Los Angeles has one of the most active demolition markets in the country. Between earthquake retrofitting, redevelopment, and the constant churn of commercial real estate, thousands of structures come down every year across the metro area.
What most people don't realize is that buildings constructed before 1960 in Southern California were often framed with old-growth Douglas fir, redwood, and white oak sourced from the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. These species were harvested from forests that no longer exist in their original form.
The lumber in these buildings has qualities that modern wood simply cannot match. Old-growth Douglas fir, for example, can have 30 or more growth rings per inch — modern plantation fir averages 4-6. This density translates to superior strength, stability, and beauty.
At LA Lumber, we've built relationships with demolition contractors throughout Greater Los Angeles. When a significant building comes down, we're often the first call. Our team assesses the lumber on site, and if it meets our standards, we arrange for careful deconstruction rather than demolition.
Deconstruction is the key difference. Instead of a wrecking ball or excavator crushing everything, deconstruction involves carefully taking a building apart in reverse order of construction. It takes longer and costs more, but the lumber recovered is intact and ready for processing.
In the past year alone, we've recovered over 200,000 board feet from LA demolition sites — enough to fill roughly 15 full semi-truck loads. Every one of those boards represents a piece of LA history preserved for future use.
The economics work too. Demolition contractors save on tipping fees at the landfill, we get raw material, and our customers get extraordinary lumber at competitive prices. It's a genuine win-win-win.