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Some imitations just make sense: Lumber giant Weyerhaeuser sells a fast-growing natural eucalyptus hybrid under the brand name Lyptus. Sustainably harvested in plantations in Brazil, the clear-grained hardwood looks and feels remarkably like mahogany. It’s sold as toungue-and-groove flooring and in planks and sheets for cabinetry and millwork.

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When you’re building a new home, you select a floor plan and then customize it. Why not customize your building materials, too? Especially if those materials can help prevent mold, help resist storm damage, prevent floor squeaks and dents, and reduce energy consumption. These top quality products can help build a beautiful home - inside and out - with greater durability and energy efficiency:

• The Strength to Endure. A home needs to be able to stand the test of time. By using Plytanium Plywood? instead of oriented strand board (OSB), your home will be more impact-resistant and durable - especially during inclement weather.
• Help Prevent Floor Squeaks. Plywood is also versatile enough to use as a sub-floor for residential construction. It has excellent nail holding properties, which helps to minimize floor squeaks. It is the perfect sub-floor for a variety of floor coverings including hardwood, carpet and tile.
• Prevent Mold. Did you know that more than 70 percent of homes have mold, and most of the time, it’s in the wall cavity? Paper, a food source for mold, is found on traditional paper-faced drywall. DensArmor? paperless drywall by Georgia-Pacific incorporates glass mats on the surfaces of the drywall panel instead of paper facings found on traditional drywall. Building or remodeling with DensArmor? can help protect a home’s interior wall surfaces from the potential for mold development.
• Protect “Wet Areas.” Areas throughout the home such as bathrooms and kitchens are most prone to mold growth. Simply installing a tile backer with glass-mat facings and an acrylic coating can block moisture from entering the wall cavity. This innovative design protects tile installations and the wall cavity from the effects of moisture in damp areas.
• Hit the Roof. Designing a home with durable roof sheathing provides outstanding performance while offering the important benefit of reducing cooling energy consumption. A roof sheathing with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star? qualification can keep your home comfortable while potentially saving on cooling energy consumption.
• Create Stunning Ceilings and Walls. Wood panels can add a decorative touch to ceilings, walls and other areas of a home. Plytanium Ply-Bead? panels are made of real Southern pine plywood and are easier and faster to install than traditional tongue-and-groove planking. The panels provide outstanding durability, while resisting dents, gouges and scratches. The pre-sanding also makes the panels ready to paint and repaint.

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Living without hallways may seem challenging, but they’re not a feature of the typical shotgun. With the bedroom located initially in the center of the three rooms, Elizabeth and Nanah were concerned about privacy. So the bedroom was flipped to the back of the house. Barrett’s reassignment of the kitchen to the middle room and opening up the space to the living room were also inspired moves. Now Elizabeth and Nanah can entertain while they cook and were delighted that the new flow of their linear home allows a large number of guests to circulate comfortably. “The flow makes a lot of sense. From the moment you step in, you feel each room has a purpose,” Elizabeth says.

The home had seen a century of alteration. Dropped ceilings and faux wood beams were demolished, reopening the rooms to their original 12-foot height. When the drywall around the living room fireplace was removed, an exposed brick wall became the natural focal point. Barrett stripped away multiple layers of old wallpaper, as well as carpet and vinyl in the old kitchen, revealing original hardwood. Her design concept was to return the house to its cleanest, most simple state, allowing it to function in a modern way.

The old entrance to the bathroom, through an enclosed back porch, was awkward, and closing the access allowed the wall inside the bathroom to be pushed back, making room for a vanity. The new entrance to the bathroom is through the bedroom. The porch now functions as an office for Nanah and Elizabeth, both busy students. A new half-bath, fitted with a stylish pedestal sink and industrial rubber flooring, was carved out of space behind the kitchen.

The reuse of old architectural elements adds to the home’s charm. Barrett recommends that young couples thinking about renovating get to know local salvage shops. This home lacked interior doors, but a trip to Architectural Salvage produced four Victorian panel doors, as well as ceramic doorknobs painted a marbleized brown. Barrett located an art deco glass chandelier at Joe Ley Antiques, and Elizabeth and Nanah found a gilt mirror at eyedia design it again.

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