To discover the true meaning of architectural salvage, one must know the root word, salvage. Salvage is anything rescued, procured, or saved from the wreckage. The name comes from the French word salver meaning “to save.” An item deemed salvage is usually old and sometimes very old, adding to the piece’s value.
It is worth digging through dumps, wreckage, demolition, garage sales, and estate sales to find these worthy pieces for a collector. For a well-seasoned procurer, the place to look is at an architectural salvage market, like Tampa Bay Salvage.
Examples of Architectural Salvage:
Know someone scouting for the perfect piece to add to their home decor, office remodel, or art piece? They will take the time to scour the markets and sales until the ideal part is discovered. Here are examples of things you might find valuable in an architectural salvage market.
Large pieces like a balcony railing, a marble fireplace mantel, or a chandelier rescued from a period home may be added to a restoration home if themed restaurant’s beauty. Gorgeous carved wood doors and ornate headboards, carved statues, sculptures, and stained-glass windows all have their place in a decorator’s vision. Even curios, dressers, and china cabinets can be up-cycled into a work of art. The front or “grill” of an old automobile is a real treasure to find and turn into a bar cart or a neat bench. The joy one receives, knowing they are preserving the piece for generations to come is immeasurable. Saving this large treasure from the trash heap reduces waste.
Small pieces are valuable to the collector as well. One may salvage or restore a bathroom or kitchen faucet to a new beauty. Ceramic tiles with that individual character can add to the décor of a home or an exquisite art project. Old bricks are often added to new ones to add style to the wall or walkway. Filigreed doorknobs and hand-painted drawer pulls paint a vision for a house from long ago years.
The Value of the Salvage:
The value of a find from the salvage market is truly in the artist’s eye or collector procuring the part. You can most of the time purchase one of these items for much less than their brand-new fabricated counterparts. Restoring them adds to the artistic value, if not to the monetary value.
Occasionally you will come across a piece with a particular value. Maybe the part you happen upon is a collector’s item or an antique. You never know what you will find in the markets and estate sales.
Locating Architectural Salvage:
Where do you find the salvage you are looking for? Architectural salvage markets will purchase individual pieces as well as entire buildings set for demolition. That is the best place to begin your hunting process. They have done the work for you in determining a piece of value, and all you will need to do is locate the part in the market.
Other places to search would be estate sales, garage sales, buildings set for destruction, auto part salvage yards, older homes, barns, boatyards, etc.
Architectural Salvage Markets, like Tampa Bay Salvage, collect unique items from old house parts, reclaimed lumber, nautical antiques, vintage plumbing fixtures, and other rare and unusual items.
Know a Great Place to Search?
If you hear of, own, or locate a place coming down you believe to hold treasures for the right collectors, you can do them a favor by notifying the salvage market near you.
Be sure to let the market know the following details:
- The location of the site.
- Who the owner of the property is.
- Date of the destruction, sale, or demo.
It is also of considerable help if you can get photos of the site and items of interest.
With over 20 years of experience in the market, Tampa Bay Salvage is always searching for the unique and the unusual. Contact them with the above information if you find those must-have pieces.
