Squeezing between a full size dumpster and a prickly wooden fence may sound easy, but try doing it with several sheets of 4 x 8 plywood in your hands, and it becomes a whole new challenge.

Knowledgeable, dependable, delivery is available to Siewers contract customers. Here are the individuals who will take care of your order. Front Row: Thaddeus “Shorty” Claiborne, Lee Meacham, Derricott White; Back Row: Tim Green, Don Allison, Johnny Herring Jr., Brian Burns, Joe Grove, and J.J. Talley. Not shown: James Taylor.

“That’s nothing,” says Joe Grove of Siewers’ delivery team. Although Joe has been a helper in the delivery area for only two years, he has been with Siewers since the Oregon Hill days and knows that without careful attention as it goes on and off the truck, expensive millwork and beautiful custom doors can be ruined.

Weather is always a factor that the Siewers team considers. If it’s raining, or if a customer has indicated a possible delay, materials are often covered with a .4 mil plastic sheeting—there’s a roll of plastic in every truck.

Conscientious is the word most often associated with the drivers and helpers. Why? Because they are often the last people associated with Siewers that a customer remembers before he or she uses the material. “We expect our guys to be courteous and friendly at the job sites,” says Richie Siewers. “We also depend on the guys to use their good judgement in sorting and unloading the materials.”

“You listen to the radio and use common sense,” says J.J. Talley, who has been driving for Siewers since 1984.

The fleet of single-axle pickups, double-axle twelve and sixteen foot flatbed trucks, and a panel van is coordinated by Lee Meacham, who handles all the scheduling of the deliveries. A multi-talented man, Lee routes orders for efficient delivery, dispatches the drivers (with appropriate maps if needed), logs and cross-checks all deliveries, and spends hours on the phone with customers. And if a driver runs into any problems, such as a locked construction site, he’s on the phone to—you guessed it—Lee.

Deliveries start early at Siewers—drivers are on their way by 7:40 a.m. Each “run” consists of 2-5 customer tickets, and the four teams are often in and out of the store several times a day. Each driver logs his mileage, and the helpers—from James on the fork lift to Derricott loading sheetrock—are there to be sure the goods are unloaded quickly and efficiently. If a large load is needed and the site warrants it, a “dump” load can be arranged, but drivers have to be careful not to damage the goods. “Sometimes, it’s just easier and better for the customer to unload it by hand,” says Don Allison, who holds a commercial driver’s license.

“Everyone wants to know when their materials will arrive,” says Meacham. The phones are especially busy on Fridays when contractors are lining up orders for Monday morning deliveries, and Meacham must ensure that all the pieces are in place for the process to run smoothly. Handled with care, your material will be the top priority for these fine men who make up the Siewers delivery team.

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Energy experts often recommend “tightening up” your house before winter. Thanks to modern technology in the building industry, there are new options that will save you money and time around the house.

Replacement windows, such as the Tilt-pac® by Marvin, allow a do-it-yourself replacement of double-hung windows and sashes. The work is done from inside the room without removing plaster, siding, or outside trim—only interior trim. Usually, the process takes about 45 minutes to an hour per window; however, the key for success is accurate measurements. Tilt-pac® windows are also available in various colors of aluminum clad for easy care.

On the outside of the house, brick moulding and drip caps are now available in PVC (poly vinyl chloride). Facia, corniceboards, and 5 /4 x 4 through 5/4 x 12 corner boards are also available. The PVC products are painted and cut similar to wood panels used in many colonial style homes.

Porch railings are now being replaced with vinyl products such as the Evernew rail by CertainTeed. Traditional and contemporary pickets are available, as well as top rails and posts. Already routed, the pieces go together fairly quickly and will not rot, splinter, peel, or crack. Mounting hardware is available for both wood and concrete surfaces.

