Materials
High quality products begin with high quality materials.

Western Red Cedar Structures
The Advantages: Environmentally and Structurally

The beauty of natural wood is evident in our products.

We use the finest grade western red cedar as our principle construction wood. According to the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory, western red cedar has the lowest rate of shrinkage of any wood, which means it is extremely stable and will be naturally resistant to warping and checking. Western red cedar is also among the most resistant to decay of all domestic woods, so it is the ideal choice for outdoor garden structures.

For the lattice wood, we use Cambara mahogany because of its strength in smaller cross sections. It is also very stable and resistant to decay. The lattice is assembled in a variety of ways: woven, full 1/2 lap, partial 1/2 lap and the standard overlay method. The lattices are all very strong and assembled with stainless steel to avoid any streaking, rusting or staining of the wood.

Our arbors and trellises are screwed together with stainless steel screws, which are stronger than nails, and won't rust or stain the wood.

Our metal stakes, which secure the arbors in the ground, are 1 3/8" rust proof aluminum pipes, with a thick 1/8" wall and are 48" in length. We use an extremely durable, 100% waterproof polyurethane glue, called Gorilla Glue. It is solvent free and the strongest glue available.

Our gate latch is imported from England. It is a very high quality piece of hardware that is galvanized and then black powder coated.

There are many benefits, both environmentally and structurally, in using western red cedar for outdoor garden structures.

Cedar is natural, renewable, biodegradable and recyclable.

Advantages of a Cedar Structure
Because our products are made of western red cedar, they offer significant advantages over structures made of metal or vinyl. They can be easily repaired if damage should occur over the course of the lifetime of the structure. Given the type and quality of our wood, that lifetime can be 50 years or longer, because western red cedar is very resistant to insects and decay.

Our structures can be easily altered. For instance, if you want to increase the density of the top of your pergola for added shade, you may add additional purlins at anytime. If you want to hang blinds or suspend fabric from the structure, you can accomplish this by using hooks or other mechanical fastenings, which are easily placed into the wood.

Years of virtually maintenance-free care is achieved if the structure is left to season naturally with only a penetrating preservative applied. The wood will turn a silvery grey, blending beautifully with the vines. Once the vines are in place, taking from two to eight years to cover the structure, it will not have to be re-treated. If you decide at sometime during the structure's extended life to remove the vines, it can then be stained a color and given a "new look."

Environmental Impact/Green Building
Western red cedar surpasses metal and vinyl in the following categories:

Energy use
Energy saved in manufacturing processes with wood far exceeds that of other construction materials.

Resource use
Western red cedar is a renewable resource, which is harvested and replanted as a crop.

Pollution reduction
Cedar can be recycled and used in other ways after its initial life. Cedar is 100% biodegradable and is often used to feed and protect plants in the form of mulch.

Our western red cedar comes from Canada's sustainable, managed forests. New manufacturing technology allows every part of the tree to be used so that nothing is wasted. Wood is the only major building material that is renewable — a reason why Canada's forest base is still abundant after 150 years of harvesting.

Wood is also very durable. Churches in Norway and temples in Japan have lasted over a thousand years. In North America, there are many examples of historic wood buildings from the 16th century that are still standing. Even the foundation of the Empire State Building rests on woodpiles!

In fact, not only does wood last, but there are many examples of new buildings that have used wood reclaimed from decommissioned buildings. This is the ultimate in recycling and in reducing the consumption of materials, but even the use of new wood gives it a significant advantage over other materials.