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Design Greener: Using Reclaimed Wood
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
A big part of sustainable design is repurposing and reusing. While, thank goodness, sustainable forestry practices are becoming more widespread, another great way to be green when it comes to lumber is to reuse wood. These boards and beams have all kinds of character that they worked hard to earn in former lives. They have distress marks, patinas and edges that make them unique.
Consider adding a layer of history to your home with reclaimed wood. I'm actually living by example this time around - my kitchen counters, mantle, bathroom counters and built-in shelf counter were all fashioned from wide plank pine floorboards from my attic. When the attic was bumped up to make a second floor, my contractor realized he was sitting on a gold mine (pine mine?). I can't take credit for his ingenuity, but I very much enjoy it every day. Not only do they add warmth and texture to my home, it also saved me a bundle on stone countertops.
Consider adding a layer of history to your home with reclaimed wood. I'm actually living by example this time around - my kitchen counters, mantle, bathroom counters and built-in shelf counter were all fashioned from wide plank pine floorboards from my attic. When the attic was bumped up to make a second floor, my contractor realized he was sitting on a gold mine (pine mine?). I can't take credit for his ingenuity, but I very much enjoy it every day. Not only do they add warmth and texture to my home, it also saved me a bundle on stone countertops.
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This gallery-like space gets a dose of Little House on the Prairie from this wooden wall and ceiling.
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| It's possible to use old boards in a fresh, light, contemporary space. |
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| This beam repurposed as a mantle has so much character - the dings and flaws just make it more interesting. |
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| This reclaimed wood headboard sets the tone of the room (special repurposing bonus: the throw pillows are sewn from old jeans). |
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| They just don't make them like this anymore - these beautiful wood floors are reclaimed wood! |
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| There's a lot of furniture on the market made of reclaimed boards, like this beautiful coffee table. |
by Niche Interiors
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Look at how beautiful a dining room table made from reclaimed wood can be!
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| This is the same space shown in the top image, I just wanted to show you how well this wood works no matter which way you look at it! |
| These are reclaimed wood counters. |
| Old beams can give a new space a feeling of history. |
| Copper, metal, glass and reclaimed wood - why not? |
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Alright, I told you I'm not only the president of the reclaimed wood fan club, but I'm also a member...this is my mantle, made from pine boards from the attic...
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...and the built-in shelves in my living room.
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| These are recycled beams from a 200 year old Pennsylvania barn. I love that you can sense the history in each notch. |
Ideabook updated on Aug. 16, 2010.
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Great ideabook! Is "green" or sustainable an actual category here on Houzz? It should be.
Andrea, it is a category - at the top of the page, click on IDEABOOKS and "Green Design" will be on the left side of the page. I know I haven't written many, because I really want to know what the heck I'm talking about and not be a greenwasher, but I'm hoping to feature some more green projects via interviews and house tours very soon.
Becky
Here is another great pic & example that I found on Houzz (no idea on the designer), I would love to add this to the end of our island, it adds so much!!
Melissa
All of our homes old bricks have been cleaned up and are being used as stair treads with my decks off cuts of 8"x8" Fir.
My home itself and the roof was built with 2"x4"s 1"x6"s and 1"x4"s. Back in the day in my town like yours I'm sure the home's foundation would have been built with this lumber and then that lumber removed carefully and reused into the home's framing.
Today most crews rent forms, spray them with bond breakers and accelerators - chemicals, fast, quick, easy...
Not my reno. We gave this old lumber another kick at the cat. We pre cut our new forms for the renovation out of the roof framing and lower it down with ropes. More work. More time - but the right thing to do. We then stripped these forms again and the wood has been seasoning in my shop and will become Kids Desks, Book Shelves, Cabinet Doors and What Have You's.
The old 2"x8" rough sawn fir beams that made up the main floor ceiling rafters will make great flooring or doors for upcoming projects.
It is easy to recycle - if you choose to do so.
Lets all do more and leave our kids less garbage than we have today. You designers and architects out there can suggest better building practices and suggest materials that will keep these renovations standing strong and not on a short course to the dump.
A bathroom that is build with bambo cabinets and a poorly built shower and ventilation fan is hardly a green renovation if it is in the landfill in 5 years time.
My thoughts.
Thanks again for the showcase Becky.
"When it's perfect. It's good enough." - John Whipple
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=103369&id=720921782&l=9575a9bfb5
our ENTIRE RANGE OF GOODS is hand-crafted from reclaimed antique teak wood, sourced from the rural, tribal interiors of th indian sub-continent.
i absolutely LOVED all the ideas shown in this section.
Not one new piece of lumber was used and not one nail, screw or staple went into the project with the exception of the gate hardware.
Anastasia
www.faiella-design.com
The aforementioned barn contains some pieces that are 4"x12"x60'. There is nothing available now in that size at all without the custom milling of ones own timber.
I recall seeing a story on the news where a company was reclaiming waterlogged timber from the Great Lakes area, often times finding old growth logs.
There is also a list of good sources for architectural salvage places here:
http://www.laconservancy.org/preservation/directory_architecturalsalvage.php4
Be sure to share shots of your property when you are done.
BELISARIUS - Great point about the old growth and the widths available. It makes finding old boards even more enticing!
ZONELADY - where did you find the wood pieces that you used?
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 AN ATTEMPT AT FINDING A BETTER WAY. 80 % OF THE WOOD USED IN THIS 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 SMAHED 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 U>S> NEEDS TO LEAD THE WAY IN RECYCLING AND REUSE. I BELIEVE IN THJE END THIS WILL PAY HUGE DIVIDENDS BOTH ENVIRONMENTALLY BUT FISCALLY AS WELL.
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 , 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
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?
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.
THIS BUILDING IS 1300 YEARS OLD AND IS GOING STRONG THESE TREES ARE
- I'm taking apart my fence to turn it into my back porch ceiling.
- I just bought about 300' of weathered fence from someone on Craig's List that will become my front porch ceiling an my kitchen peninsula.
- I collect 6x6s from any one and anywhere. They're my courtyard walls and support my back and front porch.
- Someday my deck will be the 30 6x6x12s ($8.00 each) and 25 2x12x20s ($9.00 each) I got from a fence company this week because they'd weathered and checked. People won't take old! An excellent place to look are fence companies!
- Almost 200 lf of cabinetry came from reuse centers and I've built the odd pieces I need of wood I found in my barn.
- My 15 antique, interior doors are reuse center finds and will become pocket doors.
- My two mahogany front doors, 1 w/ sidelights are reclaimed.
- The credenza I'm building is going to have wine crate panels as the drawer fronts.
- 30' of windows for my back porch came from H4H, and the walls are going to be the 15 single light French doors I got at another reuse center.
Pennies on the dollar for keeping all this out of landfills! And I've only just begun! Yeah!