A cross between a home improvement center and an antique store, architectural salvage shop are cavernous warehouses sell used, or “pre-owned,” house parts, from french doors and ornate mantelpieces to like-new commercial-grade appliances.
Discover what you need at one of these emporiums and you’ll spend just 25% to 50% as much as you would to buy the equivalent items new – if you could find comparable craftsmanship. The trick is distinguishing between the old stuff that’s made with higher-quality materials and workmanship than today’s products and the stuff that is truly, well, junk.
There are two breeds of salvage yard. Some operate like high-end collectibles stores with only hand-picked prewar products – and lofty prices (you’ll find those listed at bmra.org). And then there are nonprofit recycling centers, which carry materials from any era, including contemporary gear like Jacuzzi tubs and the water heaters needed to fill them. It’s in the latter kind of shops – many of which call themselves ReStores – that you can hunt up truly unbelievable deals. To find nonprofit centers in your area, go to habitat.org and redo.org.
