Lyptus Hardwoods Help Joey Mines Mix Southern Hospitality With Sustainability
Twelve miles outside the town of LaGrange, Georgia, a dense tree canopy and rolling terrain give way to Retreat on West Point Lake. There, set between old growth forests and the quiet lapping of waves on the lakeshore, homeowners in the 479-acre community can find respite from the chaos of life. Retreat dwellers have easy access to an 8-mile shoreline, untouched wildlife and miles of hiking and biking trails. Even the woodsy appearance of the community homes – with their timber, brick and stone exteriors – brings residents back to the natural landscape.
For Joey Mines, environmentalist and host of the television show “Outdoors With Joey Mines,” this serene, nature-based community provided the homestead setting he’d been looking for his entire life. He could build a home with minimal impacts on the surrounding wildlife and in so doing, create a gathering place for those wanting to leave the stresses of the busy world behind.
“I’ve dedicated my life to two things – the outdoors and people. When I’m not outside teaching people how to fish, hunt and enjoy nature, I'm inside with friends and family,” said Mines. “I wanted my home to reflect both of those values, from the land right down to the paint."
For direction, Mines turned to Johnna Barrett, principal architect at SUSTAINhouse. Mines was confident Barrett would design his home to exacting green standards, while selecting beautiful materials fit for entertaining.
For Mines and Barrett, this meant handpicking each and every building material. They worked together to settle on a framing method that would leave behind virtually no scrap, selected advanced insulation and purchased low-energy appliances. But when it came to selecting interior hardwoods, the duo had reason for pause. Despite having numerous hardwoods from which to select, few aligned with their project vision. They needed a durable hardwood for guest traffic, a rich, warm and tactile hardwood to connect individuals to the outdoors, and a hardwood grown in such a way as to preserve future generations of forests.
Mines and Barrett found their solution with Weyerhaeuser Lyptus® hardwood – a beautiful eucalyptus grown on third-party certified plantations in Brazil that is ready for harvest decades sooner than common temperate hardwoods.
“Lyptus was the perfect fit,” said Mines. “It’s a hardwood, not a soft pine. It holds up well to the ins and outs of daily use. But it’s also not bland. It’s full of intricacies and variations that are just beautiful. The best part, though, is that it grows to maturity in about fifteen years. I have over three acres and 100 hardwoods on my property that have taken years to mature, so I really understand the benefits of its growth rate.”
Today, Lyptus hardwoods blanket Joey Mines’ home, from hand-scraped flooring to wall paneling, trim and cabinets. And, while they are just one of many environmentally conscious elements in his house, they are among his favorites.
“Lyptus is, without a doubt, the product I’m the most proud of in my home. I see it every day and I never get tired of it or its story,” Mines added. “It’s the only type of hardwood used in my home – that speaks for itself.”
Lyptus is a unique and versatile, high-grade hardwood with a fine grain and dramatic figure. The exotic specie is able to take stains evenly because of its density, allowing for traditional reds and browns, or rich, multi-dimensional hues. According to a recent USDA Forest Service, University of Wisconsin and University Virginia study, the resulting overall aesthetic is highly desirable, particularly when a dark stain is applied to the hardwood. In a survey of consumer preferences between select hardwoods, researchers found that dark-toned Lyptus came out on top, followed by a cherry hardwood.
Just as importantly, Lyptus offers several environmental advantages. The trees mature in an average of fifteen years, whereas many tropical and temperate hardwoods take between 60 to 100 years before they are ready for harvest. In addition, it is grown on third-party certified plantations that were formerly agricultural or grazing lands.
For more information on Lyptus hardwoods, including premium lumber, veneer, plywood and flooring, visit www.lyptus.com.
For more information on Joey Mines, his Fox Sports TV show and his Green House, visit www.joeymines.com.
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