Recycled Wood

4 thoughts on “Recycled Wood”

1. I met a guy who used to salvage wood from million dollar houses in a ski resort. The houses were being demolished to make way for ten million dollar houses. (Seriously — a million dollar house was not good enough.) He got to know the owner of the demolition company and eventually worked out a deal where him and his friends could work late at night with head lamps. They pulled out oak floors, cherry wood cabinets, trim, doors and other valuable materials. Everything was done under the counter due to insurance restrictions. Not everything was saved, of course, but they got lots of free stuff.

   Reply

2. This guy sounds really smart , I wonder if he is the same guy I saw in the Fine Homebuilding September 2011 issue

   Reply

3. Recycycled wood is the way to go Read this article .

   TITLE: MADE OF TRASH TRASH BUT NOT TRASSHY

   THE DEFINITION OF TRASH FROM WIKIPEDIA IS AS FOLLOWS
   TRASH undesired or unwanted waste material

   DID YOU REALIZE THAT 25 % OF ALL WASTE IN OUR LANDFILLS IS CONSTRUCTION WASTE?WHAT IF THERE WAS A BETTER WAY ? WHAT IF WE RECYCLED THIS WASTE.? THIS BARN IS one ATTEMPT AT FINDING A BETTER WAY. 75% OF THE WOOD USED IN the construction ofTHIS BUILDING IS MATERIAL THAT CAN BE CONSIDERED WASTE. AND SOME OF THIS WOOD IS ALMOST 300 YEARS OLD.

   Why use old wood? It’s dirty, has nails in it, AND COMES IN ODD SIZES. Why don’t we just buy new stuff?. Isn’t new wood stronger and better ? These are all legitimate questions AND I WILL ATTEMPT TO ANSWER THES AS WE GO ALONG.

   In America today we are moving towards a point of unsustainability. We have become a buy and throw away culture and it is considered normal thinking to replace ANYTHING ONCE IT BECOMES DIRTY OR WORN. THIS IS EVEN HAPPENING WITH OUR HOUSING STOCK WE HAVE ALL WITNESSED THE LATEST TREND OF TEARING DOWN AN EXISTING HOUSE TO PUT UP SOMETHING MORE GRANDIOSE. ALL THE MATERIAL FROM THE EXISTING HOUSE IS BEING broken up by an excavating machine AND THROWN INTO A DUMPSTER THEN CARTED AWAY TO A LANDFILL.

   IT IS TIME we need to consider more than just the dollar costs of our decisions , There is an Environmental impact that is Priceless . AS THE WORLD POPULATION GROWS LARGER AND THERE IS MORE DEMAND FOR A FINITE NUMBER OF RESOURCES THE US NEEDS TO LEAD THE WAY IN RECYCLING AND REUSE. I BELIEVE IN THE END THIS WILL PAY HUGE DIVIDENDS BOTH ENVIRONMENTALLY BUT FISCALLY AS WELL. We just need to change the way we think.

   IN RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND INCREASED DEMAND FOR RESOURCRES THE GREEN MOVEMENT HAS BEGUN.
   Green Building is ONE ASPECT OF THIS GLOBAL MOVEMENT. ,This simply put means creating buildings that are sustainable environmentally and economically, According to Wikipedia Green building is defined as FOLLOWS:
   Green Building, also known as green construction or sustainable building, is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance …
   en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building

   GREEN BUILDING CAN be achieved in many ways . Some of these ways are technology based and fairly complicated and require ongoing maintenance and repair such as solar , windmills and geo thermal. Other ideas are simple and passive such as using better quality insulation to reduce heating costs, ORIENTING YOUR HOUSE TOWARDS THE SON TO REDUCE HEATING COSTS OR BUILDING WITH WASTE LUMBER

   So we come back to our initial questions .
   Why use old wood? It’s dirty, has nails in it AND COMES IN ODD SIZES Why don’t we just buy new stuff?. Isn’t new wood stronger and better ? DOENT OLD WOOD ROT?

   Just because wood is dirty does not mean it is junk.

   contrary to popular belief wood does not QUICKLY deteriorate as it gets older. It is prone to rot and insect infestation but wood from the interior of a building that has been kept dry will lasts for 100s of years if not thousands. One of the oldest wooden buildings in the world was built in 711 AD and is 1300 years old ACCORDING TO WIKIPEDIA Hōryū-ji (法隆寺?, lit. Temple of the Flourishing Law) is a Buddhist temple in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Its full name is Hōryū Gakumonji (法隆学問寺), or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, the complex serving as seminary and monastery both.
   The temple’s pagoda is widely acknowledged to be one of the oldest wooden buildings existing in the world, underscoring Hōryū-ji’s place as one of the most celebrated temples in Japan.[1][2]

   THE OLDEST LIVING TREE IN THE WORLD I REPEAT LIVING IS OVER 4000 YEARS OLD. The bristlecone pines are a small group of pine trees (Family Pinaceae, genus Pinus, subsection Balfourianae) that are thought to reach an age far greater than that of any other single living organism known, up to nearly 5,000 years.
   So what have we learned ?

