they'll get for the wood into their cost estimate. If you wanted the wood, you would have to specify that in the contract and the quotes you'll get will be higher than before.
Click to expand...

Sure. I can understand that. I just preferred that they were straightforward with me.
 
A

Abstrusity

Member
Yeah, I dunno, boss. That looks like some low quality pine there mate, best I could offer you would be a couple bucks a log there, chief. Biggest problem is transport. That'll cost ya more than what half that pile's worth, and when they're sold, the buyer's the one that's gotta process it to make it usable. We gots to make a profit so youse guys can get a cheap price, but the price y'pay's already offset by the costs we gotsta incur transportin' it.


Really though, depending on what sort of pine it is, it can be anywhere from 50 to 700 per, but businesses pay less than half of that because of bulk, quality, processing, and treating costs, so even really good quality fine wood might only be 200 per log on the low end of the scale ...And that doesn't look like mostly fine wood.

So assuming standard quality basic pine, it'll probably be sold to construction companies on the cheap. Enough to make the guys who cut it down a profit on transportation, but low enough that the lumber/construction companies would buy form them over bulk timber purchases.

I'm going to guess somewhere around 40-80 bucks a log honestly. They might profit by 10 bucks off of each by the time they're done with it.

Source: sister's husband worked at a lumber company; mostly small logs in picture, the larger logs would be good for 2x4 AND 10 ft. posts, but the smaller ones are worth less. I also do some woodworking and can corroborate some pine log prices, but pine in Florida is typically cheap and much smaller. Of course, I'm assuming yellow pine. It's what it looks like but I'm not good enough to just eyeball it. They could also be fir, but the picture is too low res to get a good look at the needle makeup to make a judgement on that, either. :^)
 
L

lunlunqq

Member
Abstrusity said:
Yeah, I dunno, boss. That looks like some low quality pine there mate, best I could offer you would be a couple bucks a log there, chief. Biggest problem is transport. That'll cost ya more than what half that pile's worth, and when they're sold, the buyer's the one that's gotta process it to make it usable. We gots to make a profit so youse guys can get a cheap price, but the price y'pay's already offset by the costs we gotsta incur transportin' it.


Really though, depending on what sort of pine it is, it can be anywhere from 50 to 700 per, but businesses pay less than half of that because of bulk, quality, processing, and treating costs, so even really good quality fine wood might only be 200 per log on the low end of the scale ...And that doesn't look like mostly fine wood.

So assuming standard quality basic pine, it'll probably be sold to construction companies on the cheap. Enough to make the guys who cut it down a profit on transportation, but low enough that the lumber/construction companies would buy form them over bulk timber purchases.

I'm going to guess somewhere around 40-80 bucks a log honestly. They might profit by 10 bucks off of each by the time they're done with it.

Source: sister's husband worked at a lumber company; mostly small logs in picture, the larger logs would be good for 2x4 AND 10 ft. posts, but the smaller ones are worth less. I also do some woodworking and can corroborate some pine log prices, but pine in Florida is typically cheap and much smaller. Of course, I'm assuming yellow pine. It's what it looks like but I'm not good enough to just eyeball it. They could also be fir, but the picture is too low res to get a good look at the needle makeup to make a judgement on that, either. :^)
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot! Really interesting info. Ill just focus on landscaping the extra space we have created for now.
 
R

rpg_fan

Member
There's a lot of wood there, but pine is pretty cheap. No idea how much, but a lot winds up as pulp, pretty valueless.
 
H

Husker86

Member
I assume selling the wood is factored into the quote. Obviously not a 1:1 payback, but I have no doubt they consider that when preparing a quote.
 
D

Dazza

Member
n64coder said:
I assume that when any tree company bids on a job, they include the money they'll get for the wood into their cost estimate. If you wanted the wood, you would have to specify that in the contract and the quotes you'll get will be higher than before.
Click to expand...

Yep this is standard
 
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