Rough sawn edges, nail holes, sun-weathered surfaces—reclaimed wood is a tactile reminder of where we’ve been, and, to an experienced eye, it’s also full of potential. What was once part of a timeworn barn or broken-down fence line finds new life through Heritage Timber, a local reclaimed wood company turning history into possibility.
At M-80 Chicken’s downtown restaurant, the counters, flooring, and walls all feature reclaimed wood sourced through Heritage Timber. One wall, made up of multicolored, skinny pieces of wood leaving open a jagged shape, particularly catches the eye.
“They were using really short lengths, which is thrilling,” said Becky Douglas, co-owner of Heritage Timber. “I love that they did that in such an artistic way.”
Becky emphasized the versatility of reclaimed wood.
“This is pretty rustic, but all you have to do is mill it or plane it or sand it and it can really change the color and the texture,” she said. “It doesn’t have to look like a barn.”
The price points can also be versatile. There are two basic types of wood Heritage Timber sells—used wood, which is cheaper than new wood, and antique wood, which is more expensive. The lumberyard in Potomac, open to the public by appointment, showcases a wide selection of both.
“You will find very neatly stacked pieces of wood by dimension and length, and stacks are at least 10-12 feet tall,” Becky said.
Sometimes, a buyer will stop in, find what they are looking for, and be on their way.
“Other times, it’s a two year process,” Becky said. That’s particularly true when Heritage Timber is operating among a lot of different stakeholders, such as a building owner, a rental tenant, a builder, and an architect. “There is a lot of conversation that happens. That could mean 10 to 15 emails, multiple visits to the yard. Every client is different in how we feel that out.”
Radius Gallery is an example of a project that involved multiple stakeholders. Look closely at the floor, and you can see the past.
“You have a very light look, but there’s depth,” Becky said. “The nail holes have a story and tell me where it was placed in the building. They chose the inside, so you can see the nail scarring.”
Heritage Timber’s inventory is almost entirely sourced from their deconstruction projects—some 500 buildings since it was founded in 1994, including the grandstands at the Missoula County Fairgrounds and the Johnson Street shelter. The goal is always to honor history and preserve as much wood as possible for reuse, whether that’s for building construction, interior design, or a smaller project.
Ryan Hollingsworth of Missoula Bench Builders estimates that he gets at least 60% of the wood he uses in his business from Heritage Timber.
“I’ll be delivering a five-by-three-feet dining room table with a matching bench with a timber-framed base, all out reclaimed wood from Heritage Timber,” he said. “I source all my reclaimed wood from them for building furniture, from cabinetry and tables to beds and dressers.”
Ryan has history with the company, having worked for the founder, Gary Delp, for seven years before starting his own business. And Becky married Gary after meeting on the board of Home ReSource.
“I always say if more people were like Gary, the world would be a better place,” Ryan said.
Becky and Gary are, in fact, quite focused on making the world a better place.
“It takes a lot of effort to go from a tree to a home,” Becky said. “If we can help to eliminate a lot of those steps, we decrease the pressure on the forest, and we save up to 90% of the embodied carbon for every piece that gets reused.”
Ideally, though, reusability would factor in long before Heritage Timber arrives for a deconstruction project.
“We build for today, but every building is going to get remodeled or removed at some point,” she said. “When the inevitable rebuilding happens those materials can get reused. That can be sophisticated and beautiful. It’s that simple.”
Caroline Byrd, a conservationist and Rattlesnake homeowner, recently went through one of those inevitable rebuildings. She remodeled her home, which now features a timber entry, back porch, counters, and windowsills all made with Heritage Timber’s reclaimed wood.
“We so fell in love, not only with the beauty of the wood, but that it had another life,” Caroline said. “It’s wood but it was once trees, from here. I love that it’s from Missoula, it’s of this place.”
“Remodels are great because it’s like reuse,” Becky said. “You’re reusing the home.”
Caroline added, of Heritage Timber and the reclaimed wood options it makes available to Missoula artists and dreamers: “It’s such a gift to all of us.”
“This is pretty rustic, but all you have to do is mill it or plane it or sand it and it can really change the color and the texture." - Becky Douglas, co-owner of Heritage Timber