The Benefits of Using Local Reclaimed Wood in Your Custom Home

Whenever possible, we prefer to use building materials sourced as closely to our area as possible. It tends to reduce the cost (Brazilian cherry does have to come a long way from Brazil) and creates a kinship between the home and the land.

While Colorado isn’t really known for its lumber production, unique reclaimed wood is actually fairly plentiful. It also adds character to a home that traditional materials can’t provide.

Urban Timber – While most of the harvestable timber in Colorado is of the coniferous variety, we have a source of local hardwood that may be as close as your own backyard. Local craftsmen will take large urban trees that sadly must come down for a number of different reasons, mill the wood, and turn it into beautiful furnishings and accents. We have used local elm, walnut, and oak in cabinets, flooring, trim, and more.

Beetle-Kill Pine – Within the last 20 years, the mountain pine beetle has decimated 3.4 million acres of forest in Colorado. Many mountainsides now have a gray cast from the dead trees in its wake. But these trees can all provide millable lumber with the same strength and quality as live ones. The blue-gray staining of the wood caused by the beetle’s presence adds character. It makes a perfect accent on ceilings, walls – anywhere you want to add a little interest. (See it in the ceiling detail in the photo above.)

Reclaimed Wyoming Snow Fence – The 12-foot high wooden fences that parallel many of Wyoming’s windy byways and railroads to keep the snowdrifts at bay used to remain in place until the wood rotted through. Now the weathered wood is rotated out on a regular basis and made available for flooring, siding – anything you want to dress up with local wood. These boards provide a uniform size free of nails and contaminants that might soak up into barnwood but offer the same rustic look.

We’ve had a lot of experience working with reclaimed wood during the home-building process, so if you’re looking for ideas to dress up an area of your home, just ask.