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Divorce and inventory--help

Started by bhub, July 03, 2008, 01:15:55 PM

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bhub

I have a small sawmill. I cut wood to use in my furniture business. I have about 2000 feet of walnut, cherry,
maple and oak. Most is 6 to 8 quarter. It is all cut either slabs or 1 edge live. most is between 1-18 inches wide. Most 8-10 foot length. 30% is decent grade . The rest is  full of various imperfections I like to use in tables. Its all air drying.  Bottom line my wife brought in some dude who claims its worth $40,000.
I wish he would buy it!!!!!.  Could someone help me with where to find estimates. I did a lot of work with a trailer and pick up,  winch and manual mill. I have not been paid for my time and energy for the lumber. This is considered marital property. I know I have seen wholesale lumber prices listed somewhere.  Has anyone else had this problem and what have you done. Its a nasty go for the throat lawyer she has. Please any help I don't have a clue how to deal with the value.
Thanks
bhub      I may have some pictures

Osric

Can't help other than to say that if they think it is worth $40,000 then you should be more than willing to let them have that as part of the marital property while you take other things.

Good Luck.


OneWithWood

Get yourself a good lawyer and some quotes from professional lumber buyers, in that order.
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

DanG

Yep, just load it all on a trailer in two equal stacks.  Take it to the lawyer's office and let them choose between the stack, then dump their stack on his steps.  That ought to take care of that. ;D

If you don't want to get that frisky, and I really recommend that you don't, divide it and let them send their "expert" to make the choice, then charge them storage until it is removed.

Sorry about the divorce.  Been there, done that, and it ain't never fun. :-\
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

ely

sounds like its gonna be a tough row to hoe. i am not certain about the lumber prices but i would think a good lawyer could help you out alot. good lawyer.............now that has to be an oxy-moron.

and whatever you say, don't try and tell us you don't have the money for a good lawyer.........after all you have 40k worth of lumber laying around. ::)

Radar67

I was thinking pretty much on the same line as DANG, give her half of the lumber and let her sell it.
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

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Gary_C

Like or not, you first need a GOOD lawyer and there are some out there. Second is to let your lawyer handle this.

And finally recognize that you will not get everything you want.
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

flip

Pay a certified grader to come in and grade it.  You then can turn around and use the latest Hardwood Market Report or what ever publication applies to your market area.  If they push the issue, you have a few options.  Buy her half of the lumber for what wholesale is, sell all of the lumber and split what you get (remind her that it will probably be a lot less that what they think it is (this is where it helps to have buddies ;) ).  Put it on her "side" of the paper and use their estimate, put $40,000 worth of marital property on your side ;D.  Either way you are going to be out something, how much and how you play it has a lot to do with you.  Good luck, like DanG, been there done that, not much fun hope all turns out as positive for you as it can. 
Timberking B-20, Hydraulics make me board quick

Ron Wenrich

I would sure like to know what the "dude's" credentials are.  He's estimating $20/bf and I don't know of any walnut or cherry that sells for that price.  My guess is that he is estimating the value of your business or hobby, not just the lumber.

Flitch sawn lumber is kind of hard to grade.  It doesn't come up to NHLA specs.  I would challenge it with an independent estimate of the value of the lumber and the equipment. An equipment salesman would be one source for any equipment.  Any lumberman or sawmill that deals in rough cut lumber would be a source for a lumber estimate.

I've seen a couple of sawmills go up for auction because of a divorce.  In most cases, they weren't advertised much so that the proceeds would be quite small. 
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

crtreedude

20 dollars a BF! and here I thought tropical hardwoods were expensive!
So, how did I end up here anyway?

Ironwood

I saw a good bit of flitches. Where are you?

Ironwood


 
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

John Bartley

Tell her if she thinks it's worth $40,000, then she can take it all and pay you half in cash.....
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Champion 25hp band mill, 20' bed
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Stihl 026

DR_Buck

Quote from: Osric on July 03, 2008, 01:24:24 PM
Can't help other than to say that if they think it is worth $40,000 then you should be more than willing to let them have that as part of the marital property while you take other things.Good Luck.



Yea...... What he said. !   Let her take it all and try and sell it.
Been there, done that.   Never got caught [/b]
Retired and not doing much anymore and still not getting caught

Tom

All that stuff is just "Things".  Sometimes it's better to just back out and let them have it, if Freedom is the trade.  "Things" can be reacquired.  "Strings" make puppets.

