The Lumber Liquidators Founder Is Afraid to Add Up What His Tennessee Ranch Cost. It Asks $34.8 Million

He made his money selling wood floors. He filled his own house with olive-wood handrails and a cherry-blossom chandelier. He says he's afraid to add up what it all cost, and that's the planning lesson.

By Sean Anees Saifi · Capital Wealth · Published Friday, October 16, 2026 · Source: The Wall Street Journal, Friday, October 16, 2026, whose market figures are the Thursday, October 15 close (Mansion)

Key Points

Tom Sullivan, 67, founded Lumber Liquidators in 1993. It went public in 2007. He bought it back in 2024 after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
He and his wife Britta paid $3.1 million for the roughly 122.5-acre ranch in Leiper's Fork, Tenn., in 2019. They'd looked for more than a decade near the company's Tennessee headquarters.
They lived in an older house on the land while designing a 13,680-square-foot, six-bedroom home plus barns. A permit for a stone bridge over the creek took two years, and the project grew while they waited.
The road and bridge cost more than $6 million. Asked for the total, he said he's afraid to add it up. The house was finished the day before Thanksgiving last year.
He started thinking about selling this summer, after Bed Bath & Beyond signed a letter of intent to buy Lumber Liquidators. That's a first step toward a sale, not a sale, and the deal fell through. He's listing anyway, at $34.8 million, and plans a smaller house on land next door.

$34.8 million

asking price, a village record if it sells near that

$3.1 million

what the Sullivans paid for the ranch in 2019

$6 million

what the road and the stone bridge alone cost, and more

2 years

just to get the permit for the bridge over the creek

A many-arched stone bridge spans a still river in a wooded valley at dawn, its arches mirrored in the water and mist drifting over the hills.

The Lumber Liquidators founder says he is afraid to add up what the Tennessee ranch cost. It is listed at $34.8 million.

In one line: The Lumber Liquidators founder is listing his Tennessee ranch for $34.8 million, a build he admits he's afraid to add up.

Tom Sullivan built a business selling wood flooring. Then he built himself a house in Tennessee with olive floors, olive handrails and a cherry-blossom chandelier. Some of the walls are covered in scraps of reclaimed lumber. Asked what he put into it, he gave the most honest answer in real estate. “I'm afraid to add it up, but a lot.” Now the ranch is for sale at $34.8 million.

Sullivan, 67, is a former contractor. He founded Lumber Liquidators in 1993 and took it public in 2007. After the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, he bought it back in 2024. He and his wife, Britta, have homes in Miami Beach, Cohasset, Mass., New York City and Bordeaux, France. For more than a decade they looked for land near the company's Tennessee headquarters and distribution center. In 2019 they paid $3.1 million for roughly 122.5 acres in Leiper's Fork, about 25 miles from Nashville.

An older house already stood on the land. They lived in it for a few years and drew up plans for the new one. It came out to 13,680 square feet and six bedrooms, plus barns and outbuildings. The permit for a stone bridge over the creek took two years by itself. Visitors cross it to reach the house. While they waited, the project grew. The road and bridge alone cost more than $6 million, Sullivan says. Construction took several years and wrapped up the day before Thanksgiving last year. They hosted 16 guests for the holiday, barely moved in.

Why sell now

This summer, Bed Bath & Beyond signed a letter of intent to buy Lumber Liquidators. That got Sullivan thinking about selling the ranch. The deal fell through. He's selling anyway. He and Britta have two young children, and he has two older kids, but they don't need a house this big. He plans a smaller one on land next door. Listing agent Jamie Parsons of Compass says a sale near the ask would be a village record. Prices there have climbed fast, she says. One nearby home sold for $6.25 million in 2020 and again for $10.5 million in 2024.

Our read

This is Cash Flow (M5) and Housing (M6). Two lessons sit in one ranch. The first is the number nobody adds up. The land cost $3.1 million. The road and bridge cost about twice that. The house, the barns, the olive wood and the chandelier are on top. A sharp businessman can't tell you the total, and he's not unusual. Custom builds grow while you wait for permits. The second lesson is the trigger. He started thinking about selling when a buyer for his company showed up. The buyer left. The house decision stayed. Don't tie a housing move to a deal that hasn't closed.

Here's your version. If you've got a renovation or a build in your plan, it should have a budget line. This week, add up what you've actually spent against it, receipts and all, in one column. Count what really left the account, including the extras. If the number scares you, that's useful, and it's better to know in October than at closing. A build is the one time the forecast says rain for sure. Pack accordingly.

What It Means For Your Portfolio

Hold. Add up the build before the build adds up on you.

A custom build's true cost is the one line owners can't quote, so keep the tally yourself, every month.

General planning principles, not advice for anyone in particular. Before a build or a major renovation, set a written cap and a stop point. Track spending monthly against it, including the roads, permits and delays that aren't in the contractor's bid.

Keep housing moves separate from business or job events that haven't closed. A letter of intent isn't a sale. A verbal offer isn't a contract. Let the house decision stand on its own.