>  -=> Quoting Michael Loo to Nancy Backus <=-

 >  ML> I wonder if there would be a niche market for
 >  ML> builders who could cater to buyers with a taste

 > Sometime in the late 70's I met a guy who scoured the mountains looking 
for
 > old 
 > wooden buildings.  He'd strip the weathered exterior boards off and sell
 > them.  
 > "Barn boards" I think is what he called them.  Couldn't
keep up with the
 > demand.  I know when I was looking for material to make a "Bates
Motel" 
sign
 > for Bob's chicken coop I had a hard time finding something approaching 
what
 > I  was looking for.
 
These days they call it upcycling and charge extra for the use of used 
wood.  Other people make upscale furniture out of old wooden pallets. The 
barn guys are still out there, but there are fewer barns and prices have 
gone up.
--- SBBSecho 3.00-Win32