Blog Articles

In the heart of Lismore, a hidden gem has undergone a stunning transformation that is turning heads and capturing hearts. La Baracca Espresso Bar & Trattoria, a local favourite, has recently undergone a custom renovation orchestrated by the talented team at Joel Jensen Constructions, and the results are nothing short of breathtaking.
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Joel Jensen Constructions has left an indelible mark on La Baracca, infusing the space with a rustic charm that seamlessly blends contemporary design with a touch of nostalgia. The standout feature of this renovation? Rough sawn railway sleeper panels that adorn the premises, creating a visual spectacle that beckons locals and visitors alike.

The use of rough sawn railway sleeper panels throughout the establishment. These panels not only add a unique and distinctive character to the space but also serve as a nod to the industrial heritage of the area. The raw, textured wood brings warmth and authenticity, transforming La Baracca into a haven that feels both inviting and stylish.

One can't help but marvel at the careful craftsmanship and attention to detail evident in every corner of La Baracca. The rough sawn railway sleeper panels, with their weathered appearance, tell a story of their own. They evoke a sense of history and permanence, creating an atmosphere that transcends time.

Whether you're a local looking for a familiar spot to enjoy a leisurely meal or a traveler passing through Lismore, La Baracca Espresso Bar & Trattoria beckons with its revamped aesthetic. The ambiance created is a testament to the power of thoughtful design and how it can elevate a dining experience.
As you step into La Baracca, you'll find yourself surrounded by an atmosphere that seamlessly marries modern sophistication with rustic allure. The rough sawn railway sleeper panels serve as a unifying element, creating a cohesive design that is as visually appealing as it is comfortable.
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The success of this renovation lies not just in the choice of materials but also in the visionary approach. Their ability to reimagine a space and breathe new life into it is commendable. La Baracca is now more than a place to grab a meal or a drink; it's an experience—an embodiment of artistry and craftsmanship.

If you find yourself in Lismore, don't miss the opportunity to experience the charm of La Baracca Espresso Bar & Trattoria. Indulge in a delightful meal or savor a beverage in a setting that is a true testament to the transformative power of design. The space that not only meets but exceeds expectations, leaving an enduring impression on all who have the pleasure of stepping through its doors. ​

In the picturesque landscape of Jindabyne, where natural beauty abounds, a local builder has set a remarkable example of sustainable living. Jindabyne Homes, known for their commitment to eco-conscious construction, recently crafted a stunning exterior cladded home that showcases the beauty of recycled timber with wire-brushed railway sides, courtesy of the Northern Rivers Recycled Timbe..

Sustainable Building in a Natural Wonderland
Jindabyne, nestled in the Snowy Mountains, is renowned for its pristine landscapes. Residents here understand the importance of preserving this natural beauty while creating homes that reflect the region's unique character. Jindabyne Homes embodies this ethos; their latest project is a testament to their dedication.

The Timber Tale: Northern Rivers Recycled Timber's Wire Brushed Railway Sides
The heart of this project lies in the choice of materials. Jindabyne Homes collaborated with Northern Rivers Recycled Timber, a business known for sourcing and repurposing timber that might otherwise go to waste. However, what sets this project apart is the use of wire-brushed railway sides, part of their modular wall system's range, which adds a unique texture and character to the recycled timber.

The Beauty of Recycled Timber with Wire Brushed Sides
The use of recycled and wire brushed railway sleeper sides in the cladding of the home adds a touch of rustic charm and warmth that's truly captivating. The wire brushing process highlights the natural grain and patterns of the timber, making each piece not only environmentally friendly but also a work of art.

Eco-Friendly Construction at Its Best
Jindabyne Homes' project showcases the aesthetics of recycled timber with wire-brushed sides and its functionality. This timber is known for its durability, making it an ideal choice for exterior cladding that must withstand the elements, including Jindabyne's snowy winters.

A Home That Speaks of Sustainability
This eco-conscious endeavour results in a stunning exterior-cladded home that effortlessly blends with the surrounding natural beauty. It's not just a house; it's a statement about the power of sustainable building practices in creating homes that are as kind to the environment as they are beautiful.

