Michigan Reclaim Lumber

"Honoring Our Local Heritage."
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Michigan Reclaim Lumber started because we saw a great opportunity to harvest materials from neglected barns in our area.  Here in Michigan with the advent of large corporate farms, and the emergence of round bales,  the traditional barn has outlived its practical farm use.  The old barn has fallen into disrepair and is crumbling.

More and more of these majestic old buildings are fading from our landscape.  A piece of our history and heritage is dying with them.  I remember as a child there was an old barn for every 40 acres of land......now just 20 years later more than half of them have disappeared from the land.  Either victims of the bulldozer, neglect, or can of gas and a match.  There is hope.  Many of the barns are still in good enough shape to save.  Most of the owners though, lack the resources to save them on their own.  Other barns  have gone so far that they can't be saved as a whole, but they can be saved in parts.  Their beams and boards can be reused as fireplace mantles,  furniture, hardwood flooring, trim, wall covering and a lot more. I've been working hard over the years to recycle as much lumber from the old barns as I possibly can.  I am convinced that if you could see how beautiful this antique lumber is, you would want it.  Every piece is like an old friend with a story to tell.  Every nail hole is a period, every crack an exclamation, every saw mark is a word, and the dark patina a statement.  All work together to tell us its story.  A story of our unique Michigan history.   Won't you bring a piece of history home with you today?  What a great addition to your family it would be!  You will get a feeling of satisfaction knowing that you have preserved a piece of history for you, your children, and your grandchildren to share and pass on.   A true heirloom that will add beauty and value to your home.   We have branched out into selling traditional barn packages as a way to help replace some of the great barns that are disappearing from the landscape.  Take a look at our Barn Packages page for more information.

Aaron's Story
I was raised on a small 20 acre dairy farm.  We milked anywhere from 10-15 head at a time.  I spent a lot of time in older post and beam barns, swinging from the mow to the floor from the hay track ropes as a child.  As a teenager I helped to put up thousands of bales of hay in an old gambrel barn that no longer exists.  After High school I went to work for my uncle in his logging business where we followed sustainable harvesting principles and observed responsible forest management.  After that I had a variety of jobs including, working at a lumber yard, arborist in my own tree service, installation and customer service in the home improvement industry, and finally owner of Michigan Reclaim Lumber where we harvest used lumber from old neglected barns and refurbish it for use in residential projects. My wife Maggie is not only my partner in marriage but also in business.  Not only does she run our home and care for our three children, but she also is our office manager and motivator.  She works hard to keep things running smoothly and is the driving force behind our success.  My wife, our children, and I also run a small hobby farm on our 18 acres.

Customer testimonials
"Just wanted to send a follow-up thank 
you for the reclaimed timber you provided
us. The floor is spectacular. We had just
enough material left to do a table
top for our
dining room. The stairs also are nice, with
much character."