Woodwalker

In the "been there done that" department, it was my experience that what's hers is hers and what's yours is half hers. Get a lawyer, pay both of 'em off with that high dollar lumber.
Just cause your head's pointed, don't mean you are sharp.

LOGDOG

Bhub ...

   Sorry to hear about the divorce. Been there myself and I know the toll it can take on your mind. If I were in your situation I belive I'd have a Certified National Hardwood Lumber Association lumber grader come in and grade the lumber. He'll have the eye for stain, pin knots, etc that actually de-value the lumber. Sure it may be pretty but the commercial value of the lumber may be marginal at best. Then once you have his grade tally and scale get a copy of the Hardwood Market Report or three seperate quotes from reputable lumber brokers who are well known to help you establish a range of market value. Personally I'd have the grader stamp or mark his grade on the wood. Be forwarned, there's a lot of handling in a short period of time that goes with moving lumber out from under a good grader. They can really fly. May need to have a couple of your friends over to help.

Hope it works out for you.

LOGDOG

smoothED

Maybe that dude got his figures from home depot. :D I went there to get some 1/4 round to finish a project......67cents a foot for pine! 3/4" x 6" red oak was $7.54 a foot! I made my own  ;D

ellmoe

   I faced a similar situation. Without going into details, offer the 50/50 split or to sell them your half at a substantial discount. Then they can set the value. She should be happy to buy it at 50% off ($10/bf). ;D

Mark
Thirty plus years in the sawmill/millwork business. A sore back and arthritic fingers to prove it!

dancan

I know some fellows that would run it all through a chipper and then give her half  ;D .
Wipe the slate clean and start again .

rbhunter

I think this is where one should be able to say you value it and I will tell you if it goes in my half or your half depending on the price. If too high it goes to her half and if too low I would keep it.
"Said the robin to the sparrow, I wonder why it must be, these anxious human beings rush around and worry so?"
"Said the sparrow to the robin, Friend I think it must be, they have no heavenly father, such as cares for you and me."
author unknown. Used to hang above parents fireplace.

TreeBones

I know this is a tough spot to be in. I am lucky that I still have my mill. What worked best for me was to split the wood between each party leaving each responsible for the final sale price. I lost 3,000 bdft of top quality of Claro Walnut and don't even think about the rest of the wood. A good thing to do is let go of the wood and move on. You can always cut more.

Dan_Shade

Hire a good lawyer.

Also did you retrieve the logs, or where they delivered?  did you purchase the logs or where they "free"

I learned a long time ago, there are no "free" logs, there's a lot of work in log moving and handling.

Did she ever pay any maintanence or upkeep on the mill? did she pay for any of the blade damage on the mill?

My point is that the boards are not 100% profit, and only the "profit" should be debated and challenged, unless all of the "costs" were shared (but they may already be shared depending on laws governing your situation).

It will cost you far more to not have a good lawyer than it will to have one.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

LOGDOG

Quote from: Dan_Shade on July 07, 2008, 11:43:31 AM
Hire a good lawyer....

It will cost you far more to not have a good lawyer than it will to have one.

Amen Brother ...I'll second that.

LOGDOG

srt

Sorry about the situation.  Adults get STUPID when they no longer see eye to eye!

Here's something to think about that shouldn't cost you much money.  Take a bunch of good pictures and post it on EBAY .   Sell it as one lot - buy all of it or none of it.  Set your reserve at the fellow's $40K figure, but start the auction at $1.  Don't tell people the reserve, or you'll not get a single bid!  Make real sure you've described it just as the fellow described it, if he did describe it.  Surely if he was knowledgable at appraising the lumber, he gave your wife some paperwork "certifying" it's value.  If he didn't have significant paperwork to back up his claim, it's "here say", and is worth no more than the paper it's not written on.   If it sells at his price, take your half and be happy.  If it doesn't, you have a new "market price" that I would guess would be more close to reality than the other fellow's price.

As to who did what to earn what in the getting and sawing of this wood, I don't think the law cares.  At least that's what I've seen here in NJ.  Know a jerk whose wife caught him in bed with one of her friends.  That was after he got fired from his 100K/yr job for sexual harrassment (yes, he did it!).  This guy was a super, super sleezeball, and everyone who knows him knows it.  He got half of everything, including her future pension.   Didn't matter that she'd supported his ignorant A** for years.  Sometimes the law don't make no sense!!

Dan_Shade

Quote from: srt on July 07, 2008, 12:46:40 PM
Sometimes the law don't make no sense!!

Yep, that's why sometimes you need to hire a lawyer.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

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