Conclusion
Jindabyne Homes has once again set a standard for sustainable construction in our beloved region. Their use of recycled timber with wire-brushed sides from Northern Rivers Recycled Timber demonstrates that homes can be elegant and eco-friendly. In a place where the environment is treasured, this project serves as a shining example of how thoughtful choices in construction materials can make a significant impact. It's a reminder that, in Jindabyne, we're not just building homes but crafting legacies that respect and celebrate the natural world around us.

We are delighted to extend our heartfelt congratulations to South Coast Constructions for their remarkable achievement at the Australian Housing Awards. The esteemed company has been honoured as the national award winners for the HIA CSR Australian Display Home. This prestigious recognition is a testament to their dedication and expertise in creating exceptional homes that push the boundaries of design and innovation.

At Northern Rivers Recycled Timbers, we feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to collaborate with South Coast Constructions and contribute one of our most sought-after products to their award-winning display home. The captivating entrance pathway and stunning deck of the display home showcase our exquisite railway sleeper decking, adding a touch of rustic charm and sustainable elegance to the overall design.

"The Ashton," the winning display home, embodies a modern Scandinavian barn style with outstanding features that emphasize energy efficiency. Nestled in the picturesque seaside town of Port Elliot, South Australia, this expansive single-level layout captivates with its striking exterior and spacious design.

The recognition received during the 2023 HIA-CSR Australian Housing Awards ceremony on Hamilton Island is a testament to the exceptional craftsmanship and attention to detail displayed by South Coast Constructions. The award was sponsored by Clipsal by Schneider Electric. Although the display home is no longer open to the public, South Coast Constructions encourage those who missed the opportunity to experience "The Ashton" firsthand to catch a glimpse of its remarkable exterior from the outside, conveniently located off Brickyard Road, Chiton, opposite Mitre 10.

As a provider of recycled timber products, we take great pride in contributing to sustainable building practices. We firmly believe in the value of repurposing materials to reduce environmental impact, and we are delighted to have been associated with the award-winning project by South Coast Constructions. Our collaboration is a testament to the importance of incorporating recycled materials into modern designs, enhancing both the aesthetic appeal and sustainability of residential construction.

The HIA-CSR Australian Housing Awards are a prestigious platform that celebrates excellence in Australia's residential building industry. Graham Wolfe, the Managing Director of HIA, acknowledges the outstanding achievements of industry professionals and their commitment to delivering quality craftsmanship, innovative design, and exceptional homes. 

We are grateful for the opportunity to work with South Coast Constructions and be associated with their award-winning success. We remain committed to providing sustainable and high-quality recycled timber products to the construction industry, continuing our mission to create environmentally conscious living spaces that inspire and endure.
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Our beautiful decking made from recycled railway sleepers makes this unique floating eco pod a stand-out in innovative design.

The iconic eco pod has been constructed entirely from natural materials, with the stand-out feature being the railway sleeper decking made from 100% recycled Australian hardwoods. It has captured the attention of many, including published articles in Green Getaways, Design Building Expo, South Australia, and Homes Au. 
 
Our recycled railway sleeper decking has a huge scope for creativity and individualistic design and is a unique and stylish addition to any property, especially when featured in such standout properties such as Bill's Boathouse on the picturesque Murray River, it becomes even more remarkable.
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The accommodation is utterly different to anything else, with “being green” at the forefront of the design from the moment you enter. It blends its rustic charm perfectly with its natural surroundings. What sets it apart is the wrap-around timber deck made from our recycled sleeper, not only does it look fantastic, but it offers sensational views down the river.​

When it comes to designing a modern man cave, creativity is key. Man Caves have become much more than an old basement or garage.  Think of a place where you can play loud music, have jam sessions, play pool and video games as well as stamp your design with features that say, this is me! 
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A well-designed man cave creates an inviting area of fun and relaxation for everyone - not just the men; it's a retreat space or sanctuary that people will gravitate towards in your home. They are very unique and individual spaces and a way for you to represent yourself through not only decore but design too.
 
Imagine having a feature wall made entirely of reclaimed wood or beautiful recycled timber flooring that adds warmth and texture to that room in your home, or stunning recycled timber decking boards and cladding that creates a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor spaces.

​When planning your construction projects, for work, home or leisure environments, the reasons for incorporating reclaimed or recycled timber over freshly harvested wood are tenfold.

