Wood and other building materials get second (and third or fourth or fifth) life thanks to Petaluma vendor Heritage Salvage.
Located at 1473 Petaluma Blvd., S., next to the Petaluma River, the business specializes in reclaiming, repurposing and reusing wood and building materials from existing structures. The facility boasts has about 400,000 board feet of wood reclaimed from dilapidated farm structures, wind-felled trees, demolished old houses and other sources.
Another popular material (considering we’re in Wine Country): Redwood tank bottoms.
Heritage is the brainchild of owner Michael “Bug” Deakin, a British Columbia native who emigrated to the U.S. with a passion for preserving the past.
For Deakin, reclaiming and repurposing building materials is part and parcel of telling a story about the heritage that goes with them. He calls this philosophy “Deakin-struction,” and is happy to explain it to anyone who’ll listen.
“When I started Heritage Salvage my passion went beyond the reclamation of aging materials and bestowing a new life upon them while saving a tree along the way,” he says. “I believe the essence of our history and our communities are enhanced greatly by the sharing of their stories.”
Of course another benefit of the Heritage approach is reducing landfill accumulations. Since passing a landmark waste-management law in 1989, California has gone from recycling just 10 percent of its trash to finding other uses for an impressive 58 percent, according to the Integrated Waste Management Board.
In addition to serving as a general store for reclaimed materials, Heritage Salvage also offers hand-crafted wood furniture for sale as part of a salvage boutique. Heritage artists sometimes even custom-design recycled-material products for home, garden and commercial projects.
Independent of the reclaimed/recycled materials, a visit to the company’s Petaluma outpost is a lesson in sustainable lifestyle overall. The site boasts an organic garden, a bunch of bee hives, and a solar power installation. Deakin says an elaborate water catchment system is coming soon, as well.
