Reclaimed Materials

[Ryan]

I recently got an email from a guy in Copenhagen who had just finished up his new garage space. Interestingly, he focused on using old/aged materials in the construction of h...
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[general gow]

it's a really appropriate post for me right now, as i recently bought a house with a 2 car garage and a 40x60 shop attached to the back of it. it's got lots of modern-ness to it, with the outsides slathered in this dreadful vinyl siding, and the insides heated by radiant heat in the floors, and bright white walls looming up to a 15ft drywalled ceiling finished in the same blinding white. the heat i can live with. the starkness of the white walls and ceiling the vinyl siding, not so much. any plans for a new exterior finish are going to have to wait for a bit, as there are other priorities. but as i putter around the inside, finding just the right place to hang a model A grille, or a poster, or a diagram of 1934 Ford measurments, i wonder how else to fill this place and make it feel like home. it's cool to see what he's done with the old materials and how successful they make the 'new feel old' attempt.

very cool. thanks.

 

[Wallingford]

exactly what I am going for.

 

[StanBo]

I would like to focus on that later with the addition of some neon signs. Good looking workspace.

 

[Thomarann]

Huh. Fake ambiance, Nice.

Marc

 

[rustyfords]

I wasn't trying to capture any "look", but was simply using some free materials for something that seemed like a perfect use.

My first job out of college was teaching high school science and the building I taught in the first year was getting gutted over the summer. The science lab had been installed in the 1930's and was filled with cool old solid oak furniture, including the lab tables. I saw all 4 of these 6 foot square tables sitting in a pile outside the school and asked the principal if I could take one, and he said sure.

I cut the thing right down the middle and had two 6 foot tables that are 3 feet deep, each with a cabinet and 8 drawers. Here's one of them (the other is on another wall in my shop). Other than cutting them in half, they're just as they were when I taught chemistry on them, including the bubble gum stuck underneath and the various "Betty loves Tommy" graffitis here and there....some of it dating back to the 30's I'm sure.

I also have two 5 foot tall oak cabinets that were used to store chemicals and preserved pigs/etc. They still smell like a science lab when you open them up. My wife can't stand the smell, but I like it. When I have friends over to help with my car, they'll open up the cabinets and remark how that reminds them of science lab back in high school.

 

[NUTTSGT]

gotta love reclaimed materials.

 

[rpsurfr]

Nice shop the guy in Sweden created and the other one posted by Rusty Fords is also a peach. Part of the this post thing and site is to peek into others space -great stuff and always some ideas to grab. I never met a garage I did not like. Some I like better- they have cold beer.

 

[Falcon67]

I dunno about "fake" ambience - seems that recycling older material just brings in it's own ambience. I'd use more if I had access to it. Most old houses, garages around here that come down come down with a bull dozer and go right into a giant dumpster. Nobody takes things apart, no "old lumber" stores handy.

 

[rieferman]

In some areas there are deconstruction companies that take apart rather than demolish structures. This allows for materials to be repurposed - often, one of a kind materials.

Anyways, in my opinion, using materials again is not only cool as hell, it can be the "greenest" way to build too as it doesn't feed into the big box / landfill cycle.

 

[Falcon67]

Our little city can only afford to scrap a couple of the trash houses (we have plenty here) a year. When they do, it's *boom* D9 Cat all over it and into the dumpster. Done and gone. No picking around at it - liability concerns I'm sure. There are so many old houses and things around here I imagine there's no market for much used lumber. The Habitat for Humanities recycling center has some used materials, but no lumber. There is no listing in the Yellow Pages for used building materials here. That's stuff for them fancy folks over in Dallas.

 

[David Conwill]

In some areas there are deconstruction companies that take apart rather than demolish structures. This allows for materials to be repurposed - often, one of a kind materials.

Supposedly Habitat for Humanity is supposed to be taking apart all the surplus and obsolete housing stock in Saginaw (Michigan). It’s supposed to be available through their ReStore, though if you go in there it’s mainly ‘60s-‘70s stuff. I’m not sure if that’s because the people taking apart the houses don’t understand that the older stuff is worthwhile, or if it’s a reflection of the buildings they’ve deconstructed so far.

We also have some for-profit architectural salvage places around here. It may be that they’re paying Habitat for Humanity for the good stuff before it gets to the ReStore. That’s fine with me, I don’t mind if a guy wants to make a buck when he’s doing us all a service.

Anyways, in my opinion, using materials again is not only cool as hell, it can be the "greenest" way to build too as it doesn't feed into the big box / landfill cycle.

Amen. When I tell people I’m a historic preservationist, they treat me like some kind of anti-progress nutcase, but I think building deconstruction is a great way to clear an area for redevelopment if and when it’s warranted. It’s the bulldozing big swaths of the city in the vague hope empty land will attract a developer that gets me.

And I think there’s nothing “fake” about the ambiance of a garage built with reclaimed materials. It’s just like a ‘32 Ford built with all reclaimed ‘30s and ‘40s parts - it’s not a real ‘40s hot rod, but there’s nothing fake about it, either.

-Dave

 

[ol55]

I don't know if this is what you mean by reclaimed, but I found these old lights in a junk yard. I bent the "hook" in the conduit and rewired them and had them powder coated. I like using the old stuff when I can find it.
Before........

After..........

I also scrounged this used urinal and sink. Not really old, but the price was right and they work!

As far as reclaimed garages go, I think Nimrod has one of the best I've seen here on the Garage Journal!

 

[autobody]

I bought my house 2 years ago. It has a 3 seperate car garage, with extra space on one side for a work area. I have been buying many items and also got a lot of things from my grandpas things he had kept over the years. I have most of my walls covered, but it is still a work in progress as I try to figure out where to add more signs and things. I will eventually be building a 30x55 garage out back, but I am only 24 so I am trying to save up for that.
Also, if anyone has any unwanted signs or neat things they dont want, I will be glad to take them.

 

[6th Gear]

my neighbor is restoring a house built in 1836. He gives me all the wood they have been pulling out and drops it off in my yard for my next bonfire. It is mostly the original flooring and exterior trim both which are poplar. There's something cool about 170 yr old poplar, especially the rough cut side. I can't burn that! Anything that wasn't black & moldy went into my shed. I have a pole barn going up right now, hopefully I'll have enough old wood to do something cool when it's done.

There's a guy on here with an old garage, I forget his name... It has wood floors I believe, a tattered US flag hanging and an old late 20's/early 30's rod. His shop is a great example of this look. I'll post if I can find it...

 

[6th Gear]

Found a couple good examples...

http://stricht8garage.shutterfly.com/27
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29921

Then I found the garage I was looking for:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3740

check out the flywheel/crank stool!