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.
Before your next project, be sure to visit us! We ship our specialty building materials to homeowner and contractors nationwide!
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!
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“Thanks for the awesome lumber you sent us Michele. The job turned out great. People love it.”
“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!
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.
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.
Give us a ring to learn more about this product line, as well as other decking options. We appreciate your support!
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.
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.
A special “Thank You” to the Casey family for allowing us to participate in your project and for sharing these fantastic photos! So beautiful!
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.
As a warm and healthy alternative to drywall, Shiplap by Woodtone™ Interior Paneling is a quality product you can count on. Re-imagined with superior product features, when installed, the classic visible gap between the boards is created by the product’s unique design, and the classic “shiplap” appearance is achieved.
Manufactured from engineered clear pine, Shiplap by Woodtone™ Interior Paneling is a tongue and groove pattern (not a traditional shiplap pattern) for ease of installation and arrives with a factory coat of white primer, ready to accept the color of paint of your choice.
Shiplap by Woodtone™ Interior Paneling is available in 12’ lengths in 1×6” or 1×8” with a penny gap. This product can be installed horizontally, vertically or diagonally, and will naturally make a small room feeler larger, whether installed on the walls or ceilings.
Big “Thank You” to our customer Dave for sharing these photos of his new sunroom addition that we supplied the building materials for. The combination of the painted Shiplap and natural Western Red Cedar T&G on the ceiling give this new space lots of character. We are also rather fond of the Douglas Fir trim and beautiful privacy fence he built using our 1×4” clear Red Balau Mahogany that can be seen out his new beautiful sunroom windows!
The new sunroom exterior is clad with our knotty Western Red Cedar beveled siding. We provided him with pre-primed siding, which saves a big step during construction when it is destined to be painted.
With a wide range of specialty building materials in Western Red Cedar, Alaska Yellow Cedar, Doug Fir, and other exotic and domestic hardwoods and softwoods, before your next project, be sure to visit us! We ship nationwide!