   THIS Temple in Japan IS 1300 YEARS OLD AND IS GOING STRONG. THESE TREES ARE OVER 400 0YEARS OLD AND FLOURISHING . WOOD IS NOT trash BECAUSE IT IS OLD , IN FACT MUCH OLDER WOOD IS OF BETTER QUALITY THAN THAT BEING CUT TODAY .IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THIS ONE MUST UNDERSTAND WOOD AND HOW IT GETS ITS STRENGTH AND STABILITY. WOOD THAT GROWS IN A CROWDED FOREST TENDS TO GROW SLOWLY THIS SLOW GROWTH PROVIDES TIGHTER GROWTH RINGS WHICH LEAD TO MORE DIMENSIONALLY STABLE LUMBER WHEN CUT. TREES THAT GREW UP IN THESE KINDS OF FORESTS ARE CALLED OLD GROWTH. ONCE THESE OLD GROWTH FORESTS WERE CUT , NEW FORESTS ROSE UP .SOME OF THESE forests are BEING PLANTED IN SUCH A WAY AS TO MAXIMIZE GROWTH [ TREES ARE SPACED TO ALLOW EACH TREE ENOUGH NUTRIENTS AND SUNLIGHT TO GROW FASTER.] ALTHOUGH THIS IS GOOD FOR THE LUMBER COMPANY IT IS NOT AS GOOD FOR THE WOODWORKER/BUILDER. HERE IS A PICTURE COMPARING AN OLD GROWTH 2X4 TO A NEW GROWTH 2X4 NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE IN NUMBER OF GROWTH RINGS [ THE MORE RINGS IN THE WOOD THE MORE STABLE IT BEHAVES. . and the more structural capacity it has. also the more abundant
   rings give the wood a richer color.

   OLD GROWTH NEW GROWTH

   THERE IS AN ABUNDANCE OF THIS OLD GROWTH LUMBER IN OUR OLDER BUILDINGS that were built before the mid 1900s . up until recemntly this has been considered trash. WE SHOULD MAKE SURE WE START TREATING THIS WOOD AS THE VALUABLE RESOURCE IT IS INSTEAD OF FILLING LANDFILLS WITH it. AN OLD ADAGE SAYS ONE MANS TRASH IS ANOTHER MANS TREASURE. WELL THAT MAN HAS to have an eye EYE TO SEE REAL VALUE.

   SO WHY HAVENT WE USED MORE OF THIS RESOURCE?

   For years we were in a building boom and builders and property owners sought the easiest and cheapest option for building . For years the answer was to use lumber milled from old growth forests in the US. . Unfortunately these forests are gone. Now our lumber comes from tree farms that produce second and third growth lumber . this wood is grown quickly and is a lower quality product than wood from the old growth forests. According to the USDA AND USFS ONLy about 7% of old growth forests remain in the US. Fortunately in America We have A huge Supply of Old growth High quality Lumber waiting To be Tapped This is in the form of salvaged lumber taken from old buildings Since the early 1600s people have been building in America , many buildings currently standing are 100s of years old. These buildings contain huge quantities of old growth lumber that can be reused This lumber holds economic and environmental valuE and holds vast amounts of embodied energy. WHAT IS EMBODIED ENERGY? according to Wikipedia embodied energy is definEd as follows ;

   Embodied energy is defined as the commercial energy (fossil fuels, nuclear, etc) that was used in the work to make any product, bring it to market, and dispose of it. Embodied energy is an accounting methodology which aims to find the sum total of the energy necessary for an entire product lifecycle. This lifecycle includes raw material extraction, transport,[1] manufacture, assembly, installation, disassembly, deconstruction and/or decomposition.

   so if we can reduce the amount of embodied energy in the materials we use, we have made a positive environmental impact for example think about the fuel involved

   In order to cut the forest we must first build the logging rds this requires fuel for trucks, chainsaws bulldozers etc next we must cut the trees more fuel for chainsaws trucks etc
   the ftrees must then bE TRANSPORTED TOTHEMILLAND CUT into lumber This requires I more fuel to truck the trees to mill and fueL TO POWER THE MILL after this the lumber is transported to a facility where the wood ids dried in giant ovens called KILNS These require more fuel
   THE lumber is then shipped to distributord alL OVER THE COUNTRY MORE FUEL FOR TRUCKS> THE LUMBER IS THEN SHIPPED TOP INDIVIDUAL LUMBER YARDS MORE FUEL LUMBER YARD TO JOBSITE MORE FUEL as you can see by the time lumber reaches a jobsite irt has gone thru a long journey rquioring lots of fuel some lumber travels over 4000 miles before it reaches the jobsite. Considering the limited amount of fossil fuels available and the environmental impact of using these fuels . If we salvage lumber and reuse it locally the amount of environmental impact is substantial.

