The Enduring Love of Wood in Western Homes
by Walt Burns
Trees talk. Science confirms that they speak to each other often and over long distances. This might help explain the undeniable connection we as humans feel about the things in our lives made from wood. Perhaps trees speak to us as well. Nothing against glass and steel, but is the difference between a rustic timber spanning across a ceiling versus a steel I-beam really a fair comparison? After talking to these three prominent wood crafters in the Mountain West, we have an even deeper appreciation for what wood brings to our homes.
The Heart and Soul of Wood
Magleby Construction
If you are drawn to the idea of wood in your home, you would be hard-pressed to find a builder who shares your passion more than Magleby Construction. “Wood is really the heart and soul of the house,” says Pierrette Tierney, Vice President of Business Development for the established mountain resort market custom builder. “It’s the natural organic component that the homeowner will interact with on a daily basis, whether it’s their doors or their cabinetry. We feel that it’s critical to get that piece right.” You don’t have to talk long with Pierrette to understand that Magleby believes in the basic natural ability of wood to connect people to structures.
Pierrette is married to a Magleby and perhaps that is just another reason that she understands a thing or two about connections. Despite employing over 285 people across a variety of entities, and markets—including Park City, Sun Valley, and Big Sky—Magleby remains a family business. It is the kind of business that respects the feeling of connectivity to something that lies at the heart of the structures in which their clients spend their lives.
The wood, however, doesn’t do this without some coaxing.
If you go back to when Paul Magleby started the business over 45 years ago, you’ll find he was guided by an unwavering desire to set a higher standard—for himself, for those with whom he worked, and for the structures that bore his mark. It’s one thing to demand a higher standard and quite another to maintain it. Consistently. But when the National Association of Home Builders decided to create a National Custom Home Builder of the Year Award, they gave the very first one to Paul and Magleby Construction, and that stands as testament to their success in achieving those standards.
Ten years later, the next generation of Maglebys, under the leadership of Chad Magleby, again were awarded the Custom Home Builder of the Year honor. That’s consistency.
Throughout this entire tenure there has been a love of what wood brings to a home—the undeniable link to the earth. But it’s one thing to have a passion and another to have the skill to bring that appreciation to fruition. Along every step of the process, Magleby demonstrates command of the skills necessary. From the construction to the finish work, everything is held to the unwavering pursuit of this highest quality.
Turning the lens toward finishing, Pierrette tells us, “Scott Hudson has been with Magleby for over 15 years. He has a workshop in the back of our millwork operation, Masterpiece Millwork and Door, where he mixes his own stains and his own paint.
“Wood is really the heart and soul of the house.”
–Pierrette Tierney, VP Business Development, Magleby Construction
He has this cabinet that, honestly, almost looks like a medieval torture device chamber with different tools that he uses to rough up the wood or to make it look like it’s 100 years old.” She continues, “He creates story boards that show the multiple steps it takes to achieve the final product. Designers and clients just love working with him and seeing and understanding his process to get that perfect finish.”
This level of thought and craft could simply be described as the Magleby way. Pierrette gives it a little more detail, “We love to build an up-front, collaborative team. We feel like that leads to the most successful and most predictable outcomes on a custom home when you know things are complicated. There’s a lot of people that are involved in making this all come together. If the builder, the client, the architect, and the interior designer can find alignment early in that process, the result will always turn out much better.”
“They didn’t go into construction for the money. They went into construction because they love seeing a finished product they can be proud of.”
–Pierrette Tierney, VP Business Development, Magleby Construction
Pierrette continues, “The guys who are building Magleby houses are incredibly passionate about what they do. They didn’t go into construction for the money. They went into construction because they love seeing a finished product they can be proud of. From my experience, our guys treat each home as if it was their own.”
When it comes to the wood itself, Magleby is seeing many of the same trends others are witnessing in custom mountain homes. White oak is being used in almost all design styles because of its versatility. It takes stain well and has beautiful, yet subtle, grain detail. Because of its popularity however, Magleby is always exploring alternatives. “In some cases, prices have climbed and availability has been limited to the point where we’ve gotten creative with red oak and been able to figure out the color blend with the help of Scott Hudson’s finishing expertise,” adds Pierrette.
