Tag Archive for: Sinker

Goodwin Company River Recovered® Heart Cypress slabs for deck.

Temperatures rise, the air gets thicker and the days grow longer – summer is upon us! As the seasons change and the atmosphere becomes more inviting, we start looking for ways to spruce up our common areas. Whether you plan on having guests over or it’s just for your satisfaction, it’s always exciting to get creative and revamp our areas!

Take a look at how one homeowner chose to design the deck that surrounds his outside koi pond! Goodwin’s own Jeffrey Forbes assisted with selecting twelve of our River Recovered® Heart Cypress slabs for the project. Our cypress wood makes up either side of the deck and its associated skirting.

Goodwin Company River Recovered® Heart Cypress slabs for deck.

Goodwin Company River Recovered® Heart Cypress slabs used for deck.

Why choose cypress wood for exterior application? River Recovered® Heart Cypress certainly is an excellent wood to be used outdoors! Throughout the span of hundreds of years, an organic oil forms in the heart of the wood called cypresene. The build-up of cypresene oil makes the wood incredibly rot resistant.  An exterior grade Danish oil was used for finishing, bringing out the superior grain of the wood. Applying the finishing oil quarterly will help maintain the deck’s striking appearance and provide longevity.

But this particular homeowner did not stop with the beautiful renovations of the outside! Two of our hand-hewn River Recovered® Heart Pine beams are displayed in a bedroom and are perfect for breaking up the rather large area. These beams were harvested over a century ago, from trees between 200-500 years old! The non-structural columns add even more character to the already creative room. We would love to see how you have dressed up your deck. Especially if you have used Heart Cypress!

Take a closer look at sinker cypress wood!

Other great ideas to spruce up your deck this summer!

The Local Public House: River-Recovered Heart Cypress Bar Tops make an Impression 11

Talk about adaptive re-use!  When San Antonio, Florida chef Curtis Beebe and his wife, Rebecca, purchased the old San Ann Market with their sights set on opening a fresh, new eatery they really went all out.  What emerged is The Local Public House.  And local it is.  From pork sourced out of Avon Park to greens that are grown in Brooksville, this little gastro-pub walks the walk.  They even serve 14 ever-changing Florida draft beers, including a couple from our friends over at Swamphead Brewery in Gainesville.

The best part is that when you saddle up to the bar to enjoy your home grown craft brew you’ll be saddling up to one of several thousand year old slabs of River-Recovered® Heart Cypress; perfected by nature, recovered from Florida’s spring fed rivers and milled by Goodwin Company.  Now that’s local!

If You Guessed Bok Tower Gardens, You Were Correct! 27

Remember when we asked you to guess what our latest “gentle giant” was being transformed into? Hint: “her new home will be at a National Historic Landmark”.

If you guessed Bok Tower Gardens, you were correct!

Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida announced its expansion plans last year. Today, construction is in full force! Goodwin is proud to be providing headers, window sills, trim and siding for the new children’s interpretive center and outdoor demonstration kitchen. Our River-Recovered® Heart Cypress is the perfect complement to the rich culture and history of Bok Tower Gardens.

Goodwin is in the process of milling cypress for the project. Enjoy this video which offers a special inside look at the process:

And, check out these photos of the first run of siding as the transformation continues:

 

Read more about the expansion: http://boktowergardens.org/blog/gardens-announces-expansion-plans-on-85th-anniversary/

Pecky Cypress Pairs Perfectly with Distinct Wines 17

Hurray for Sarah and Chris Aschliman who have just opened the long anticipated Island Grove Winery Tasting House on state road 301 in beautiful Island Grove, Florida on the shores of Orange and Lochloosa lakes!  For several years, Island Grove Winery has been North Central Florida’s premier winemaker specializing in fine blueberry wines using the freshest blueberries grown on their own Florida farms.

In appointing the tasting house, Sarah and Chris turned to Goodwin Company in search of something that would help to dress it with some regional flare.  Ultimately, they chose to deck out the front of the long tasting counter/bar with Goodwin’s River-Recovered® Pecky Heart Cypress.  Hundreds of years ago Florida’s many lake fronts and river banks were populated with a noble fraternity of 100ft. tall and a thousand or more year old Bald Cypress (taxodium distichum) trees; the true giants of the Southeastern swamps.  The rich color, swirling grain and elliptical voids of the antique cypress pop off the counter front bordered by a bold white trim.  It is at one time elegant, relaxed and mysterious.

We think Sarah and Chris have done a wonderful job with the whole space.  Go visit them sometime soon and enjoy a glass of Sorta Sweet or Kinda Dry.  And look for Island Grove Winery Tasting House to host an official grand opening sometime early this fall.

Side note: After visiting the tasting house, turn left onto the Cross Creek road and visit the Marjorie Kinnian Rawlings State Historic Site in Cross Creek; as bucolic a place as you’ll ever stumble upon and a previous Goodwin Company client to boot.

Take a Look at this Beautiful Heart Cypress 1

This River-Recovered® Heart Cypress Select trim is being milled and packaged for a new children’s interpretive center and outdoor demonstration kitchen at Bok Tower Gardens. Goodwin is providing siding and trim for both buildings, which were designed by Lake/Flato Architects. Henkelman Construction of Lakeland is the contractor.

Stay tuned…we will post more photos as this exciting project progresses!

