Weather it be a fireplace mantle or accent wall or wood on a vaulted ceiling, I’m finding that popular demand is calling for stained wood inside high-end homes. And more specifically, the trend is for cypress inside their homes. Cypress is extremely big right now. We handle a lot of million-dollar homes down in south Walton county, and everyone is trying to get a line on some cypress. It’s very hot.
Pond Cypress v. Bald Cypress
So let’s discuss where the Cypress comes from. In the southeast part of the country, which is where we’re at, there are basically two common varieties of cypress trees. We have pond cypress and we have bald cypress. Both varieties are extremely hardy tress. They are slow growing and prefer wetlands. And they have an expected longevity of over a thousand years. If you leave a cypress tree alone, it’ll grow for a thousand years.
Pond cypress are a little more versatile because they don’t require wetlands. They can be in dry or wet areas. In fact you find a lot of landscapers will use these on high-end homes around ponds, down drain fields, and in irrigation areas. They can they can handle the drought as well as the floods. And that’s where you’ll find pond cypress.
They grow a little bit faster and mature a little quicker. They’re shorter, smaller, and a little bit fuller than their native cousin, the bald cypress – which is the one that I’m most interested in.
The bald cypress grows almost exclusively along rivers and in the swamp. And the bald cypress is known by many different names:
- southern cypress
- red cypress
- white cypress
- yellow cypress
- gulf cypress
- swamp cypress
- bell-bottom cypress
Now, at the moment, I’m sitting on the Satilla River in southern Georgia. And I am surrounded by beautiful cypress trees. As the cypress grows down into the ground, it bells out creating a widening trunk and root “knees.” The root system is extremely complex, and these are very slow growing trees, strong and dense.
Plus these are almost entirely water-resistant or even water proof. This is why most people will use bald cypress for roof shingles or exterior doors or even for exterior siding. Cypress is used as a premium building material in high-end decor and accents almost everywhere in south Walton county. If you want to increase the value of your property or really make it pop, or if you want it to sell quick and have that curb appeal, then you want throw some cypress in there. Bald cypress is very hot right now.
Two Premium Cypress Products
But let’s discuss two specific kinds of bald cypress. There are two specific kinds that my homeowners are calling for right now. The first kind is called deadhead or sinker cypress. This is when a cypress tree falls into the water or dies and the cold water preserves it and knocks off the fat and holds the heart intact. All the sap condenses inside, and the cold water almost petrifies it. It makes it extremely dense, extremely rich, and absolutely gorgeous.
A pure deadhead cypress can sit in the river for a hundred years before it’s pulled out and milled and sent to your home for premium decor or a structural pillar or fire mantle, etc. It’s an ultra premium building material and very classy. If you want to impress your friends, throw some deadhead cypress products in your home.
The other kind is pecky cypress, something that I’m finding is in high demand around here. Pecky cypress is the product of a fungus that develops on the tree bark. It eats through the bark into the actual wood itself creating little caterpillar-shaped cavities. It goes on for tens and even hundreds of years and threatens the life of the tree. It can even kill the tree at times. But when this is milled, it creates an unbelievably beautiful effect in the wood.
If you’re looking for a way to increase the value of your home, blow people away, and help your house sell quicker than your neighbor’s, throw in some cypress for a touch of class.
If you have any questions on how to use cypress in your home, what kind of cypress to use, and where you might put it in your home, please reach out. I love to hear your comments and question. And we’re always happy to help.
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