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In case you have not yet folded your Saturday newspaper open to the Exchange (business news) section, here is the star of the show in this week’s “Small but Strong” column:
 Ms. Arlinda Broady’s Savannah Morning News article highlights the common mission of the Southern Pine Company, RK Construction, and Khalidi Properties, and especially the driving vision that Ramsey has for all three companies.
This week, Southern Pine decided to shout, “SALE” from the rooftops; we have an overstock of Savannah River-Recovered Georgia Heart Pine flooring, and we want to see it installed in homes and businesses around the country!  Savannah River-Recovered Georgia Heart Pine We are making room for new tenant-partners in our space at 35th and East Broad (the old Star Laundry Building) and we have decided to discount some of our Savannah River-Recovered Georgia Heart Pine flooring.  Stacks of Stunning Savannah River Pine This wood is unique among river-recovered pine, since the timbers that we recover from the Savannah River are not “sinkers” (logs that sank to the bottom of the river during transportation), but actual reclaimed pilings from the old docks at the east end of Savannah. The fact that our River-Recovered Georgia Heart Pine has been reclaimed in this fashion makes our wood much more sustainable than typical river-recovered wood.
Southern Pine is currently involved in milling and dressing reclaimed lumber for a Boy Scouts of America Dining Hall. Savannah Architect Gerry Cowart has designed the building around the intent to use materials that would otherwise not be fully utilized.
 Reclaimed timbers arrive at our shop, ready to be re-milled for use as trusses.  The design for the trusses, as penned by Architect Gerry Cowart.  The wood inside the shop, ready for dressing...
 Here, Mr. Dennis Clay begins the process of dressing the lumber...  Under Mr. Clay's careful hand, the reclaimed lumber begins to shed its weathered outer layer.  ....All dressed up and ready to go! Here at Southern Pine, we make every effort to walk what we talk on a day-to-day basis. The reality of antique wood, however, is that it is not always in top condition. Sometimes we receive wood that has termite damage, is rotten, or has been ruined for reuse in some other manner. Regardless of condition, this wasted wood will never see the inside of a landfill, because we believe in adaptive reuse of ALL of the wood products that pass through our doors.
 reclaimed wood, stage 1 Deconstruction is by nature an involved and time-consuming process. Once surface materials such as roofing and trim are removed, the valuable bones of the structure can be dismantled. The photo above shows a pile of boards that have been retained through the deconstruction process.  reclaimed wood, stage 2 After being meticulously de-nailed, the boards will be sorted, transported, and stored until sold for re-use. This may seem like a complicated process, but it is absolutely worthwhile. This is not only because the valuable wood is not being thrown into a landfill, but also since these old boards may one day become a gracefully finished hardwood floor.  Scott Boylston, of Emergent Structures, pulling nails on-site at Strathmore For Strathmore, an aging (and partially condemned) housing project on Savannah’s East Side, the future is beginning to appear brighter day by day. Primarily as a result of the visionary dedication of the local nonprofit organization Emergent Structures, this nearly-forgotten corner of Savannah is getting not only an extensive facelift, but a new lease on life as well.  Exposed trusses Once the roof of the first damaged house was removed, the still-solid skeleton of the trusses became visible. Number 702 (pictured above) is one of hundreds of these 1950s homes that are slated to be deconstructed. The deconstruction process allows for reuse of materials in a much more inclusive manner than a typical demolition would; instead of the re-usable building materials going into a landfill, these can be re-purposed into other structures around the local community.  Trusses: ready for reuse In fact, it is likely that several of the Strathmore homes that are in better condition will be relocated–whole–for use by nearby businesses and nonprofit organizations. Once the deconstruction has been completed, the land will also be re-purposed; community-oriented redevelopment is on the horizon for Strathmore Estates.  From the street, this 1920s brick home appears to be in solid condition. From the street, this 90-year-old brick beauty seems to have life left in her, but a closer look inside reveals that fire took a great toll on this old home.  The valance, curtains, mantelpiece, fireplace tiles, and transom will all be reclaimed from this section of the house. When a kitchen fire leapt out of control and tore through this house, very little was left untouched. Much of the roof is gone, and rain has taken a secondary toll on the house, but there is still much in the way of desirable architectural antiques and building materials to reclaim.
A recent stay at the grand and historic Greenbrier (for my grandfather’s 90th birthday celebration) raised this architectural-antiquephile’s pulse to racing. The property is thoroughly steeped in history, and the architecture clearly reflects the story of the place. The marble fireplace that is pictured above is partial evidence of the effort that has been made to retain the history and architecture of the time during which the Greenbrier was built, despite renovations over the years. Back here at Southern Pine in Savannah, we have numerous decorative and useful fireplaces and mantelpieces from bygone years. Some are delicately carved, others are adorned with mirrors or columns, and many are beautiful in their historic simplicity. We would love to have you look at them!
Last week, Bruce unearthed this amazing piece of antique architecture from the bottom of a large storage pile in one of our West Savannah warehouses. It consists of two arched doors set inside a single frame: one wood-and-glass paneled, one louvered. The picture above shows the front door; the two panels on the left bi-fold to open, while the right panel just swings out and open. The green slats that can be seen through the upper part of the door belong to the secondary (louvered) door, which is comprised of four folding shutters. This dual door will soon be gracing our new architectural antique showroom (along with many other thrilling pieces), and some lucky client will have the opportunity to take it home!
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