Our Story: Born from the Wood of New Orleans
We started Lumber New Orleans because we couldn't stand watching irreplaceable old-growth timber get tossed into dumpsters. Every demolished shotgun house, every gutted warehouse — that wood deserved better.
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A Pile of Cypress Changed Everything
It started with a demolition on Magazine Street. A 120-year-old corner store was coming down, and with it went stacks of old-growth cypress — tight-grained, rot-resistant wood that simply cannot be harvested anymore. The kind of lumber that took 200 years to grow was headed for the landfill in an afternoon.
Our founders intervened. They arranged to haul the lumber, de-nail it by hand, and store it in a borrowed warehouse. Within a week, every board was spoken for by local contractors who recognized the value that was about to be destroyed. That single salvage operation became the blueprint for Lumber New Orleans.
We set up our permanent yard at 4443 Michoud Blvd in New Orleans East — enough acreage to sort, process, and store hundreds of thousands of board feet at a time. From day one, the mission has been simple: intercept usable wood before it becomes waste, process it to professional standards, and get it into the hands of builders who will give it a second life.
Our yard in New Orleans East covers over two acres, housing lumber salvaged from historic structures across Louisiana. Open Monday through Saturday for builders, designers, and anyone who appreciates wood with character.
Why New Orleans Needs Lumber Reclamation
An Architectural Goldmine
New Orleans has one of the largest collections of pre-Civil War architecture in the United States. When these structures are renovated or demolished, the lumber inside — heart pine, old-growth cypress, live oak — is often centuries old. This is irreplaceable material that modern forestry cannot replicate.
A City That Builds and Rebuilds
From post-Katrina reconstruction to the current building boom, New Orleans generates enormous volumes of construction debris. The EPA estimates that demolition waste accounts for roughly 40% of landfill volume nationwide. We exist to shrink that number in our city.
Climate on the Front Line
Coastal Louisiana faces some of the most severe consequences of climate change in the country. By reclaiming lumber, we keep embodied carbon locked in wood instead of releasing it through decomposition or incineration, and we reduce the demand for logging in vulnerable ecosystems.
Our Core Values
These aren't slogans on a wall. They're the principles we use to make decisions every day — from which lumber to buy to how we treat the people we work with.
Heritage First
Every piece of wood in our yard carries a story — from Creole cottages to Warehouse District lofts. We believe that history deserves to be preserved, not demolished.
Zero Waste Commitment
We find a use for every scrap. Dimensional lumber gets resold. Offcuts become kindling or mulch. Sawdust is composted. Nothing reaches the landfill.
Community Roots
We hire locally, source locally, and reinvest in the neighborhoods that make New Orleans extraordinary. Our yard is a gathering place for builders and dreamers.
Honest Dealing
Fair prices for sellers and buyers alike. We grade every board transparently and stand behind the quality of everything that leaves our yard.
Meet Our Team
Every member of our team brings specialized expertise to the mission of rescuing and repurposing the Gulf South's irreplaceable lumber. Here are the key roles that make our operation run.
Founder & General Manager
Vision, Strategy & RelationshipsLaunched Lumber New Orleans after witnessing irreplaceable old-growth cypress heading to a dumpster on Magazine Street. Brings 15+ years of experience in construction and renovation across the Gulf South. Manages relationships with demolition contractors, municipal agencies, and preservation organizations. Sets the strategic direction for the company and personally approves every major acquisition.
Operations Manager
Yard, Logistics & SchedulingOversees daily operations at our Michoud Blvd facility, including processing schedules, kiln operations, inventory management, and delivery logistics. Coordinates crew assignments across salvage, processing, and delivery teams. Manages fleet maintenance and route optimization. Ensures every order ships on time and every board is accounted for from intake to sale.
Head of Salvage
Acquisition, Site Assessment & DeconstructionLeads our salvage and deconstruction crews in the field. Conducts site assessments to evaluate lumber quality, species, and recoverable board footage before any project begins. Supervises careful extraction to maximize lumber recovery and minimize damage. Has personally overseen the deconstruction of more than 100 structures and can identify species by sight, smell, and grain pattern.