   Where does this SALVAGED wood come from ?

   We have all seen buildings coming down. Usually with a wrecking ball. A ll this construction debris is carted away and put into a landfill. A large parcentage of this material is reusable directly with minimal labor. According to this chart from the Contra Costa COUNTY California waste and recycling bureau over 250 tons of waste are generated from the demolition of one 5000 sf home

   Contra costa county Calif
   Average Amount of Construction & Demolition Debris Generated By Project Type
   TYPE OF PROJECT POUNDS PER SQUARE FOOT PER 5,000 SQ FT PROJECT
   POUNDS TONS
   Residential Construction 4.38 21,900 10.95
   Nonresidential Construction 4.02 20,100 10.05
   Residential Demolition (Single-Family) 111.3 556,500 278.25
   Residential Demolition (Multi-Family) 127 635,000 317.5
   Nonresidential Demolition 155 775,000 387.5
   Nonresidential Renovation 17.7 88,500 44.25
   Residential Renovation Varies by Project N/A N/A

   But there is a better way . Many of the materials in these building have years of life left in them and can be reclaimed and reused . thru the process oF deconstruction According to wikipedia deconstruction is defined as follows.

   In the context of physical construction, deconstruction is the selective dismantlement of building components, specifically for re-use, recycling, and waste management. It differs from demolition where a site is cleared of its building by the most expedient means. Deconstruction has also been defined as “construction in reverse”. The process of dismantling structures is an ancient activity that has been revived by the growing field of sustainable, green building. Buildings, like everything, have a life-cycle. Deconstruction focuses on giving the materials within a building a new life once the building as a whole can no longer continue.
   When buildings reach the end of their useful life, they are typically demolished and hauled to landfills. Building implosions or ‘wrecking-ball’ style demolitions are relatively inexpensive and offer a quick method of clearing sites for new structures. On the other hand, these methods create substantial amounts of waste. Components within old buildings may still be valuable, sometimes more valuable than at the time the building was constructed. Deconstruction is a method of harvesting what is commonly considered “waste” and reclaiming it into useful building material.

   . Doesnt this create more work ? Yes it does deconstruction of a building requires more man hours than traditional demolition however this ADDED COST can be made up for in the ECONOMIC value of the salvaged materials and the cost savings due to the reduction in waste.
   This doesn’t even take into consideration the amount of energy that is saved by using this old lumber and the amount of waste that is kept out of landfills AND WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT IN THIS CURRENT ECONOMIC CLIENT MORE JOBS ARE A GOOD THING.

   Builders typically like to use what is readily available and the most profitable recycled lumber requires more labor and more planning but the emnvironmental results are well worth it .

   by reclaiming this lumber we can substantially reduce the amount of energy required to build our homes and buildings.

   for example think about the fuel involved

   In order to cut the forest we must first build the logging rds this requires fuel for trucks chainsaws bulldozers etc next we must cut the trees more fuel for chainsaws trucks etc
   the ftrees must then bE TRANSPORTED TOTHEMILLAND CUT into lumber This requires I more fuel to truck the trees to mill and fueL TO POWER THE MILL after this the lumber is transported to a facility where the wood ids dried in giant ovens called KILNS These require more fuel
   THE lumber is then shipped to distributord alL OVER THE COUNTRY MORE FUEL FOR TRUCKS> THE LUMBER IS THEN SHIPPED TOP INDIVIDUAL LUMBER YARSDS MORE FUEL LUMBER YARD TO JOBSITE MORE FUEL as you can see by the time lumber reaches a jobsite irt has gone thru a long journey rquioring lots of fuel some lumber travels over 4000 miles before it reaches the jobsite. Considering the limited amount of fossil fuels available and the environmental impact of using these fuels . If we salvage lumber and reuse it locally the amount of environmental impact is substantial.
   APPLETON FARMS IS THE OLDEST CONTINUALLY WORKING FARM IN AMERICA. [ ADD MORE}

   Mindful of These facts Wayne Castonguay Appleton Farms Manager wanted to reduce the environmental impact when the old Sunset Hill Barn was restored/REBUILT. Knowing that Integrity Restoration Often uses locally harvested and recycled lumber in its projects Wayne asked them to get Involved

   John Sheridan Of integrity Says
   “After thoroughly analyzing the condition of this old barn it was determined that due to weather exposure and insect damage major repairs and reconstruction would be needed this would require large amounts of lumber we decided we would aim to use as much recycycled lumber as possible ” .

