Sometimes a project is not about getting it done quickly, it’s about craft and vision. In this case, it’s the vision to produce a reclaimed wood barn door. Barn doors and sliding doors have been popular in the past few years. Not only do they produce an interesting look, they  can often be used for practical solutions when looking to avoid the space a swing door requires. A sliding door could be used for any style of design, from modern to heritage. In this case, we are looking for a finish that is antiquated and ornate. The extra work that is required to achieve this look will be worth it, as the door will be one-of-a-kind and will match the aesthetic of the rest of the home.   Reclaimed Materials: The barn door is made from 100% recycled 2X6 Douglas Fir. This came from a renovation project of a colleague on the North Shore. Originally, this wood was part of the framing in a 70 year old home. When you can re-use materials from a demolition, do! You never know what you will find and rather than have usable materials end up in the land-fill, with some TLC, they can become something new! Building the Reclaimed Wood Barn Door: Matthew Senf, principal of Sasen, milled the 2X6 wood down. He then biscuited, glued and clamped the wood. The design was his own, and he added other details for aesthetic purposes only. These include: strap hinges, a knocker, clavor and handles (all of which are wrought or cast iron). These were sourced and ordered online. The roller hardware for hanging the sliding barn doors is a simple barn door hardware package purchased from one of our trusted suppliers, Windsor Plywood. This was then modified by Matt, as the door is 4’4″ and there is no basic set available for a door this size. Finishing the Barn Door: The finishing of the door is what enhances the aesthetic we were looking for with this barn door. We worked with Lucy from Tartaglia Designs. Lucy’s talent is more than just design: her artistic abilities to paint and finish materials adds a one-of-a-kind touch. Lucy worked her magic with basic stain, glaze and varnish.  The amount of distressing was minimal since the lumber was already peppered with holes, damage, nails etc. which makes up the lovely antique patina. The rest is her skill. If the wood was new, distressing wood would be required in order to get the rustic, antiquated look we are going for.   Lucy explains how she will finish the barn door:

Sasen Renovations is kicking off 2014 with the exciting news of becoming a Residential Renovation Georgie Award Winner at the awards ceremony for 2013 Georgie Awards. We took home the award for the Best Residential Renovation under $300,000. We turned a house into a home, and it took dedication and finesse. Even during demolition, this project required consideration and attention to detail. A New Westminster renovation and a heritage renovation at that, we had to keep in mind the delicate and beautiful parts of the home that were being preserved. This project included both an interior renovation portion and exterior New Westminster renovation portions. The interior allowed Sasen to demonstrate our experience with bathroom remodelling, kitchen renovations and the ability to focus of the fine interior finishes while preserving the heritage portions of the home. We created a continuity of design and style, assisting the client in making design decisions that would blend together new and aged portions of the heritage home. The exterior renovation really embellished the bones of the existing structure, but this part allowed for more than just esthetic quality. Replacing the windows meant the home owners can live in greater comfort and be more energy efficient. The sooner an older home takes on a energy effective renovation, the longer the home owners can enjoy the benefits of a greener home. The 2013 Georgie Award ceremony was wonderfully done. It was such an honour to be surrounded by so many of the talented professionals working in Vancouver renovations and Vancouver home building. We enjoyed the evening as much as we enjoyed bringing home the award and recognition for our entire team’s hard work. We couldn’t have done it with out the talented Sasen Renovations team and those who partnered with us to make this project a success. We are confident the 2013 Georgie Awards will be the first of many awards to come! To visit the Georgie site, follow the link below: http://www.georgieawards.ca/winners/view.aspx?id=2682

This is an example of how Sasen stands behind our level of Integrity, Excellence and Craftsmanship… We will do it until it is right! In Burnaby, we are servicing our warranty with an existing client’s outdoor patio!  After some time, both the client and Sasen agree that the finishing was not up to our standards so here we are, making it right! Have you experienced this high level of customer service in your past general contractor experiences?                               After some tears and hard work, we were able to end up with a beautiful product! Of course, we had to also wait for our window of beautiful weather.     It was all well worth it!! We are extremely excited to pass this beautiful patio back to our extremely satisfied clients in a couple weeks!  

Do you find yourself in the situation where you know what you want, but you can’t quite communicate it?! We have found that it is easiest for all parties involved if you can gather as many pictures of what you are envisioning. We know it can be tough to communicate or describe the details of the features that you are looking to build without knowing the technical lingo to describe it. Describing features with descriptions like “thingy” or  “like rounded ridges” or “handles that you can turn” may generalize the idea, but to be sure that you are building or buying what you want, pictures speak a thousand words, even the technical words! Check us out on Houzz.com. This site is useful in that you can browse through thousands of pictures in their database by room categories or style or however you set the search. Even more useful is the ideabook function, where you can save these pictures and share with your husband and us, your general contractor! How do you like Houzz.com? Was it useful?