Master Craftsman
Custom Fabrication & MillworkA third-generation woodworker with formal training in traditional joinery and 20+ years of professional furniture-making experience. Leads our custom fabrication shop, designing and building tables, mantels, shelving systems, and architectural millwork from reclaimed stock. Specializes in matching historic molding profiles and creating furniture that blends the character of reclaimed wood with modern structural engineering.
Sustainability Director
Environmental Impact & Community OutreachTracks and reports on our environmental metrics: carbon offset, landfill diversion rates, water and energy savings per board foot processed. Coordinates partnerships with Habitat for Humanity, local schools, and preservation societies. Manages our donation program for community workshop projects. Holds a degree in Environmental Science from Tulane and previously worked in waste diversion consulting.
Salvage & Acquisition Crew
Our salvage team scouts demolition sites, negotiates pickups, and supervises careful extraction. They know how to pull a beam from a 19th-century warehouse without splitting it — a skill that takes years to develop.
Processing & Grading Crew
Back at the yard, our processing crew de-nails, kiln-dries, planes, and grades every board. They identify species, assess structural integrity, and sort lumber into categories that contractors can rely on.
Sales & Logistics Team
Our front-of-house team helps customers find exactly what they need, whether it's a single mantel blank or a truckload of framing lumber. They coordinate delivery across the Gulf South and ensure every order arrives on time.
Community Involvement
We believe that our success is inseparable from the health of the communities around us. Here are the partnerships and programs through which we give back.
Habitat for Humanity Partnership
We donate usable dimensional lumber, flooring, and hardware to Habitat for Humanity Greater New Orleans on an ongoing basis. In the past year, we have provided over 8,000 board feet of reclaimed lumber for affordable housing construction in the Ninth Ward and Gentilly. We also participate in build days, providing skilled labor for framing and finish carpentry.
School Woodworking Programs
We supply reclaimed wood at no cost to woodworking programs at three New Orleans public high schools and two vocational training centers. Students learn to work with real materials while understanding the value of reclaimed resources. Our Master Craftsman leads quarterly workshops teaching traditional joinery techniques to students in these programs.
Preservation Society Collaboration
We work closely with the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans and the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation. When we deconstruct a historically significant structure, we document the building and its materials extensively. We provide matching reclaimed lumber to restoration projects at cost, helping preserve the authentic materials that define Gulf South architecture.
Veterans Apprenticeship Program
We partner with local veterans organizations to offer paid apprenticeships in our processing facility. Veterans learn lumber grading, kiln operation, milling, and woodworking skills — transferable trades that translate directly into construction industry employment. Two of our current crew members came through this program.
Community Workshop Access
On the first Saturday of each month, we open our fabrication shop to community members for supervised workshop time. Participants can use our tools, access our offcut bins, and receive guidance from our craftsmen. This program has become a gathering point for makers, hobbyists, and aspiring woodworkers from across the metro area.
Disaster Recovery Support
When hurricanes or severe weather damage structures across the Gulf South, we mobilize our crews to salvage lumber that would otherwise end up in emergency debris landfills. After Hurricane Ida, we recovered over 40,000 board feet of usable lumber from damaged structures in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes. This wood was processed and made available at reduced cost for rebuilding efforts.
Milestones Along the Way
Founded in New Orleans East
Lumber New Orleans opens its yard on Michoud Blvd with a single truck and a mission to divert lumber from landfills.
First 100,000 Board Feet Reclaimed
Within months of opening, we hit our first major milestone — 100K board feet of salvaged lumber processed and resold.
Custom Fabrication Shop Opens
We expand into custom millwork, offering mantels, tabletops, and architectural details made from reclaimed wood.
Gulf South Delivery Network Launched
Our fleet grows to serve contractors and homeowners across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and East Texas.
500K Board Feet Annual Milestone
We reach half a million board feet reclaimed per year, preventing an estimated 2,700+ tons of CO₂ from entering the atmosphere.
Want to See Our Yard in Person?
Come visit us at 4443 Michoud Blvd. Walk through our inventory, talk to our team, and pick out the exact boards you need for your next project.