THE Tucker family have always been ahead of the game.
Back in 1994, long before environmental buzzwords such as 'sustainability' were fashionable, Kevin Tucker was not just talking about it - he was getting it done.
It might not be as trendy as renewable energy or cutting carbon emissions, but the salvage industry is a crucial part of a sustainable economy, and the business founded in the mid-1990s is today leading the way.
His son Paul took over the Adelaide & Rural Salvage empire in 2003, sourcing material from across the country to place at their 2.5-hectare hub in Wingfield.
Recycled timber is the main money spinner, but a range of other materials are also given a new lease of life, from steel fence posts to porcelain sinks.
Most of their product used to come from demolition companies, but these days Mr Tucker said they were often contacted directly by property owners.
"We send guys out specifically to get stuff and take it out with care - if demolition companies do it themselves they more often than not trash it, so it is in our best interests to send guys out," he said.
"People get in touch with us and say they have a house to strip out, so we go in and say yes or no, and do everything we can.
"Doors, windows, floorboards - flooring we lift correctly so we don't damage the tongue and grooves - we take it back, tidy it up and it is ready for sale."
According to Mr Tucker, many clients are doing up old villas, bungalows or farmhouses, adding on extensions and looking for the same timber used on the original property.
"The problem is some of the extensions are bigger than the original houses, so it might take us two or three old houses to get somebody enough flooring to do their extension," he said.
To source material, Adelaide & Rural Salvage's 15 employees have to roam far and wide.
Within SA, they had stripped sites clean from Port Lincoln in the west to Mount Gambier in the east, and even as far north as Leigh Creek.
The country is not just a place to source product - Mr Tucker says plenty of his clients hail from rural areas.
"Country people, they like a yarn - and every piece we sell is a piece of history," he said.
"We've pulled timber from abattoirs, jetties, wharves, and hardwood from one of the smelters in Whyalla, which is coated in iron ore."
Mr Tucker was adamant that recycled wood was not just better in terms of the environment and character, but in many cases the quality was superior to brand new.
"With secondhand products it is what it is," he said.
"It is not going to turn around or curl up on you, it is not going to bow like new material can.
"It is cured and stable - you buy new timber these days and it can do anything."
Like his father, Mr Tucker has kept ahead of the game, and made sure his business capitalised on future trends before they happened.
When the movement to refurbish pubs picked up steam last decade, Adelaide & Rural Salvage supplied much of the rustic materials used to tart them up, and did the same for wineries when they transformed from places of production to places to visit.
No surprise then that Mr Tucker is providing the building blocks for Adelaide's exploding small bar scene, helping fit out fashionable nightspots such as Udaberri and Peel Street Restaurant.
* Full report in Stock Journal, November 13, 2014 issue.