Glacier-sable

How this began

In 2018, a barn outside Medicine Hat was scheduled for demolition. The structure was over a century old, built from Douglas fir that had been milled locally. Instead of letting it go to landfill, we salvaged what we could.

That first project taught us something: reclaimed wood isn't just environmentally responsible. It's superior. The density, the stability, the visual depth—nothing new compares.

We've since expanded our sourcing across western Canada, working with demolition contractors, heritage restoration projects, and private landowners who have structures they're taking down.

Our approach to materials

Not every piece of salvaged wood is worth keeping. We select for structural soundness, visual interest, and species. Most of what we use is Douglas fir, cedar, and oak—timber that was harvested when old-growth forests were still accessible.

We don't artificially distress wood or fake the weathered look. The patina is real. The nail holes, the saw marks, the variations in color—all authentic.

From salvage to finished piece

Acquisition

We identify sources through demolition networks, heritage projects, and direct landowner contact. Each load is evaluated on-site before transport.

Inspection

Wood is sorted by species, condition, and dimension. Compromised sections are removed. Hardware is extracted carefully to avoid further damage.

Stabilization

Material is stored in controlled conditions to allow moisture content to equalize. This prevents movement once the piece is built.

Design

We design around the material, not the other way around. Dimensions, joinery, and finish are chosen to suit the specific characteristics of the wood.

Fabrication

Traditional joinery techniques, modern precision tooling. Every cut is intentional. Every surface is finished by hand.

Who we are

Our workshop is based in southern Alberta. We're a small team—two craftspeople, one designer, and a network of salvage partners across the region.

We don't mass-produce. Each project is treated as a collaboration between our skills and the material's inherent qualities.

Environmental impact

Every ton of reclaimed wood we use is a ton that doesn't go to landfill. It's also a ton of new lumber that doesn't need to be harvested.

The embodied energy in salvaged timber is already spent. By reusing it, we're extending the environmental return on that initial investment by decades.

We don't claim to be carbon-neutral or use marketing terms that obscure actual impact. What we do is straightforward: we take old wood and make it useful again.

Built from what others discard