hEspousing the joys of vintage timber

hEspousing the joysof vintage timber
Ed Knapp loves the history and soul that old materials can bring to new buildings. He's encouraging others to share his love of recycled timbers, pavers and the like in his book "New Old House: Designing with Reclaimed Materials."
Knapp's respect for old materials springs from his affection for his grandparents' barn near Buffalo, N.Y., and it's grown into his life's work. He owns Vintage Beams & amp; Timbers, a company in North Carolina's Smoky Mountains that specializes in reclaiming old building materials.
His book addresses the practical aspects of reusing materials, such as the benefits of using old wood, the physical qualities and characteristics of old timbers and the need to acclimate the wood to the moisture content in the air of the building site. Mostly, though, the book is devoted to buildings that have incorporated recycled materials, accompanied by plenty of photos for inspiration. In a couple of cases, Knapp tells the story of the materials' origins in a barn and train depot and follows the materials to their new homes.
"New Old House" is published by Gibbs Smith, Publisher, and is priced at $39.95.