 

River Logger Black Lager – Now Available at Swamp Head Brewery! 7

Swamp Head Brewery

We are excited to announce Swamp Head Brewery in Gainesville is launching a new beer. Jeffrey, our Marketing Coordinator, helped with the name – River Logger Black Lager.

River Logger Black Lager is inspired by the richness and rarity of centuries old River-Recovered® logs. This light and refreshing German-style black lager features a depth of color and taste exemplified by the uniqueness of antique River-Recovered® wood. And, with just a hint of chocolate pairing with the light bitterness of the hops, this summer treat is sure to satisfy the most distinguished of tastes. Read more

Our Newest “Gentle Giant” 9

giantcypresslog 001 (Medium)After nearly 40 years in the business, one would think we have seen it all. The truth is, each and every day is an exciting adventure that presents new opportunities. The logs we work with to create our River-Recovered® heart pine and heart cypress flooring, paneling and other wood products are simply majestic. Each has its own distinct character and personality. Logger Don McCallister recently pulled this Cypress beauty out of the northern Withlacoochee River.

giantcypresslog 005 (Medium)This “Gentle Giant “ is 30 feet long; 29″ in diameter at its top and an amazing six feet in diameter at its base.

giantcypresslog 006 (Medium)Just take a look at this incredible ax cut end.

The log was discovered while Goodwin’s Marketing Coordinator, Jeffrey Forbes, was on the Withlacoochee hosting a documentary video crew. It was the first log they saw. It was still submerged in the river and its head was resting on a sandy beach. The log served as the perfect “subject” for the documentary, which we will share when it is complete.

Here is a bit of background on river logging along Withlacoochee (for you history buffs):

This giant cypress log was recovered on the part of the Withlacoochee that flows south out of Georgia and meets up with the Suwannee River at Suwannee River State Park. There once was a sawmill owned by Governor George Drew (Florida’s first governor post reconstruction) at what is now Suwannee River State Park. This log likely once belonged to this mill before it was “lost”.

Goodwin will now saw this antique beauty into a series of benches for the expansion of the Bok Tower campus in Lake Wales. Stay tuned, as we will continue to update you on the progress of this Gentle Giant…

River-Recovered® Heart Cypress Contributes to the Allure of the New  Eleanor and Nicholas Chabraja Visitor’s Center at Naples Botanical Garden 5

Goodwin Company Provides Antique Wood Carefully Recovered from the Apalachicola River

(Naples, FL) – Goodwin Company, pioneers of River-Recovered® wood, announce their contribution to the Eleanor and Nicholas Chabraja Visitor’s Center at Naples Botanical Garden. The company meticulously sawed and precisely milled 20,000 linear feet of River-Recovered® Heart Cypress (virgin growth bald cypress; taxodium distichum) for siding and trim. The majority of the antique logs used for the project were carefully retrieved out of the Apalachicola River. The result is a magnificent, beautifully crafted complex adorned with antique wood that is not only breathtaking, but also tells an intriguing and fascinating story.

“Goodwin worked closely with the entire building design team to ensure the final product exceeded expectations,” explains Carol Goodwin, President of Goodwin Company. “We previously worked on a project with similar specs – the Menil Collection in Houston, Texas – which made us the perfect resource for this magnitude of a project.”

Architect Tenna Florian of the esteemed Lake/Flato Architects in San Antonio, Texas, specified the reclaimed cypress with vertical grain for the Visitor’s Center project. Lake/Flato Architects is a recognized leader in the use of sustainably sourced materials and consciously designed vernacular architecture. They were recognized as the 2004 American Institute of Architects (AIA) firm of the year.

“I take great pleasure in watching visitors arrive at Naples Botanical Garden and marvel at the beauty of the Goodwin’s River-Recovered® Heart Cypress that we used for siding the buildings,” says Brian Holley, Executive Director, Naples Botanical Garden.

“Using this wood is a real win-win-win for us, as through the wood we can tell the story of the forests of Florida – it will last a lifetime or more – and most importantly was salvaged, an important consideration in this LEED Gold project. On top of that the folks at Goodwin are a pleasure to work with.”

Goodwin Company has earned the indisputable reputation for producing antique River-Recovered® and reclaimed wood using the strictest grading standards of any company in the marketplace. Demand for Goodwin’s rich, high quality flooring continues to flourish and has become exceedingly coveted among architects, designers, celebrities, and high-end homeowners.

“Our founder, George Goodwin, still operates the saw to ensure each and every cut meets his high standards and expectations,” says Carol Goodwin. “We are one of the few manufacturers whose founder and owner is actively involved in the production process and personally inspects each and every order before it ships.”

About Goodwin Company

Founded in 1976, Goodwin Company is the building design industry’s trusted partner and preferred resource for fine antique reclaimed and River-Recovered® wood flooring. Esteemed architects, designers and builders specify Goodwin’s products for use in luxury residential homes, historical renovations and commercial projects including corporate office buildings, universities, libraries and high-end retail establishments.  Prominent work includes: This Old House corporate offices, private residences of Bob Villa, Paul McCartney, Frank Lloyd Wright and Ted Turner, Weyland Art Gallery, Brownwood at The Villages, the Charnley-Norwood House, Naples Botanical Garden and the Texas Governor’s Mansion.  For more information, visit www.heartpine.com.