   During the Winter a section of the farm had been hit with high winds This had knocked down many trees ON THE PROPERTY these were a combination of pine spruce and hemlock. Normally BLOWDOWNS such as these would be hauled away to a chipping mill and made into wood chips. WAYNE AND JOHN decided to take the best of these trees and mill them into new timbers to be used in the Restoration OF THE BARN.

   Paul Tofurri of Tofurri Tree service was able to mill these trees into timbers on site.USING HIS PORTABLE BANDSAW MILL. The remaining timbers we needed came from Markham Lumber in Essex Ma . They have a tree service and were able to mIll us timbers out of trees that would haveOTHERWISE gone to a chipping mill These timbers once delivered had travelled less than 20 milers from HARVEST TO BEING IN THE STRUCTURE.

   At the same time the barn was going to be restored 2 other projects were happening on the farm, one was the restoration of the Old House[ DESCRIPTION FROM WAYNE} THIS yielded large quantities of oldflumber that we were able to use as sheathing on the barn SOME OF THESE BOARDS ARE OVER 300 YEARS OLD

   the other project was the demolition of the old Carriage House . this BUILDING had to come down because it was beyond repair DUE TO INSECT DAMAGE however it had some elements that were worth saving. The old doors wH ich were 10FEET by 13 FEET were in rough shape but were certainly worth saving. integrity RESTORATION took these doors and diasassemled them, THE ORIGINAL DOOR HARDWARE WAS CLEANED UP AND BROUGHT BACK TO WORKING ORDER. THEY then reworked the wood and shrunK them down to the sizeTHEY needed this left enough lumber left over to build the third door needed When the barn itself was disassembled to get to the frame for restoration all the wood with rot or insect infestation was thrown away however any lumber that had quality wood remaining was save d for reuse. for insTance a 12 inch board might have an inch of rot on each edge once this wood is run thru the table saw you are left with a useable board 10 inches wide using this method we were able to save about 30 percent of the wood from the oriGinal barn. This also saved us about 20 yards of waste that would have gone to the landfill.

   The cupola was built using all recycled lumberfrom the original barn, The main doors to the barn upper level were recycled from a project in Cambrige Ma THE GABLE END WINDOW IS THE ORIGINAL GABLE WINDIOW WE WERE ABVLE TO TRESTORE.

   the stones for the BANK[ RAMP} were all gathered from arounD the farm . By the time we were finished we were able to restore the barn using about 80 % reused or recycycled lumber and building parts. MOST OF THE lumber and parts came from the farm itself .

   THE LUMBER WE DID NEED TO BUY WAS SOURCED AS LOCAL AS POSSIBLE WITH WITH WHITE CEDAR SHIONGLES FROM MAINE BEING USED ION THE EXTERIOR.

   JOHN SHERIDAN SAYS
   ‘ Once we got started it became fun to see where on the farm we could find the materials necessary for the restoration.’

   This barn is now ready for another 200 years or longer if it is well maintained

   HERE IS A BREAKDOWN OF THE BUILDING MATERIALS

   BUILDING PARTS CHART

   TIMBERS FOR FRAME BLOWDOWNS FROM FARM MILLED ON SITE
   TIMBERS FOR FRAME BLOWDOWNS MILLED IN ESSEX MA

   EXTERIOR WALL SHEATHING SALVAGED FROM OLD HOUSE AND BARN
   ROOF SHEATHING MILLED ON SITE[ From Blowdown timber]
   FLOOR BOARDS MILLED ESSEX MA { From Urban timber}
   INFILL FRAMING FROM OLD HOUSE AND OLD BARN
   GABLE END WINDOW RESTORED FROM ORIGINAL GABLE WINDOW
   LARGE LOWER BARN DOORS AND TRACKS RECYCLED FROM CARRIAGE HOUSE
   UPPER BARN DOORS RECYCYCLED FROM CAMBRIDGE MA PROJECT
   UPPER DOOR THRESHOLD MILLED FROM 300 YEAR OLD TIMBER FROM OLD HOUSE
   CUPOLA FRAMING AND VENTS RECYCLED FROM OLD BARN
   BARN WINDOWS NEW
   CEDAR SHINGLES NEW [ HARVESTED LOCALLY FROM MAINE}
   SEVERAL PIECES OF PLYWOOD SALVAGED FROM JOBSITE DUMPSTER.
   ROCKS FOR RAMP FROM FARM
   WOOD PEGS NEW

   NAILS NEW

   SAVED 60 YARDS OF WASTE FROM LANDFILL

   Reply

4. yea I made an interior door out of an old pallet for about 5 bucks cheapest door I ever got and it looks cool too

   Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.