• The joist system and sub-flooring but NOT the finished flooring
  - everyone chooses different types of flooring.
  
• The interior and exterior wood trims, fasia, skirting, baseboards, door and window trims, etc.
  
• The interior walls are studded out but NOT finished, again
  - everyone chooses different wall finishes.
  
• The interior stair system
  
• All porch systems
  
• The roof system, up to and including the felt paper
  
• Exterior windows and doors
  
  At this point the home is "Weather-tight"
  

Cross section of home

This company is very flexible about supplying the "Other Materials", that is, the Non-Cypress materials that are necessary for framing the house with the Cypress materials from us. You have the option to get them through us or buy them locally. Again, the breakdown of costs will show an estimated cost of the "Other Materials" based on Home Depot pricing. We recommend buying them locally and avoiding the shipping costs. Shipping costs are calculated FOB the mill to your site address, so you know what to expect early on.

Where Does Tidewater Red Cypress Come From ?

Where would you think any wood species would have the most trouble surviving?? The answer is a place where moisture is constant through direct contact or high humidity, conditions right for rot and decay, mold and fungus. Warm steamy temperatures add to the problem, as well as insects which look as if they originated in a horror film. If a wood species can learn to adapt in this "worst-case scenario" it could be used any where in the world to build homes, right?. Tidewater Red Cypress has learned to develop natural protection over thousands of years to insure its ability to thrive in this hostile environment for wood. It's naturally occurring "protection" is called "Cypressene", an oil based substance present in the highest concentrations in Tidewater Red Cypress. It grows mainly down through the Southeast United States in the coastal regions and swamps. Being slow growing it is a dense wood species with growth rings tightly compacted. This is why there is little movement or settlement –it has no where to go. There are inland varieties of cypress, yellow and white, sometimes called pond or bald cypress. Faster growing, they lack the cypressene concentration to give the same moisture, decay and insect resistance.

Photo of Tidewater Red Cypress taken by Clark Wheeler

FACTS ABOUT CYPRESS:

• They are conifers, softwoods, but deciduous, in that they shed foliage in the fall like hardwoods
• Even as softwoods they are grouped and manufactured with hardwoods since they grow alongside them
• Because of water tightness, it is commonly used for: shingles, cooperage, in tanks, vats, ships & boats
• Durability ratings are outstanding even in conditions favorable to decay
• More uses: posts, beams, decks, docking, flooring, greenhouses, siding, stadium seats, and caskets
• "Pecky" cypress grouped as an ornamental wood; it's caused by a fungus but its origin is unknown
• Colors vary, thought to be determined by individual growth area, light to darker versions of yellow to red
• The SCMA (S.Cypress Mfg. Assn.), says," Cypress is in abundant supply, its' growth is greater than removal."
• Unpainted, will last for hundreds of years—does not usually check or warp
• In Hilton Head, SC. It's specified in building codes for its durable nature, architects like the distinctive look
• Little study has been done on its anti-allergenic qualities, but is widely noted throughout the Southeast.
  
  

Why Are The Logs "Graded" ?

HOLDING TO A HIGHER STANDARD

Most log home companies do not grade their logs. So why does BK Cypress ? Logs are not alike, even those of the same wood species. Many variables, age, size, strength, etc. determine the suitably of logs for different uses. It is more time consuming and expensive, no doubt. At this writing, this is one of the few company grading their logs. Why the "extra mile"…? Again, it’s a matter of this family's commitment to a higher standard and value to their customers.

Few prospective customers are timber experts. By using a company who grades their logs you can rest assured that every logs, will meet the stringent criteria set forth by The American Society for Testing and Materials. They developed "Standard Methods for Establishing Stress Grades for Structural Members Used in Log Building" in 1980 to provide uniform product evaluation standards. These standards are used by BK Cypress for grading its logs, timbers, and beams under the supervision of the Timber Products Inspection (T.P.I.), an independent inspection agency for wood products. All three building code agencies recognize this grading program.

All wood inspectors at B K Cypress go through an intense training program directed by T.P.I., and are subjected to monthly unannounced inspections done by a traveling agent of Timber Products Inspection.

GRADING CRITERIA USED:

1.   Slope of the grain

2.   Knots

3.   Shakes, Checks and Splits

4.   Straightness

5.   Scars and Wane

6.   Holes

7.   Organic Degradation

Tide Water Red Cypress

BENEFITS OF LOG GRADING:

DESIGN: Being able to determine the structural capacity of each log, timber or beam allows an engineer architect or draftsperson to properly design the structure based on a national ASTM standard for reliable continuity of strength against typical types of structural failure.

FINANCING: By selecting graded logs, timber and beams, the home owner is telling the lender that they have selected a certified quality log manufacturer that assures quality and strength in the log home.

BUILDING PERMITS: The owner is telling the county permitting office that they selected a certified quality log manufacturer that supplies consistent quality and strength in the log, timber and beam products.
(NOTE THAT MANY COUNTIES NOW HAVE MANDATORY LAWS THAT REQUIRE GRADE MARKED WOOD FOR LOAD-BEARING PURPOSES).

NOTE: It should be said that B K Cypress' own internal quality assurance criteria is superior and always exceeds the standards of T.P.I. significantly.