The use of reclaimed wood isn’t a new concept, but it has become popular in recent years especially since the start of the green building movement. Barns served as one of the most common sources of reclaimed wood. They were constructed of hewn timbers from nearby trees on the property and were limited in size by what could be maneuvered by horse and hands. Timber was inexpensive, strong, and plentiful. Today, these old unused barns are being deconstructed, and their timbers are being salvaged for a second life in a new building.

Benefits of Using Reclaimed Timber Beams

Durability, Stability and Strength

Old timbers have expanded and contracted over the years and are fully dried out.  This makes them more durable and less prone to warping and splitting compared to newly cut and dried lumber. Old growth wood is usually denser (because tree rings are closer together from a slower growth period), stronger, and lasts longer than new growth wood.

Sense of History and Unique Story

Many people like to use reclaimed timber because they are drawn to products and materials that have an interesting story. They may also appreciate the history or origin of the wood and the sense of nostalgia they feel when they see the material installed in a space.

Unique Character 

As mentioned above, every piece of wood has a unique story. No two pieces of timber are alike, which gives depth and unique character to the ensemble of timber framing. More often than not, each piece has its own distinctive attributes, whether its shape is slightly irregular, the rough-hewn texture is varied, or there are some exposed knots, notches, or nails in the wood from a previous life.  This adds to the uniqueness of the material and the richness of the story.

Environmentally Friendly

We live in a world of diminishing natural resources. Using reclaimed timbers reduces the demand for newly sourced virgin lumber, helping curb deforestation and reduce the burden on the landfills. When comparing building materials, timber is an environmentally responsible choice and has one of the lowest embodied energies (compared to metal and concrete). And compared to new growth wood, reclaimed timber usually has an even lower embodied energy, depending on the condition of the timber and where it is sourced. Locally sourced reclaimed timber avoids many of the processes new lumber goes through – tree harvesting, transporting, drying, and milling, all of which use energy.

Challenges of Using Reclaimed Timber Beams

Character

As mentioned above, the timber’s character can be seen as a positive characteristic to some people.  However, to others, it could also be seen as a challenge. The fact that each piece has been weathered, aged, notched, or nailed makes it unique, but also causes issues to someone wanting uniformity in appearance. Using reclaimed wood is still achievable in this case; however, you might need to put in a little extra effort and money to make each piece more consistent and uniform.

Size Irregularities 

When sourcing reclaimed timber it might be hard to find the exact sizes you’re looking for unless you want to mill the timber down to a specific size and lose the character of the timber.  It is also sometimes challenging to find longer lengths of wood, but some people turn this drawback into an opportunity and create interesting splices in the timber.

 Unknown Upfront Time Commitment and Costs

Depending on how the timber is sourced, there may be some unknown costs. If you receive timber from a supplier or a company specializing in reclaimed timber, there are fewer unknowns and should actually be a more straightforward process. The quantities, sizes, and appearance are confirmed early on.

However, if your buddy has a stockpile of salvaged timber laying around for you to use, there will be more time and additional cost involved in sorting, taking inventory, preparing, testing, and possibly fumigating the wood for reuse. This isn’t necessarily a problem, it just takes careful planning, coordinating, and creativity to get the design you want from the usable inventory you have in a reasonable amount of time. But then again, the material is cheap or nearly free, so the upfront costs will probably still be cheaper than purchasing material from a supplier.

A Time and a Place

Using reclaimed timber has its benefits and its challenges. There is definitely a time and a place for this unique building material in building projects. The material should not be forced onto a project to simply “green wash” it. Rather, the responsible approach is to review the goals and objectives of the project to see if there are benefits to expressing the character and uniqueness of reclaimed timber. If not, then maybe reclaimed timber isn’t the best option. Those projects needing more consistency and predictability with the material might be better off using another material.

We should also remember that reclaimed timber is a finite resource. Old wooden structures that we source timber from will eventually become non-existent. As long as we understand this, we can appreciate this valuable source of building material in its finiteness and celebrate the unique structural and architectural features that it can provide.

If you’d like to learn more about timber framing, check out our Timber Framing Design Resources.

More specifically, to see a project where we used timber beams, look at this article: Introducing our House Addition in Western PA about the Fombell project.