The quality and character found in reclaimed timbers surpass those of new timbers, resulting in eye catching finishes that have the wow factor and become a talking point for their sustainability, astounding durability, and pre-seasoned aesthetics.​

Where does our recycled timber come from?
Logging from old-growth forests is fortunately now a thing of the past, but using these beautiful timbers is not. It’s fascinating how many lives some of our products have had. Not only have our recycled timbers come from already decades-old structures, but the timbers initially used to construct them would have come from potentially century-old trees. These woods have a higher density, making them firmer, sturdier, and more durable. New-growth lumber can be comparatively softer and weaker.

 Australian Hardwoods
All of our sourced lumber is Australian, most of which is recycled hardwood. The different species we can find include Australian hardwoods from Red Ironbark, Blackbutt, Spotted Gum, Yellow Stringybark, Tallowwood and many more. We source our timber predominately from demolished structures, such as houses and buildings and the salvage of railway sleepers and transoms.

Our reclaimed range
We specialise in milling these timbers at our Northern Rivers sawmill, located at Casino. Turning the decades old timbers into a range of tangible products that cater to local and nationwide commercial and residential markets. These stunning timbers are transformed into a range of our innovative products, including feature walls, flooring, decking and deck tiles.

Our ply-backed panels have successfully turned traditional building materials into a functional system that architects, and designers can confidently use knowing what the exact result will look like. Shopfitters and builders love how quickly they can install them with minimum onsite labour and DIY mums and dads can achieve great results without the need for tradies. Our finishes include rough-sawn, wire brushed, dressed, stained, whitewashed, choc-washed and raw. The range of finishes allows our products to have a versatility and flexibility to fit in with a wide range of design options.

​Choose To Reuse
With thousands of tonnes of timber per year going to landfill, we are promoting a cleaner and greener environment for the future. Choosing recycled timber keeps landfill from increasing and helps to create a circular economy in the timber and building industry. All of our timbers are sorted and assessed at our Casino sawmill, for their suitability as cladding, flooring, or decking, the metals are removed and the timber then begins its new life. We then get the thrill of seeing them featured in many high-profile projects nationwide.

Waste Reduction
​Our focus on waste reduction has led to some of our most popular products coming about as a by-product of others. Our owner Claudia Mitchell has said, 

“The outside face of a sleeper was initially thought to be unusable but we have found that it works great on a wall as a decorative cladding and it is now one of our most sought-after products. We are constantly striving for innovative ways to make the most use of this incredible resource.”

​Our 2 and 3 board Artisan panels can also be mixed and matched to create a thrown together visual look. The appearance of all our styles can be left uncoated / unsealed or altered by applying oil, wax, sealer or emulsion which will all change the appearance of the wood.
 
Step 2: Work Out How Many Panels You Need.
 
First, find your square metres area of coverage for you feature wall by multiplying the width and length of the space. Then divide this number by 0.432 to work out how many panels you will need.
 
Make sure you allow enough for wastage for cuts. We generally recommend 5%, but areas with more cuts may require more. This step will save you coming up short due to the cuts of the panels from the ends of your space.

​Lastly, remember to round up to the next full panel. Here’s an example:

1. The wall size is 4.4 metres wide by 3.1m high = so 13.64 m2 area coverage.
2. Divided by 0.432 = we need 31.57 panels for this space.
3. Add 5% for waste = 33.15 panels.
4. Round up to full panel = 34 panels needed for this project.
 
​Step 3: Install Your Recycled Timber Feature Wall!
Each panel comes in a set size of 2.4 metres by 180mm. Featuring staggered joins and an overlapping lip system to hide fixings, the end product is easy DIY project that looks great finished. The ply backing is a dark black so that any holes from railway spikes or nails are look filled. The system also includes cover strips for edgings if needed to cover joins on the tops and edges. While the panels may look heavy and bulky, they are lightweight and easily installable by 1 person.

To install them, always start at the bottom, left hand corner of your wall. Simply screw through the exposed ply lip on the top of the panel into the studs on your wall and continue to the end of the first row. Cut the last board to fit and always start the next row with the off-cut from the previous row. The next board stacks on top and hides your screws.
 
And that’s it! A beautiful recycled timber feature wall installed in your home or building. The easy DIY process means you can add a rustic feature to your design by yourself in no time. Get in touch to get started on your DIY wood feature wall today.

This feature wall was put up with no tradie skills and just basic tools and look at the result!

Josh and Trish picked up these panels, swung by Bunnings for a saw and were tucked up by bedtime in their new and awesome bedroom.

