Taking down a timber frame - need advice

[L Bargstedt]

Hi. I am looking for advice. I have a 40 x 80 timber frame, a 3 story bank barn with a limestone foundation, that I have agreed to sell. Nothing has been signed yet - just a verbal agreement. It will be dismantled and re-established as a home.

I have a gnerally good feeling about the timber framer who approached me about the barn on behalf of the buyer. The buyer visited, saw other barns, and came back to say he wanted this barn. That was 3 weeks ago

- Twice since then the framer indicated he would work up the contract and bring it by, but it hasn't happened yet. I know he is working another project that is not going as well as he had thought and that this site is at least three hours from our home.

Because of the delay I am realizing I will need to have a firm contract to protect our interests. Can anyone provide advice about what we should include in the contract? We have been asked to provide the garbage bin form construction debris since they feel they have paid a generous price. We can live with that. But what else is or is not reasonable to expect?

I'd appreciate any advice others could share. You can respond to me at [e-mail].

Thanks, L Bargstedt

[Tom Watson]

About the only thing that you should have to worry about is the condition of your property once they have left.

There are a couple of ways to proceed in this tear down.

The way I would go about it is to send a crew to strip off the roof, sheathing, exterior and interior wall coverings, etc.

Once the structure is down to the frame, I'd schedule a crane and a big enough truck to haul the frame away in its component parts.

I would try to keep these parts as big as is practical for transport.

If site or transport conditions are such that the building must be broken down to the point where the pegs have to be knocked out and the structure returned to its original sticks, the guy is probably going to spend a good deal of time marking the sticks for reassembly and then will move the pieces off your property according to whatever means he has for transport.

It's the vehicles that will cause the most site damage.

You will want to know up front what will be left sticking up out of the ground. He's not going to take the foundation away. If there are electrical and plumbing feeds running to the building, you should agree as to how these will be left.

You don't state how close other structures may be to the tear down. You want to have him indemnify you against damage caused by his removal of the structure. I'd make damned sure I saw an insurance certificate, acquired directly from his provider.

Debris removal can be a big factor in something like this. There's going to be a pile of stuff from the removal of roofing and siding

Probably the best you can hope for is that they will put the debris in a dumpster or situate it in a spot where it can be burned and buried.

Good Luck.

Regards, Tom Tom Watson - Woodworker Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania

[Ramsey]

Make sure that you have are lease from liability or insurance claims. A time limit is very important with a financial penalty for each day/week after deal is to be complete. Also, clean up is important; make sure you have a clause about obeying all city, county, state laws. You may have neighbors who don't want them running Skil saws at

1:00 in the morning. Can they leave what they don't want? Can they burn the remains? What about damages to surrounding property (yours or others). Contracts are important- they can protect both parties. But you need to have it up frone. A handshake or "Gentlemans Agreemment" probably isn't worth a durn in cort especially without an outside witness. Document, document, document.

[Andy Dingley]

OK, I don't know what a "timber frame" is in this context

But in UK practice for timber framing, take the frame down to its components - even for large lifts on-site. If you move large pieces whilst still assembled, then the forces on joints can far exceed what they can stand and you can demolish the tenons. It's a lot less work to dismantle the frame entirely than it is to repair the damage.

Maybe this is different in the US. Our practice is that there's no "frame" as such and our panels lose a lot of strength when they're disconnected from their floorplates.

[rob]

Ramsey is right on target! Along with the release from liability INSIST the contractor has liability insurance AND workman's comp. coverage.

If someone is hurt on your property YOU are the fall guy without it.

[Bob Gramza]

I hate to say it but you need a real estate atorney to draw up a firm contract. As much as I hate to engage one, a real estate attorney will save you a lot of grief and money.

[Steven Van Densen]

yes to all and bonded to.