Recycling Begins At Home
The experienced carpenters who work at Stepping Stone Construction always encourage reuse of original building materials whenever possible when remodeling your old house. The proprietors of or company spent time at the old Ledyard Sawmill site among others in New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts on research trips this past year… (2025) Rome was not built in a day and neither was New England!
Older Homes Were Built To Last
It does not require a Structural Engineer to understand how the old growth timber used during the initial construction of antique houses contributes to their stability and staying power.
They do not grow trees the way they used to do. The trees in colonial times were harvested for their precious tight grained timber which is integral to the reason your colonial home is still standing today!
These logs were treasured for the long lasting lumber produced in early mills.
Preserve Products of the Past
The reason many homes built 400 years ago in New England are still standing today is the trees took centuries to grow.
When you cut a log crosswise and examine the growth rings; each ring represents one year of growth. The oldest trees were slow growing due to climate conditions relying upon natural rainfall and soils available. Resulting in smaller, tighter rings.
Newer lumber is often produced from tree farms where they have plenty of water, sunlight and nutrients to thrive. This means that the plants put out larger cellulose cells and rings full of water which is then quickly dried and sawed into lumber products or even sawdust to produce engineered lumber.
These products are cheaper but do not last long.
The evidence keeps piling up at the E.P.A
Home Restoration is Worth Every Dollar Spent
Restoring and maintaining your old home can help save the planet by reducing the amount of materials headed to the landfill. Learn about your carbon storage capacity here at Carbon Leadership Forum
Here at Stepping Stone Construction we have saved many tons of lumber that otherwise may have been wasted.
Please think twice before you remove any old lumber from your home remodel project and give Stepping Stone Construction a call for a free consultation.
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