While design trends have been clearly skewing to a more modern aesthetic, wood will always be on the materials list. Roof lines may change but the skills to bring a structure to life are earned through experience. Magleby Construction has set a high standard for what they do with wood for a long time and that’s one thing that isn’t about to change anytime soon.
Bring on the Next Challenge
Peppertree Kitchen & Bath
While wood may be a constant, the way it’s used continues to evolve. No one knows this better than the people at Peppertree Kitchen & Bath. With showrooms in West Jordan, Utah, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, they have spent the last three decades working wood into some of the finest custom-fit furniture and cabinetry imaginable. It is no surprise that you’ll find their work in many of the finest custom homes in the West.
Wyatt McDaniel has been with Peppertree since it started in 1986. He and a partner bought the company in 2012. Together, they’ve steered the business through the changes that have not only shaped the region, but the style of homes built there as well. As the design trend has decisively skewed more contemporary, Peppertree has kept developing the skills and expertise to deliver what their clients want.
“I think people are going more simplistic in their lifestyles. The newer generation is really not a cluttering type of person. They feel less is more. Cleaner designs. What that means is a lot straighter lines. That is the trend,” Wyatt explains.
As trends evolve, so do the skills. “The biggest challenges are large doors and larger drawers. The drawer boxes are wider and taller. The doors seem to be getting wider,” Wyatt continues. “So, the challenge is making sure you keep them flat, making sure the hinges work properly.”
The trend is not just in the lines, however. Throughout the home, but especially in the kitchen, the wood itself is being viewed differently. “We’re working a lot with paint-grade maple in a lot of colors. Interior designers never go for just a standard white. They love to bring in all sorts of different and trendy colors,” says McDaniel. “We’re doing a lot of multiple colors.”
Overall, the look is more European. Clean. Sparse. Some color, as opposed to earthy wood tones throughout the interior. With such an aesthetic not historically associated with the Mountain West, it begs the question—is there still enthusiasm for reclaimed materials such as barnwood in custom mountain homes?
Wyatt’s experience points to a definite intersection of the two, and quite a bit more than you might realize. One recent project he highlights is a perfect example of this intersection. “We did a high-gloss white parameter. The perimeter of the room is a very high-gloss white while the island is out of barnwood and steel. The islands are all barnwood, rustic barnwood, and the legs on the island and the skirt around the overhang is wrought iron steel,” he explains.
“I think people are going more simplistic in their lifestyles. The newer generation is really not a cluttering type of person. They feel less is more.”
–Wyatt McDaniel, Co-Owner, Peppertree Kitchen & Bath
The effect is dramatic, and not easily accomplished. “The challenge with barnwood is that our clients tend to want all one color. When I call the reclaimed wood suppliers and tell them I need one color, they tend to laugh at me,” Wyatt explains. “They say, ‘A barn is a barn, and you know we’ll get you into a brownish or a greyish or a mix color.’ But you don’t get all one color, so there’s major challenges there with barnwood.”
Peppertree is certainly up to these types of challenges. In fact, taking on the biggest challenges seems to be something deep in the Peppertree DNA. McDaniel tells of one particular project, “We did a large-scale remodel on a log cabin that was essentially modernizing the interior. We had to run a multiple kerf line throughout the whole house and tie in from one inside the kitchen, around the kitchen and back into the entryway. Additionally, they wanted all the cabinetry hidden with big doors. These doors were 1¼” thick, probably 36-40 inches wide, and about seven or eight feet tall. All these doors had to open, and then they would go into the countertop and they would entertain from there.” Wyatt continues, “So that was very challenging. How do you support that door and structurally make sure it works for 20 years—and then get all those kerf lines to work out?”
“The challenge with barnwood is that our clients tend to want all one color. When I call the reclaimed wood suppliers and tell them I need one color, they tend to laugh at me.”
–Wyatt McDaniel, Co-Owner, Peppertree Kitchen & Bath
Tackling those kinds of challenges and standing behind your work is the only way to gain a reputation like the one Peppertree enjoys. “We’re a longevity company,” says Wyatt. “We have great designers who listen to their clients and we’ve been in business a long time. If there’s an issue, we stand behind our work 100%.”
