A Year of Growth
As we reach the midpoint of 2023, I want to take a moment to share some highlights from what has been our most active and productive year to date at Norfolk Lumber. When Sarah, James, and I founded this company in 2015, we were three people with a pickup truck, a chainsaw, and a conviction that reclaimed lumber deserved better than the landfill. Eight years later, we are a team of twelve operating out of a 15,000-square-foot facility in Virginia Beach, and the demand for quality reclaimed wood continues to grow.
By the Numbers
In the first half of 2023, we processed approximately 120,000 board feet of reclaimed lumber — already approaching our total volume for all of 2022. This growth is driven by several factors: increased demand from commercial interior designers, a strong residential renovation market in Hampton Roads, and expanded relationships with deconstruction contractors who bring us material from across the Mid-Atlantic.
Our salvage team completed 14 deconstruction projects in the first half of the year, ranging from small residential outbuildings to a 12,000-square-foot industrial warehouse in Norfolk. The warehouse project alone yielded over 25,000 board feet of reclaimed Southern yellow pine and white oak — material that would have gone to a landfill if the building had been conventionally demolished.
New Partnerships
Regional Deconstruction Network
We have formalized partnerships with three deconstruction contractors in Virginia and North Carolina who now route reclaimed lumber from their projects directly to our facility. This has significantly expanded our sourcing pipeline and improved the diversity of species and material types in our inventory. In particular, we are now regularly receiving reclaimed cypress from coastal North Carolina and reclaimed chestnut from mountain structures in western Virginia — species that were previously rare in our inventory.
Architectural and Design Community
Our relationships with the architectural and interior design community continue to deepen. In the first half of 2023, we supplied material to 23 commercial projects — restaurants, offices, retail spaces, and hospitality venues — across Hampton Roads. We have also begun offering continuing education presentations to local AIA chapters, covering topics like reclaimed wood specification, fire code compliance, and LEED contribution. These presentations help architects understand how to specify reclaimed lumber confidently and correctly.
Team Growth
We welcomed three new team members in early 2023: a second sawyer for our resaw operation, an inventory specialist to manage our growing stock, and a customer service coordinator to ensure that every inquiry and order receives timely, knowledgeable attention. Our team now includes specialists in salvage operations, sawmill and milling operations, kiln drying, grading and species identification, sales and customer support, and logistics and transportation.
Facility Improvements
We completed several upgrades to our Murray Road facility that improve both our processing capability and the customer experience. We expanded our covered storage area to protect more inventory from weather exposure. We installed a new Wood-Mizer LT40 wideband resaw that handles timbers up to 28 inches wide — a significant upgrade from our previous 18-inch capacity. We also improved our customer showroom area, making it easier for visitors to see samples of our most popular products and discuss projects with our sales team.
Community Involvement
Norfolk Lumber has always been about more than selling wood. We believe in contributing to the community that supports us. In the first half of 2023, we donated reclaimed lumber to Habitat for Humanity of South Hampton Roads for three home builds. We hosted two educational workshops on reclaimed wood finishing techniques, open to the public at no charge. We also participated in the Virginia Beach Green Building Expo, showcasing the environmental benefits of reclaimed lumber to over 500 attendees.
Looking Ahead
The second half of 2023 promises to be equally busy. We have several major salvage projects in the pipeline, including a pre-World War II military structure at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek that is expected to yield significant quantities of old-growth heart pine. We are also exploring the addition of a second kiln to address our growing backlog of material awaiting drying.
To our customers, partners, and friends — thank you for your support. Every time you choose reclaimed lumber, you are voting for a more sustainable, more interesting, and more story-rich built environment. We are proud to be part of that movement, and we look forward to continuing to serve you in the years ahead.