This barn wood style wall is made from our Brushed Pipeline Panels.

For more information including pricing and gallery photos, visit our Modular Walls page

Daniel and Christy form Crystal Homes picked up these panels from our warehouse and sent me these photos 3 hrs later. I'm not sure which is more impressive, their entrance way or their super speedy work!

These are our sleeper panels, whitewashed and wire brushed.

To to see how they work and see the the rest of our range, take a look at our Modular Walls page.

LOOK LOOK LOOK how well this turned out! The combo of our recycled modular walls and Haley's gorgeous design is a perfect match.
The shop - Mind Over Manor - offers a refreshing collection of rustic & urban, lifestyle & homeware products to Camden Village and beyond. Stocking pieces that celebrate design, quality and sustainability where possible with something for everyone, ladies, gents, children & babies!

Product: Rough Sawn (skip-sanded) Sleeper Panels

See our whole range at http://www.northernriverstimber.com.au/modular-wall-systems.html

A great looking deck tile job at RMYC BB - if you're on the northern beaches, it's a great spot for a glass of wine, great views and a good spot to see our tiles in the flesh!

Alan has used our Railway Sleeper Decking to create this gorgeous boardwalk bridge over his pond.
These boards are our "weatherd edge" sleepers and have been milled to a 1200 x 50mm board. See how well they give that earthy, grounded look! An excellent example of how a new product can look like it's been there forever. Love your work, Alan! 

Here's how simple an office fix-er up-er can be!
Less than $500 and an an hour's work. Love it!

A bit of imagination goes a long way...
Uwe has transformed this nothing area into an elegant and inviting outdoor room on the Northern beaches.

Product: Weathered edge recycled railway sleeper cladding

We don't usually think to post where the timber that makes our products comes from but a few people have asked me lately, so here are some photos of a batch we picked up last week.

This particular load of timber comes from a huge chicken farm on 160 acres near Richmond that's being redeveloped. We pick it up and take it to our mill just south of Casino.

From there, the boards are de-nailed and passed through metal detectors. 
The faces of the boards are then sliced off and if they are suitable, become feature wall panels or architectural screening boards or sometimes even decking.

The rest of the board is then sawn into floorboard or decking board sizes and moisture tested.

When required, the boards are kiln dried to Australian standards.
They then pass through our moulders, giving them a tongue and groove or a pencil round decking profile and usually colour graded into reds or creams.

It's then packed, strapped and shipped all over the country!

Claude's super warehouse kitchen shelves were made with skip dressed railway sleepers. With the professionals on the oiling job, they came up a treat!!

Product: skip dressed railway sleeper boards - 204x30x2400mm, oiled with a basic Cabbots decking oil.

Mick from Think Outside Gardens used railway sleeper decking boards to transform this gorgeous courtyard in Fairlight.
(Have a look at his website at his other work - I just did and it's stunning!)

A few month's later and Marina's garden's complimenting the deck perfectly!

Stay tuned - more pics coming soon.

Product: Railway Sleeper Decking - 200 x 25 x 2400mm

A great new coffee bar called "Charlotte's Little Sister" has just opened at Harris Farm Manly. Joel's used our weathered edge recycled railway sleepers to line the bar, the display shelves and a great barn style door. I was there on Sunday and it looks fantastic!

Product: Weathered edge recycled railway sleeper cladding

Danish designer Stefan has used our railway sleeper floorboards to build the counter and shelves in the refurbished Illawong Hotel.

He's used a combination of boards with and without the railway spike holes and has chosen to use all cream tones. Looking good Stefan! 

Product: Recycled railway sleeper tongue and groove floorboards. 190 x 25mm

Ashley, not being a carpenter, has done a spectacular job of laying his own deck. Look how fantastic the recycled reds decking boards look!

Work still in progress..

Product: Recycled Reds Decking - 85 x 19mm "run of the mill" grade.

Erich's just opened a great new Schnitzel Haus on Argyle St in Camden. He's used our weathered edge railway sleeper cladding and it looks amazing!!
I can't wait to go and try his schnitzel and take some pics myself!
Thank Erich and good luck!

Product: Weathered edge railway sleeper cladding (210 x 20 x 2400mm)

their farmhouse style deck. Building it themselves in their free time, they're not quite there, but well on the way!!
Product: Recycled reds 85 x 19mm "run of the mill" decking.