Bark House Newsletter: February 2008

In Every Issue:
Ask The Experts - Bark Buddies - Product Highlight - Growing Green


Our Newsletter is back and our website is All New. The newsletter will be sent monthly. We hope you find it useful and thought provoking. The four categories listed above will be covered, with different information each time.

The look, function and content of our website has been updated. You will find new photos, product sheets and information that our clients have asked for.

Take a look, and let us know what you think.

We are leading the Bark House Movement because of you. THANKS!


Ask The Experts


We invite you to submit an email and have a Highland Craftsmen expert answer your question.  chris@highlandcraftsmen.com

Q: I have noticed blue grey wood peckers pecking on the side of my bark house. Will they hurt it?
- George in Cashiers

A: It’s likely that you are actually seeing nuthatches. They jam seeds in the crevices of the bark to hold them while they pry them open. This occurs most often if you have bird feeders nearby with sunflower seeds. They will not harm your bark siding, they are just using it as a tool.
- Marty, “The Bark Man”

Click here to Meet The Experts.


Bark Buddies

share the space we live in


“Bark Buddies” is a fun way to increase our awareness of the world around us. Trees, animals, flowers, bugs, sun, people...all share the space we live in. They fill our lives and make them interesting. The Bark House lifestyle invites each of us to breathe in the beauty of our natural world. We invite you to share your discoveries. 

Sandy in Western NC:  I noticed tadpoles in my pond in January. This is odd because when I was a girl, the water in the creek that rushes through my farm would freeze thick enough to walk on in the winter. Our weather is changing, but not my love of watching the animals that live in my pond and creek. 

Tadpoles require water temperaures of between 60-70 degrees F.  Milder weather has caused plant and animal confusion. 
For information on the Impacts of climate change, and to calculate your impact, click here. 
For other information on climate change, click here. It has a neat kid’s site. 
For information on tadpoles, click here.

Email your Bark Buddy Blog to chris@highlandcraftsmen.com. 

Send images if you have them.


Hand Chopped Shingle pre-dates squared edge


Highland Craftsmen now offers a true “hand-chopped” shingle and panel. This siding is out of yellow poplar, same as our original bark shingle siding and offers a natural edge appearance.  Although this product is new for us, it pre-dates Henry Bacon’s squared edge shingle.  Stylistically, it appeals to true rustic sensativites such as log home or barn wood clad homes.
Click here for more information on the “New” Hand Hewn Bark House Shingle.


Growing Green

make more space for parks, not parking spaces


“Greening” is a growing phenomenon. Every company that enters this process should be able to explain and demonstrate how their company’s practices and their community action is green.  We would like to take the opportunity each month in this newsletter to share one way that we are greening.

As stated on our website, proliferating sustainable living is important to us.  Parking is a big issue in our small town.  I will share more later about how HC uses bikes in warmer months to run errands in town. But this is about the fact that there are no bike racks downtown.  We decided to donate a bike rack to the town and see what happens.  We’ll keep you posted.
Click here for more information on how Highland Craftsmen is a company growing green.


In Our Next Issue

an interview with HGTV

We will have details about the Intetnational Builder’s Show including an interview with HGTV.


Quick Links...

Visit Our All New Bark House Website
Learn more about Materials and Products
About Highland Craftsmen Inc.

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