Category Archives: Customer Projects

Cedar Shake Re-Roof at Mule Peak Fire Lookout

After the Great Fire of 1910 that burned millions of acres of forest land in Washington, Idaho, and Montana, the U.S. Forest Service began to create policies regarding fire suppression, as well explore better ways to detect fires, including the construction of fire lookouts. In 1933 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt formed the Civilian Conservation Corps, the U.S. Forest Service was able to take advantage of the CCC workforce and initiated a massive program of construction projects, including fire lookout towers.

Due to the abundance of material, as well as low maintenance, and natural resistance to rot and insect attack, fire lookouts through out the Pacific Northwest were originally constructed using Western Red Cedar building materials. An especially popular choice for these structures was Western Red Cedar shake roofing.

We recently had the pleasure of providing 24″ #1 Medium Western Red Cedar Shakes for the restoration of the fire look out on Mule Peak, located in Oregon. Accessible only by foot or pack animal, our friends at Kaplan Homes Unlimited, mounted horses and made the 4,000 foot elevation gain up to the lookout to complete the roof restoration. Please enjoy these photos of their trip.

Accessible only by foot or pack animal, Kaplan Homes mounted horses and carried the Western Red Cedar shakes needed to re-roof the fire lookout at Mule Peak
Western Red Cedar shakes are being installed to preserve the fire lookout at Mule Peak
The fire lookout at Mule Peak with a new Western Red Cedar shake roof

What an adventure!

Because of our unique business model, we are often contacted to help with historical restorations, such as this.  We also provide high quality Western Red Cedar, Alaska Yellow Cedar, and other soft and hardwood building materials for residential, commercial, government, and municipal projects throughout the United States. We go the extra mile to make sure our customers get exactly what they need. Before your next project, be sure to visit us! We ship nationwide!

360.757.6343

950 B Fountain Street, Burlington WA

www.ccLumber.com

Gypsy Wagon Restoration

Also known as a Gypsy Wagon, or quite simply a living wagon, a vardo was a horse-drawn wagon used by British Romanichal Travels as their home during the mid-1800s. Vardos were highly decorated, intricately carved, and painted and were viewed as woodworking masterpieces.

Starting with a vintage Gypsy Wagon chassis, our customer has been in the process of creating this vardo using our clear Western Red Cedar. Due to its lightweight, ease of workability, and availability, Western Red Cedar is a popular choice for mobile buildings, wagons, and the like.

Please enjoy these in-progress photos and be sure to check back for updates! They will be outfitting the interior of the vardo much like it was done back in the 1800s with heavy fabrics and great attention to detail.

Vintage Covered Wagon Restoration
The interior of the vardo will be outfitted with luxury fabrics and other fine details
A horse drawn Gypsy Wagon made from high quality clear Western Red Cedar

Before your next project, be sure to visit us! We ship our specialty building materials to homeowner and contractors nationwide!

360.757.6343

950 B Fountain Street, Burlington, WA 98233

http://www.cedarcountrylumber.com

Best Wood for Your Sauna

You guessed it: Western Red Cedar

Due to the phenols and other natural properties of Western Red Cedar against rot and decay, it is great for use in damp areas, including bathrooms and saunas. It is also very flexible and resists warping under heat and humidity. Because it is a low-density wood, it is a great insulator and heats quickly. And, it smells great!

Clear Western Red Cedar is the ideal wood choice for use in saunas

Pro tips:

Because your sauna will reach high temperatures and cool off when not in use, the Cedar will expand and contract a great deal. To reduce the chance of cupping, we recommend using narrower dimensions of materials, such as a 4” tongue and groove (T&G) product for the walls for optimum stability.  And while knotty grades are easier on the pocketbook, we recommend using clear grades of materials, as the knots tend to heat up faster and get hotter and may become uncomfortable to the touch. 

When shopping for your materials, keep in mind, that because a sauna is generally a small space, shorter lengths of materials can be used and sometimes come with a discounted price.

Narrower dimensions of Western Red Cedar is our recommendation for using in saunas to reduce cupping and warping

Special “Thanks” for Michael S from Arizona for sharing these gorgeous photos of the Western Red Cedar sauna he built using materials he purchased from us.

We ship nationwide!

360.757.6343

950 B Fountain Street, Burlington WA

Custom Western Red Cedar Pavilion

This stunning Western Red Cedar Pavilion is the creation of our friends at Minnesota Pergolas. Western Red Cedar is the preferred choice of wood for all the custom outdoor structures created by Minnesota Pergolas in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Due to the hot summers in the mid-west and cold winters, a covered Cedar pavilion will provide outdoor living space for these happy homeowners all year long!

