In the mid 2000’s, I had a landscaping company that was commissioned to build a large stone retaining wall. Unfortunately, I was short on the inventory of stones needed to complete this large project. While driving through the county, I located a barn on State Route 82 in Garrettsville, Ohio. I stopped & made a deal with the property owner to remove the structure as I needed the square stones. We removed all of the siding and stacked it on a trailer for eventual transport. A couple of days later, a guy drove by this project, stopped, and offered me cash for the wood. I sold the reclaimed wood only to find out later that I could have received much more, as it was wormy chestnut. After completion of the large barn stone wall, this led me to the realization that there were other barns and older structures that contained unique woods – such as siding, floors, roofing and beams.
All thanks to the need for stones for a completely different project, it sparked an interest in reclaimed wood. It also intrigued me in the study of wood species associated with old wooden buildings. That was an exciting and interesting opportunity for me to witness the amazing craftsmanship used to complete these kinds of structures. To date, we have removed approximately 36 barns and old wooden buildings, which have contained a diverse variety of wood species with a rich history and patina. Our reclaimed wood has been used in private remodeling projects, along with new construction of homes, & major commercial projects. -Todd Bartholomew, Owner
