We try to use materials that have no other practical use, or have already served a purpose, or in the case of glass, can be used for many years, reused for another purpose or easily recycled.

In the case of wood we try to use wood that:

• lasts 

This means hardwoods in general, particularly woods like oak that are naturally resistant to rotting. Hardwoods are also lasting in the sense of being, well, hard - they're not easily marked and very hard to damage. Something made in hardwood will survive well with only minimal TLC.

• is relatively local (sourced in the UK)

We source wood from the UK, whether that's grown in the UK in a sustainable setting or as below. We particularly like projects where the wood is from you; for example if you've had a tree felled or thinned, or a renovation/extension project has resulted in the recovery of an old oak lintel 

• is surplus to requirements, whether that's reclaimed from other uses or offcuts too small to be of use in construction or landscaping

This means the wood we can utilise is quite far-ranging - as hardwoods used for internal projects from last century are still very much useful for other projects. But also an oak sleeper that's served its time in a raised bed often contains much wood that is still good - and the wood that is removed to reach the good stuff helps make great compost.