What if we designed a building like a tree, and a city like a forest? This is the question that prompted the founders of The Bark House to bring sustainable forestry practices to new heights by making use of bark as an eco-friendly building material. You may not have heard of bark siding, shingles, or wall coverings, but bark is actually an incredibly durable, sustainable, and gorgeous alternative to other wood products. Think about it — bark’s main function is protecting trees from fire, insects, and other elements. It really is the perfect material to protect our homes, naturally. And with manufacturers like The Bark House, you’ll find that bark is not only one of the most innovative and sustainable wood products, but it can be extremely beautiful and make a statement unlike any other!

The Bark House: Sustainable Bark Siding, Rustic Wall Paneling, and Modern 3D Textures

The Bark House handcrafts stunning wall coverings for interior and exterior design solutions. Made from recycled tree bark, these products express the company’s rich heritage of artisanal craftsmanship and form an authentic connection between nature, individuals, and the built environment.  They truly make a legacy statement.

The designers at The Bark House strive to create products with an impeccable balance between new and old: innovative, relevant, refined, and timeless all at once. The Bark House’s 3D panels, bark shingles, siding, veneer laminates, live edge slabs, and fences aren’t just stunning, they’re incredibly long-lasting. Exterior poplar siding, for example, is built to last 80 years with zero maintenance — no painting, no staining, and no sealing, ever.

The company founders are stalwart purveyors of quality, ensuring the Bark House brand is the industry mark of distinction. And the Bark House team is fully committed to delivering only the best, so that every touch point is an exceptional experience for you. The Bark House looks forward to many more years of striving for positive social and environmental impact while continuing to hand-craft the finest architectural products for eco-conscious clients worldwide.

Quality and Sustainability:

The Bark House Marks of Distinction

The Bark House’s highest-quality standard is built upon three key elements:  process, product, and purpose.  At the culmination of these elements, fine craftsmanship is uniquely combined with certified sustainable manufacturing processes.

While The Bark House’s richly textured wall coverings adorn a selection of America’s most sought after real-estate, the core purpose of the company involves more than creating beautiful buildings; it’s about building community beautifully. The Bark House is proud of their 25-year history of creating this niche bark industry. Every product sold is originally designed and crafted by The Bark House, so you can expect the utmost quality and craftsmanship.

Local Sourcing

The Bark House is proud to offer products that are completely U.S. made and locally-sourced. Each Bark House product is manufactured in the company’s home city of Spruce Pine. 95% of materials are sourced within a 100 mile radius, and the remaining 5% of materials are within a 1,000 mile radius. This is one of the best parts of The Bark House: they place just as much emphasis on supporting the U.S. building economy as they place on sustainability and quality. There’s nothing quite like a sustainable, durable, and beautiful American-made product, and The Bark House proves it.

Sustainable Manufacturing

Sustainable manufacturing takes into account every aspect of operations. It begins with verifying that every single material that goes into a product is sustainable and each input is safe. It accounts for energy and water usage as well as social equity in the community. Finally, it supports cradle to cradle life cycles. These are the ways in which sustainable manufacturing upholds the balance of a people-planet-prosperity model.

The Bark House recognizes the complexities of proper sustainable manufacturing. Because of this, they offer third party certifications that audit, verify, and certify that they’re a company to be trusted — one that’s truly worth your investment.

Certified Green

Third-party certifications as well as acknowledgment from peers prove that The Bark House stands by their word.  Bark House is proud to have earned the only Cradle to Cradle Platinum Product Certification for siding. This third-party certification verifies the company’s commitment to providing sustainable products that are safe for humans, the environment, and future life on Earth.

Read more about The Bark House’s green certifications here.

The Bark House: Strategy and Method

William McDonough, founder of Cradle to Cradle, talks about People, Planet, Prosperity as expressed by The Bark House strategy and method.
Highland Craftsmen Inc. has earned a rare spot on the B Corp Best for the World list, which recognizes companies that create the most impact for a better world – both for their community and for the environment. The Bark House’s methodology celebrates pure nature, and they take pride in knowing that what they do has a minimal impact on the environment.  The Bark House brand verifies authenticity and contributes to making the world a better place by:

  • Honoring the environment through thoughtful management, procurement, and refinement
  • Honoring people by maintaining a proud heritage of quality workmanship
  • Building prosperity in their community

Regenerative Business

The Regenerative Business Alliance is comprised of 200 individuals who have worked with the principles, concepts and methods of regeneration for a collective six decades on three continents. Alliance members work primarily in, for, or with businesses, growing the capability to foster large-scale regenerative systems change. The Bark House is a 2017 Regenerative Business Prize honoree. Read the press release about this honor.

Visit The Bark House for more information about their bark siding and innovative and sustainable wood products.