🔒South Portland builder incorporates salvaged wood with a history

Builder Ryan Deane occupies a relatively small niche in the construction industry, in that he creates homes and other structures that incorporate salvaged wood he’s rescued from barns and buildings destined for demolition. Mainebiz learned about Deane from his recent take-down of a 200-year-old barn at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth. Maine Audubon is redeveloping the site and replacing a barn that was beyond repair. We visited Deane earlier this month at his 1,500-square-foot workshop in South Portland. It was a rare afternoon to find Deane in town. These days he’s frequently out on Long Island, in Casco Bay, building a cottage for a client who appreciates wood with a heritage.

Standing among piles of reclaimed boards, doors, windows and antique trim pieces, Deane described the project, which he’s building almost entirely solo, by choice. “I’m very hands‑on, so most projects are run and built by me,” Deane said. “Depending on the job, I’ll bring in trusted subcontractors in addition to trades like electrical, plumbing or specialized finishes, but I stay directly involved from initial design conversations through the final walk-through, so clients always know who’s on their job.” The Long Island build is roughly 1,100 square feet. "Though small in square footage," Deane said, "it will be abundant in character-weaving reclaimed material throughout the house. The flooring, stair treads and coffered beams in the kitchen ceiling will all be salvaged wood, along with a custom bathroom vanity and a few accent walls.

“Using reclaimed lumber at those touch points gives the cottage character and a uniqueness right away — people see and feel the history in the wood — while the underlying structure and systems are all brand‑new.” Deane is 49 and has worked in construction for more than two decades. He started salvaging and repurposing wood about 20 years ago. “It was pretty much happenstance,” he explained. “I answered a Craigslist post from a family in Harpswell who needed an old farm removed, and I went in hoping I could save enough material to build myself a small cabin, something I had been interested in for as long as I can remember. “I had just 30 days to remove the entire farmhouse, barn and all the connecting structures. To be honest, at the time I had no idea what I had signed up for. “What changed everything was the steady stream of people who stopped by while we were working. Neighbors and folks who had history with the farm came to share stories, buy a board or a beam, or just take home a small piece to remember a place that meant a lot to them. “I went there thinking I’d leave with some lumber for a cabin and ended up leaving with a new business — and a real appreciation for how old material holds the stories and lived experiences of the people who built, lived, worked, gathered and even departed there over a couple of hundred years.” That experience culminated in Deane Design & Build, his small company dedicated to detail‑driven projects focused on building small footprint cabins, cottages and now ADU’s. “I really enjoy building smaller‑footprint custom homes,” Deane said. “When the square footage is modest, every detail matters, and that’s where reclaimed material really shines.” Over time, he’s also supplied a number of restaurants and commercial spaces with reclaimed wood for their buildouts. “I still get a kick out of walking into an establishment in say, the Old Port, and recognizing a board or a beam that I feel like I remember handling years ago,” Deane said.

The Audubon barn take-down

“The barn was carefully taken apart rather than demolished,” Deane explains. “We stripped it by hand down to the frame, then used a manlift and a crane to safely handle the larger beams, some up to 45 feet long.

“The material has been given a second life in a lot of different applications. Some of the barn sheathing is being milled into flooring for the Long Island build, those 45‑foot beams will become exposed decorative beams in a renovation of an estate in Freeport, and handfuls of beams have already found their new ‘forever homes’ above fireplaces in homes across Maine." These days Deane’s work is more focused on new construction — he takes on a few projects every year — than on dismantling old structures, but he has a good-sized stockpile and sees a growing interest in repurposed wood. “There are always customers seeking out builds that are unique and one-of-a-kind; that incorporate a mix of natural materials and textures including reclaimed wood,” Deane said. “The demand for smaller, carefully thought-out dwellings such as the new ADU market is increasing steadily.” “Weaving in salvaged wood from barns and structures around Maine adds a warmth and richness to spaces that you just can’t buy off the shelf.”