  • Western Red Cedar covered pergola
  • Attention to detail is the mark of great craftsmanship by Minnesota Pergolas

With shipments of cedar lumber, siding, shingles, shakes, timbers, as well as other specialty building materials leaving our warehouse daily to all over the US, our customers value the quality of our products and our honest business practices, combined with excellent customer service and superior product knowledge. Before your next project, be sure to visit us!

360.757.6343

950 B Fountain Street, Burlington WA

www.cedarcountrylumber.com

Create Privacy and Define Your Outdoor Living Space

Arbors, trellises and living fences are organic, beautiful ways to define outdoor living spaces, as well as create visual interest. Combined with natural plants, these defining elements create and support ecological diversity by serving as habitats for insects, birds and other small animals. On sloped properties, these structures and their plants can also help immensely with erosion control. 

While there are many building materials that arbors, trellises, and fence framework can be made from, Western Red Cedar is an especially popular and eco-friendly choice. Naturally resistant to rot and decay, Western Red Cedar requires no additional treatment to preserve the wood, so there is no need to worry about chemicals seeping into the surrounding soil. Sourced from renewable resources, it is lightweight and easy to work with, and completely recyclable at the end of its useful life.

In addition to defining an outdoor space, a living fence can also add privacy, as well as wind block. In these photos, our customer used our clear Western Red Cedar 2×2″s to create a gridwork for ivy to grown on. While it will take a little bit to get this privacy fence covered in ivy, it is an exceptionally pretty structure to look at in the meantime.

Clear Western Red Cedar 2x2" are used as framework for a eco-friendly living fence
Living privacy fence made from naturally rot resistant Western Red Cedar frame work

In this photo, a large backyard is defined into a cozy outdoor living space with a network of Western Red Cedar arbors and tumbling evergreen clematis and wisteria vines, string lighting, and horizontally installed fencing.

Looking for more outdoor living inspiration?

We’ve got lots of ideas on Pinterest!

We ship nationwide

360.757.6343

www.CedarCountryLumber.com

950 B Fountain Street, Burlington, WA 98233

Building a Good Neighbor Fence

Everybody knows that a fence makes a good neighbor, but do you know what makes a GREAT neighbor? A well thought out and properly constructed fence that looks good from the inside, as well as outside. This type of fence is a win-win for the whole neighborhood. 

Made from high-quality clear C&Btr Western Red Cedar lumber we supplied, this stunning fence looks great from any angle. Individual dimensional Cedar boards are attached to thicker Cedar boards both on the bottom and top to form a “panel”, then the panels are installed between top quality clear Western Red Cedar posts. With some fine craftsmanship, custom latticework was created just on the backyard area of the fence to add interest and extra height to keep critters in.

A good neighbor fence created from our Clear C&Btr Western Red Cedar dimensional boards
Clear Western Red Cedar crafted privacy fence makes the whole neighborhood happy

With this modern design, our 5/4×6” knotty grade Western Red Cedar decking is installed horizontally on both sides of the 4×4″ posts that have been firmly anchored in the ground. Not only does it add curb appeal and privacy, this type of “good neighbor” fence is less likely to blow down, since the gaps between boards allow the wind to pass through.

Knotty Western Red Cedar decking is installed horizontally on top of 4x4 posts to create a beautiful good neighbor fence

This lovely fence is constructed out of our 5/4×6” Red Balau “Mahogany” decking. While it is a little more costly initially than Western Red Cedar lumber, it won’t break the bank either, and will last for many, many years to come. Due to the durability and strength of the Mahogany, no additional rails or supports are needed between fence posts to attach the hardwood to. This fence will be sag free, with little to no maintenance ever needed.

5/4x6" Mahogany Decking is used for an extremely durable good neighbor fence that will last for many years with little to no maintenance

Take a look at this example of two homeowner’s unique ideas for making a good neighbor fences out of different types of Western Red Cedar lumber on their property. Both look great and express the individual style of the homeowner, while not competing for attention.

Examples of Western Red Cedar fences

We’ve got lots more good neighbor fence inspiration just waiting for you over on Pinterest!

Before your next project, be sure to visit us! We ship to homeowners and contractors nationwide, with local delivery available in the north Puget Sound region.