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• 1/3 c. detergent (such as Tide)
• 2/3 c. Trisodium Phosphate (such as Soilax)
• 1 qt. 5% Sodium Hypochlorite (such as Clorox)
• 3 qts. water

Employee anniversaries this quarter (10 or more years at Siewers):

Don Allison	16 years
Billy Harris	28 years
Lee Meacham	13 years
Mark Smith	17 years
J.J. Talley	14 years
Derricott White	25 years
Bob Williams	10 years

Thank you for your hard work!

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Hardwoods. Exotic woods. When would you ever need these products? And why do they cost so much more?

Supply and demand is the main factor behind price. Woods like teak and rosewood will not grow in North America, and for years, were used for furniture making. Due to a changing political climate, as well as a greater awareness of the environment, fewer countries are exporting these exotics, which has driven the price up considerably over the last few years.

Mahogany is another prized material often used by cabinet makers. At Siewers, we carry both Honduras Mahogany and Philippine Mahogany in random widths.

Bubinga, Purple Heart, and Zebrawood have colorful names. As with many other exotics and hardwoods, the color of the wood runs throughout the product, which leads to a deeper, more beautiful finish than could be achieved through staining or surface coloration.

In our area, hardwoods such as cherry, maple, walnut, hickory, ash, and birch are more commonly used in high-end cabinet making and trim. Red and white oak are usually used for hardwood flooring, although you will occasionally see stair treads, pickets, or other trim in these materials.

If you have a custom design project, call Siewers or come by to discuss combining our beautiful exotic and domestic woods with your vision. Together, we can create lasting beauty!

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Since Siewers is known for having a custom millwork shop, occasionally we get an unusual project. In June, the APVA was building an addition to the Yeardley House on historic Jamestown Island. Part of the addition was a second floor deck built with exposed 8 x 8 joints and two 6 x 14 beams. The joists were 22 feet long, and the ends had to be worked to a shape that echoed the lines of the medallion blocks on the house. The beams were 25 feet long, and one needed a large 5 inch wide ovolo worked lengthwise along one edge.

The beams and joists were too big and the cuts were too deep to handle safely on our largest and most powerful woodworking equipment, so we had to scale down to using both electric hand tools and manual tools. We used techniques similar to those practiced by the craftsmen of the seventeenth century to cut the radius on the ovolo. Other tools included a hatchet, a circular saw, a sculptor’s gouge and a mini grinder.

When we were finished, we had a hand work look with specifications that satisfied the architect’s design—and an experience we won’t forget!

—written by Nick Pollock of the Siewers Mill

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3/8 x 4 x 8 Plybead looks like beaded tongue and groove ceiling; it’s a great choice for restoration projects that need a deep bead like the original paneling and ceiling of years ago.

Siewers now has prehung 6 panel Elite hollowcore doors, available in 2/0, 2/6, 2/8, and 3/0 sizes. Steel door units are also in stock in the 6 panel and 9 light/2 panel designs.

Cypress lumber is gaining strength in Richmond, and we have a wide selection (1x4, 1x6, 1x8, 2x4, 2x6, 2x8, and 2x10 in various lengths). It’s been used for years as an alternative to cedar in the western part of the U.S. and abroad, and is now becoming more popular for outdoor projects on the east coast. If you have a column base, flowerbox, or pool surround project in your future, try using cypress wood.

After numerous requests, Siewers now has an oak handrail, commonly referred to as #6010 traditional rail, available in lengths up to 16 feet.

78 million Americans who were born between 1946 and 1964 will start turning 50 in 1996, and they won’t stop for two decades. In 2001, a boomer will turn 50 every 6.8 seconds—a great incentive for remodelers.

—from the NARI Web Site

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With a constant focus on vinyl replacement products, customers ask if we are going out of the wood business. Here are some interesting facts about wood:

• American landowners plant more than two billion trees every year in addition to the millions that seed naturally.
• For every ton of wood grown, a young forest produces 1.07 tons of oxygen and absorbs 1.47 tons of carbon dioxide.
• Each year 27% more timber is grown than is harvested.

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