Sustainability

The forests that our timbers are harvested from are truly special to us, and the entire planet as a whole. They are the lungs of our world, providing the crucial exchange of carbon dioxide into oxygen. They provide food, shelter, and protection for innumerable species, including us. As a company, we strive to obtain our timbers from those that have a stake in the environment as much as their own business, making sure that they are respecting the earth and the communities that live within and near our forests and beyond. We also applaud those that have found a use for “unwanted” urban timber, using this resource for other means instead of having these trees destined for the landfill.

The McLeod Creek Timber Frame Company actively encourages any form of alternative construction, especially if it is both feasible and affordable for you. There are many fantastic ideas and methods that are being employed in the US and Europe for the last few decades. Some examples include European-style ICFs, wood fiber insulation, and straw bale wall systems. It would be fantastic to start using some of these products here beginning with you!

With new methods of construction come challenges to both owners and builders alike with regards to local and national building codes. One issue that the McLeod Creek Timber Frame Company feels is of utmost importance revolves around the “building envelope” and “building breathability” which looks into the necessities of building air/vapor barriers. There is a great deal of scientifically proven evidence that natural systems work great for both you and the environment. Also, there is a wealth of construction details that will make both you and building authorities satisfied that your project will not only be approved but provide you with a healthy, sustainable home for not only your lifetime but for generations to come.

For our part at our shop, we are thinking of measures on how to recycle our waste by-products as much as possible. We use the small timber end cuts to heat our shop during the heating season with our wall mounted fireplace – the shop feline team loves it! Our shop is in the heart of agricultural land, and we have a variety of farms nearby, thus enabling us to recycle shavings in the form of bedding for chickens and other livestock. What is too small or fine to reuse, we burn and then spread the ashes as fertilizer on our vegetable garden, or on our neighbour’s field.

Finally, as part of our commitment to you, sustainable building practices and the environment, we will plant some seedlings each year in the areas where timbers are harvested within British Columbia and Alberta. This will be calculated as to how much volume (board footage) one average tree of the species you are using is in relation to the total volume of wood in your project.