360.757.6343

950 B Fountain Street, Burlington WA

http://www.CedarCountryLumber.com

Custom Milled Alaska Yellow Cedar

Grown only in the Pacific Northwest from Alaska south to Oregon, and west of the Coast Mountains, where cooler temperatures and abundant year-round precipitation is found, Alaska Yellow Cedar is a highly prized and sought-after building material choice.  Yellow Cedar lumber can be difficult to find outside the growing region, as supply is limited.

custom milled clear, Alaska Yellow Cedar cladding

Because we are located in the heart of cedar country, where both Alaska Yellow Cedar and Western Red Cedar are natively grown, we can source top-quality Cedar lumber for indoor and outdoor construction projects. If we don’t stock what you are looking for, chances are we have a relationship with a mill that can make it for you.  With shipments of specialty building materials leaving our warehouse daily to all over the US, our customers value the quality of our products and honest business practices, combined with excellent customer service and superior product knowledge.

We recently shipped a custom milled package of surfaced, knotty Alaska Yellow Cedar lumber to New Jersey for this stunning deck and railing crafted by Paradise Knoll Builders of Oakland, NJ.

Knotty Alaska Yellow Cedar decking and railing materials

“Thanks for the awesome lumber you sent us Michele. The job turned out great. People love it.”

Yellow Cypress building materials for sale

“Thanks and thanks again for your seamless delivery of some very nice lumber.” – Steven Del Colliano. Pres. ~ Paradise Knoll Builders, LLC

Before your next project, be sure to visit us!  We ship direct from the Pacific Northwest to homeowners and contractors nationwide!

360.757.6343

www.CedarCountryLumber.com

950 B Fountain Street, Burlington WA

Azek & TimberTech Decking

Since we opened our doors, we have been pleased to offer our customers the full line of TimberTech decking products as our main composite decking.  When AZEK’s revolutionary line of capped polymer decking hit the market, we added that to our main decking product line up and couldn’t have been happier when they joined forces.  Throughout the Puget Sound region, many homeowners have been enjoying their TimberTech and Azek decks, whether installed by a professional or by themselves, supplied by Cedar Country Lumber.  Over the years, these decking products have stood the test of time.

TimberTech Decking

craftsmanship and photo by Soundecks of Anacortes

Interested in learning about the pros and cons of composite decking, cellular PVC, capped polymer, and other manufactured decking products?  This article in Architect Magazine provides a great third-party report. And no matter what manufactured decking product you decide to use, keep in mind these wise words by Tom Gramlich of TimberTech, “Saying all deck boards are the same is like saying all cars are the same, a Chevette isn’t a Mercedes.” In short, you get what you pay for.

Interesting in estimating what a new TimberTech or Azek deck might cost? Check out TimberTeck’s Decking Cost Calculator. The value of enjoying your new outdoor living space? Well, that’s priceless.

Truly the best of the best in decking, AZEK capped polymer boards feature sophisticated, natural-looking colors with a subtle wire-brushed, low-gloss finish for an authentic wood look. With the most powerful core and cap technology in the industry, this cellular PVC decking makes it easy to transform your outdoor living space into a masterpiece. Available in six stunning colors, including “Mahogany,” as seen in these photos provided by a happy customer of ours in Anacortes.

Azek decking dealer in Skagit County

Azek and TimberTech decking

compare composite and PVC decking

Give us a ring to learn more about this product line, as well as other decking options. We appreciate your support!

360.757.6343

950 B Fountain Street, Burlington WA

www.CedarCountryLumber.com

Cedar and Fir for a Cabin in the Woods

One of the greatest joys of helping people with specialty building materials is working with our customers and guiding them to products that help them build their dream home.  Located on scenic Guemes Island in the San Juan Islands of Washington state, this Pacific Northwest style custom home is nearing completion.

Clad with our hand-split Western Red Cedar shakes, this “cabin in the woods” shows excellent craftsmanship with thoughtful and creative touches, inside as well as out.  Used for many years in the Pacific Northwest, our Western Red Cedar shakes will provide many years of carefree service for this home’s exterior.

western red cedar shakes and knotty cedar soffit

Western Red cedar shakes and soffit

western red cedar shakes used as exterior cladding is perfect for any cabin in the woods

The interior is clad with Douglas Fir tongue and groove, which adds to the feeling of being right at home in the trees on this secluded island, which is only accessible by boat or ferry.

clear vertical grain douglas fir for interior paneling and trim

douglas fir interior paneling is perfect for this cabin in the woods

Douglas Fir Interior wood paneling

A special “Thank You” to the Casey family for allowing us to participate in your project and for sharing these fantastic photos!  So beautiful!

customer testimonial from Jim Casey about Cedar Country Lumber

Before your next project, be sure to visit us! We specialize in providing customers all over the United States with Pacific Northwest, coastal grown Western Red Cedar, Alaska Yellow Cedar, and Douglas Fir building materials.

We ship nationwide!

360.757.6343

www.CedarCountryLumber.com

950 B Fountain Street, Burlington WA