Our Story

Reclaim the beauty of antique wood

While other businesses are built in boardrooms, ours was born in the swamps of Louisiana, where thousand-year-old Cypress trees and 500-year-old pine trees once pierced the sky.

These giants of the ancient forests have long been revered for their close-grained heartwood, making them highly coveted by the traditional craftsman looking to build sturdy warehouses to keep up with the demands of the industrial revolution of the 1800s. Today, these beautifully built warehouses are being torn down and replaced. 

To say we’re passionate about what we “do” would be an understatement.

You see, the last virgin-growth forests have long since been cut down, making it impossible to duplicate the quality, durability, and affordability that was once readily available.

As I began to build my family’s home, I committed to the look, feel, and quality of the tight-grain, heartwood found only in antique lumber. Since reclaimed building materials like these were not easy to come by, I had to ask myself:

What could I do?

I followed a vision of reclaiming the antique lumber of days past, a journey that would forever change the lives of my family and me.

Following the history of where the original lumber forests traveled, I discovered that many turn-of-the-century commercial buildings were built from this quality lumber (the same buildings that were being torn down all around me).

It was among the remnants of these abandoned buildings where I salvaged the antique heart pine and cypress that would become not only our family’s home, but the birthplace of Albany Woodworks.

A home and office built by my own hands, from reclaimed, antique woods. I honestly can’t think of a better representation for what we stand for here at Albany Woodworks:

Family. Craftsmanship. Preservation.

Everything we do focuses on those three words. The care and passion I invested into building my home in 1976 is the same care and passion our family brings to every new project we’re fortunate to be a part of.

While we pull up 60 tons of nails each year, we still hand-select each beam and board. 

I’m even prouder to get to share this with my wife, Judith, and our two daughters, April and Alissa, who are now helping to carry our mission onward.

To say we’re passionate about what we “do” would be an understatement.

Not only do we all have a love for breathing new life into antique lumber, but we’re committed to helping preserve our forests for future generations.

That’s why we believe we do more than offer reclaimed antique wood. We help others rediscover the beauty and majesty that could only be found from the heart of the south.