As more and more consumers strive for sustainability in their home’s construction, Eutree, an Atlanta-based manufacturer of hardwood flooring, is offering builders a unique option – transforming lumber extracted from the property where the home sits into hardwood flooring and more.
“We have the nickname in Atlanta of ‘city in the forest,’ and I think that’s why Eutree does so well here. Atlantans are not happy when they see trees removed due to construction and things like that,” says Carmen Rodriguez, CMO of Eutree. “We’ve found a niche here by being forest-free, meaning we only use logs that are taken down for natural or hazardous reasons. We are 100 percent vertical, and we do everything from taking in the logs to manufacturing the final product, including a retail side.”
Eutree currently manufactures hardwood flooring, prefinished, unfinished, and engineered wood for other outdoor and indoor use. They also produce dimensional lumber, live edge slabs, and work with salvaged, reclaimed wood, which they use in a variety of projects.
“Our founder came from a tree service, and he had a small portable mill that he started making hardwood flooring on,” explains Rodriguez. “Today, when it comes to flooring, everything we create is made-to-order. We pull boards from our inventory, mold them, and then work on whatever finish the customer desires.”
On a recent project, Eutree worked with a client to turn some of the old-growth trees around his property into his home’s flooring, furniture, and more.
“We had a customer reach out to us on a home building project. He wanted to see what we could do with the trees that would have to be removed
around the new home he was building,” says Rodriguez. “We were able to walk the property to assess just what we could do with the lumber. On this project, we were able to do a lot, as he has a large variety of wood, including a lot of very nice white oak.”
A key element of sustainable design is optimizing the economy and usefulness of materials from the property. In this case, the customer desired wood floors, and wood for coffee tables. Pecan ended up being used by furniture makers to create a beautiful kitchen island, pictured below.
A key element of sustainable design is optimizing the economy and usefulness of materials from the property. In this case, the customer desired wood floors, stair treads, beams, and wood for an island in the kitchen.
“Working with a tree service, the logs from the property were brought to us and we started the milling process according to the design plan, working closely with the customer, architects, and designers,” explains Rodriquez. “White and red oak were transformed into flooring, and a floating staircase was built from rift and quartered white oak. In addition, pine trees were turned into beams for the home, and pecan ended up being used by furniture makers to create a beautiful kitchen island.”
“We’ve found a niche here by being forest-free, meaning we only use logs that are taken down for natural or hazardous reasons. We are 100 percent vertical, and we do everything from taking in the logs to manufacturing the final product, including a retail side.”
— Carmen Rodriguez, CMO of Eutree
For Eutree, the long timeline of home building goes nicely with the drying process that the lumber requires. By the time Eutree has the lumber dried, processed, and turned into a final product, it is ready to go into the home.
“Being able to transform wood that would have perhaps found its way into a chipper into something that will last a lifetime and add beauty to a new home is so rewarding, for us and the homeowner,” says Rodriquez. “Not only do we think the approach is great for the environment, it’s a great talking point for the homeowner and makes for a very nice story.”