That is a model that survives no matter where the design is trending.
A Business Built from Wood
Wasatch Timber Products
Things are different at 9,000’. Breathing is a bit more labored. Bighorn sheep and mountain goats can be spotted in the rocky outcroppings. Snow comes early and stays late. But most importantly to someone like Chip Turner, 9,000’ is where you find the Engelmann spruce he prizes most. It’s the wood Chip has used to build Wasatch Timber Products into the business it is today, a business he has built from the ground up with the wood found in the Wasatch and Utah high country. For over 30 years, this wood has been a prize feature of many custom homes in the Rocky Mountain West.
The logs Wasatch Timber works with have been killed by beetles and need to be removed from the forest. While that might make a lot of people feel good about the environmental significance of this work, Chip makes no concessions when it comes to quality. This spruce offers the grain and color that allows him to produce the work on which he stakes his reputation. With that there are no compromises.
“Recently, we’ve been working with some folks from New York who are building down in southern Utah. They are thrilled to come in and be able to hand-pick some of the wood.”
–Chip Turner, Founder, Wasatch Timber Products
Once the wood is down in the Heber Valley at the Wasatch Timber Products mill, Chip fashions the logs into the specific products his clients are looking for. Everything from milled and hand-peeled logs to rough-sawn timber. Custom mantels, tongue-and-groove, railings, and custom siding.
For anyone with even a passing affection for wood, visiting the mill is a great experience. “When folks come here, they’re like kids at Disneyland. Most have never been to a log mill before. They can walk right up to the log. They can look at it and see what we’re talking about. I can educate them. It’s a huge eye-opener for those who come over,” explains Chip.
“Recently, we’ve been working with some folks from New York who are building down in southern Utah. They are thrilled to come in and be able to hand-pick some of the wood. There are creative looks they are going for both in the antique timbers we have as well as some of the really unique logs,” Chip adds. “They’re combining both into a Southwestern Anasazi-style home. They are not only very creative but place a high value on authenticity. It’s been a dream to work with them.”
Bringing these custom visions to life in natural materials is what genuinely excites Chip—perhaps because he does it so well. And as design trends throughout the Mountain West have taken a distinctive progression to more contemporary architecture, Chip finds there is still plenty of room to showcase and integrate the character inherent in a distinctive piece of wood. “A lot of people really want to work their personalities into their homes. Whether they like a real crazy log vertical or they want a piece of steel wrapped through, it’s those folks we really cater to because there aren’t really too many of us around still doing that kind of work.”
The contemporary aesthetic, with its more refined lines and less emphasis on rustic overtones, is something Chip is excited about and more than able to accommodate. “My dad was an architect. I understand the importance of how things look and how they reflect the homeowner’s personality,” Chip continues. “What we’re seeing is a combination of styles. There are very modern lines, but people still want a western look. A contemporary design accented with a rustic mantel and maybe some furniture. There is still a love of timber no matter what the design.”
It speaks to the fact that, no matter how much these new styles permeate into the western landscape, there is still an intrinsic reason people are drawn here—to connect with the natural world and natural things. Nothing accomplishes that inside a home better than wood. “People want to leave their home and go to something different in the mountains, they don’t want their mountain home to look just like their home in the city. They’re drawn to something that has some traditional feel even though overall, the lines are very modern,” says Chip.
Collaborating on these ideas and creating the solutions together with clients is as much at the core of Wasatch Timber Products’ success as working the wood. This deep commitment to customer service is a large part of what has kept Chip thriving in an industry that has seen many of his competitors struggle for survival. Chip explains, “I have always enjoyed doing deliveries. You know, as a small business owner you do it all. But I always appreciate going to the job sites, meeting the folks, and looking at the project. It really helps me make sure we’re giving them the best product. And at the end of the day, that’s what you have to hang your hat on—great product and great customer service.”
And at the end of the day, that’s what you have to hang your hat on—great product and great customer service.”
–Chip Turner, Founder, Wasatch Timber Products
