Appliances
With effort and expertise, salvaged ranges and refrigerators can be returned
to safe operating condition, either with minor touchups if the appliance is already in ( power company- certified) working condition, or with a major overhaul if it’s been sitting in someone’s garage. ( Note that the cost of a full restoration is usually several times the cost of an unrestored appliance.) It’s essential that all wiring, power connections, thermostats, and pilot lights are brought up to code and properly calibrated. A good restorer ( see Resources, p. 102) will take apart gas valves and thermostats on a range, or compressors and condenser coils on a fridge, then clean, inspect, and reassemble or replace the parts. Interior elements including door gaskets, wall panels, and door liners can be updated or replaced with custom elements. Ranges can be converted from solid fuel to propane or natural gas, or from gas to electric, as examples. Similarly, decorative and functional metalwork, knobs, and interior shelving should also get a sensitive brushup. Worn lettering on controls can be repainted, metalwork polished and buffed or professionally replated.
Other salvage dealers stock brand-new fittings along with the salvage, one being Historic Houseparts in Rochester, New York, or they import high-end items including Gallé-style glass chandeliers or complete mahogany and zinc bars from Europe, an example being Architectural Antiques Exchange in Philadelphia.
Many dealers give you the option of buying an item in as-is condition, but others offer refurbishment as a matter of course. Light fixtures, hardware, bath fixtures and fittings, grilles and other metalwork, fancier doors and windows, and smaller items are all candidates for in-house makeovers. Furthermore, some dealers create new work from old parts.
“We’ve made occasional tables with copper and tin tops—beautiful patina— out of old farmhouse boiler pots and tin ceilings,” says Don Short, the preservationist who owns West End Architectural Salvage in Des Moines, Iowa. “We’ve got raw salvaged goods on four floors in our 50,000 sq. ft. warehouse,” he explains, “but we also fabricate. Live-edge slabs from downed trees are popular for dining tables.” Short and his crew assist guests with design, and operate a coffee shop and bar in the store, renting the space for receptions and fundraisers. Today’s dealers are not the salvage yards of old. Before you blow the budget on items that tickle your fancy, take inventory of what’s missing (or beyond saving) in the house. Do a thorough search of attic, basement, and cubbyholes where anything larger than a toaster could be hidden. OHJ readers thus have found 1910 kitchen cabinets, late-19th-century chestnut flooring, 1890s stained-glass windows, pocket doors nailed inside walls, and Arts & Crafts light fixtures gathering dust— stashed away back in the days where no one ever threw out anything of value.
If the house needs extensive restoration and you’ll be working with a designer or architect, try to find one experienced in using historic building materials as part of the work. These pros are often gifted at incorporating “found” period materials such as plumbing fixtures, original doors, and period beams and flooring as part of the restoration. Reusing structural materials or even a bathtub means taking extra care as walls are opened up and old materials are ripped out—a process that requires “forensic demolition.”
Owners and designers are thoughtfully and subtly placing salvaged materials into renovated spaces, and even new construction. It’s possible to have kitchen cabinets built from reclaimed wood, for example, or to transform a freestanding glass cabinet found at auction into a period built-in in a house of a similar era, with adjustments in millimeters rather than inches.
Cast a wide net. Keep in mind that most architectural salvage dealers have a far greater (and changing) inventory than what they show online. Call or email dealers with specific requests. Send pictures of items you seek, especially if looking for multiples, or a missing fitting such as a ceramic cross handle, or specific types of light fixtures, or arcane hardware. “Builder” fittings of the 1920s and later can generally be found anywhere in the United States, but if your home is unique or was built before 1860, regional sources may be a better place to start. Don’t overlook local auctions, a good source for items that were removed from older homes.