From the Very Beginning

Reclaimed barn wood.

It’s not necessarily an industry that someone just “falls” into. In 2009 when Jim founded his company, Michigan Reclaimed Barns & Lumber, it was a purposeful decision.

With both carpentry and construction in his family, it wasn’t a far stretch for him. In fact, he is one of nine brothers in the construction industry and it has been in the family since the late 1940’s.

But why reclaimed barn wood? How often do you walk into a store, looking for planks for a new project, and find beautiful, thick, oak planks available? I suppose it depends on which store you walk into, but typically, no. It is extremely difficult to find wood like that nowadays.

While there may not be a surplus of quality, good looking wood available, there definitely are a significant number of old barns. Especially here in Michigan, you can find them scattered all across the state. Many of them in various stages of disrepair.

As a carpenter, himself, Jim has always been drawn to that type of wood- the wood you find in the flooring of old homes, as the walls and support beams in old barns. The wood that was used to build buildings, houses and barns over 100 years ago.

His decision to venture into the “reclaimed barn wood” industry was out of a desire to find these old barns, salvage the wood and repurpose it. Repurpose it for home installations of accent walls, hardwood flooring, countertops, mantles. For materials to craft tables, stools, bookshelves.

Now, nearly ten years after starting Michigan Reclaimed Barns & Lumber, Jim has reclaimed wood from thousands of barns. Much of that wood has already been repurposed in home remodeling projects, woodworking projects and new building projects.

Whether it is your first time visiting Michigan Reclaimed Barns & Lumber (or you’ve been a long-time customer), we welcome you to take part. With each plank, beam or artifact salvaged from each barn site, a piece of history comes with it.