Bruce MacDonald of Western Reclaimed Timber confirm that the demand for reclaimed materials is up, in an interview in The Vancouver Sun. Old wood is being sought after for its character and history. Customers particularly enjoy knowing the story behind a reclaimed item.
 
MacDonald says customers are willing to pay a premium of 50 to 60 per cent for reclaimed wood. But he also says, "The company can lose 40 per cent of the old wood cleaning it up during the milling process due to rot or because the client wants a fresh-cut look or a specific size that requires more of the wood to be cut off."
 
Reclaiming wood from demolition sites also reduces the amount of waste going into landfill or for incineration. Metro Vancouver is attempting to divert material and construction waste is an area they are looking at closely. "When you demolish a house there is a huge amount of wood that just gets taken away as garbage," said Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie, chair of Metro Vancouver's zero waste committee. They hope to reduce the amount of disposed wood by about another 150,000 tonnes a year. They are considering various options of recycling requirements and even banning disposal of wood waste as garbage. Recommendations are to be expected later in the year.
 
Western Reclaimed Timber state the benefits of reclaimed wood on their website:
'An environmentally responsible choice: wood is one of the easiest materials to reuse - often reclaimed wood is higher in quality than new wood.
A structurally sound choice: reclaimed timbers are desirable because of their low moisture content and dimensional stability.
A historically sensitive choice: reclaimed timbers provide a sense of continuity and a historical link - the past is revealed in the timber's patina, grain and signs of previous use.'
 
Reclaimed wood can also be found on SalvoWEB. Buttons on the home page link to main dealer websites and local architectural salvage yards can be found in the directory. Also there are adverts for recrafted and upcycled furniture made from reclaimed wood. As MacDonald states, "the old look is in".