Me at the fine woodworking division of New Energy Works
Sometimes you meet someone or visit someplace and you immediately feel right at home. That’s how I felt on my recent visit to New Energy Works Timberframers, and Pioneer Millworks located in Farmington NY. I was given a most delightful and informative tour of the entire facility by Jennifer Young their staff marketing person. They have been building some of the most elegant timberframe homes for over 20 years and the Pioneer Millworks division has been making flooring from reclaimed and recycled wood for over 15 years. If this wasn’t enough, about a 10 minute car ride from the main facility is New WOODWORKS in Shortsville, NY which specializes in bespoke furniture, kitchen cabinets, doors, stairs and anything else related to what they refer to as “house jewelry”. They create these pieces using the resources from Pioneer Millworks and they will also use new wood that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
One of our lively topics of conversation commented on the fact that we notice most people tend to “typecast” reclaimed flooring as something that is only appropriate for restorations in older homes or in rustic style settings. But the fact is that reclaimed flooring looks spectacular juxtaposed against modern furnishings and translates beautifully into Asian inspired designs. The beauty and the character of this wood adds warmth and distinction unmatched by contemporary flooring products.
One thing that does not change throughout the various divisions is the high level of craftsmanship which is exhibited through their attention to detail and their commitment to sustainable design. This is not a “green” fad with this company but the very basis of their core philosophy.
The founder of this New Energy Works is currently building a home for his family in Oregon, incorporating reclaimed and natural materials, energy efficiency, cutting edge technologies and craft intensive applications. You can get a behind the scenes look at this fascinating project on their blog: The Vermont Street Project
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Robin-It’s a wonderful thing when people “get” what we’re about — you clearly do. Thanks for the kind words. Jennifer
Hi Robin. Your website gets better and better! Congratulations! We are thinking about contacting this Farmington company to see if they’d be interested in milling the old barn siding. The cost to repair the southern portion is prohibitive, and on top of that, that section is really unusable as a barn. We don’t need that much space. So, as we move forward out here on ‘the farm’ we will probably be dismantling it and hopefully putting it to good use. Greetings to you and Rick! lv. K