There’s a secret about the old white house that sits next to Sumner City Cemetery: Its lumber dates back to some of the earlier timber in the valley — and it’s valuable.
It’s rare to find old valley timber from before most of it was logged, said Sumner Parks and Facilities Manager Lee Anderson. Many of those downed trees have been replanted or were naturally reforested over the years.
Plus, nowadays it’s expensive to remanufacture wood to look the same way, Anderson said. Lumber, in general, is costly.
“It’s very expensive to buy timber nowadays,” he said.
The wood used for the house is what’s called “true dimensional lumber,” Anderson said. That means it wasn’t shaped with a planer, as modern lumber is. The smoothing process shaves off some of the wood, so a 2-by-4 ends up slightly smaller than its name implies.
All of the above reasons are why the city of Sumner recently listed the house on the popular Internet classified site, craigslist. However, during the two weeks it was listed, the city received no bids.
While the city considers other options for the house, Anderson said officials remain hopeful that someone will still come along and utilize the wood.
“We’re still hoping that maybe someone might have heard about it,” Anderson said.
It would be ideal to recycle the house in some way rather than demolish it, he said. Reusing the lumber is just another way to be good to the environment.
“That was our direction,” Anderson said. “It’s very prudent I believe on our part to try to find someone, if at all possible, that might be interested in it.”
Other options include donating the house to the police or fire department to use in a training activity, he said. Learning the ins and outs of both old and modern construction makes sense for both agencies because there are a variety of homes in the area right now — old and new, small and large.
Houses were built differently in the early days of the valley, Anderson said. Doorways and stairways tend to be smaller and narrower, for example.
“Because of those differences, (firefighters) need to be aware of how they can burn,” he said.
For two weeks at the end of May, the city of Sumner listed the house on craigslist, Anderson said. It expired June 2 after receiving only inquiries, no bids. The city first went to a few realtors to help sell it, but there wasn’t interest.
If the house had been purchased, the highest bidder would have been responsible for all removal costs and a $1,000 deposit that would be refunded upon removal.
The house, located at 12218 Valley Ave. E. in Puyallup, is two-stories, 2,400 square feet with two full baths, four bedrooms, a kitchen, family room and basement.
Once it’s removed, the city plans to use the land for raised monuments, part of the planned expansion of the cemetery.
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INTERESTED?
To contact Sumner City Cemetery for a tour of the house, call 253-299-5510.
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