Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Reclaiming Our Past
I have always been a big fan of old "stuff". I can remember rummaging around in my Grandparents barns looking for treasures, traipsing through architectural salvage yards for furniture, wood, interesting artifacts and just plain junk.
When I was a kid, I actually spent my Saturday nights watching "This Old House" on PBS. I can remember popping a bowl of popcorn and spending my evening with my parents, my brother, and sometimes our friend across the street, watching weekend long marathons of that program. It amazed me what could be transformed. I had actually planned on becoming an Architect once upon a time, and was accepted into an Architecture program...but for whatever reason, I opted to complete a degree in civil engineering, which led to my first career in water treatment and solid waste management, and now I'm happily involved in the environmental movement, with my kids at my side.
It was during my years at Dalhousie that I met fellow classmate Tom Livingston, a lifelong cabinet-maker and teacher in sustainable housing. For the first time, I met someone with like-minded goals - to renew what already existed. At one time, Tom was involved in a television series with Halifax architect Jennifer Corson that aired on WTN. This program was ahead of it's time by providing do-it-yourselfers great ideas in creating useful items of reused building materials.
Through my work with Nurtured, I've come to meet others who have or plan to incorporate reclaimed building materials in their homes. In fact, Henry Krieger of Turn A New Leaf and one of the suppliers I regularly speak with, has not only built an entire house of reclaimed materials, but their workshop as well. Right down to the nails and screws.
I have also met like-minded people locally, including my friend Jenny-Junebug, whose beautiful four-year-old home filled me with inspiration at their incorporation of reclaimed building materials. Some of their experience follows:
"For as long as I can remember, I've dreamed of living in a 200 year old farmhouse. I love the charm, character and history that older homes have to offer. When my husband and I purchased our property six years ago, I realized this dream would be put on the back burner. We set our sights on building a new home with the intention of incorporating a number of reclaimed and antique materials into the construction.
We were extremely fortunate to stumble upon a set of hand-hewn beams being salvaged from a crumbling barn in the Annapolis Valley. We integrated these beams into our downstairs living space, creating the illusion of an authentic post and beam frame. We even found a use for the "scraps" that were leftover as we used them to construct a sandbox for our two young boys. Reclaimed pine and spruce barn boards grace the floors of our second floor. They were comparable in cost to our new hardwood floors downstairs, but the patina and character they provide are unmatched. These same boards were used to create a counter top in our laundry room. Paired with a refinished cast-iron sink, they too provide an authentic old-fashioned charm. Antique windows were installed on a couple of interior walls in a creative effort to take advantage of natural light. The use of antique hardware, medicine chests and handrails involved very little effort and were comparable in cost to new items. We were fortunate that our contractor was open-minded and willing to assist in our efforts.
Although incorporating reclaimed and salvaged materials into a project often involves a little extra planning, effort and creativity, the benefits are well worth it. This form of reusing and recycling allowed us to take a "greener" approach to certain aspects of our project. In addition, we were able to capture a sense of authentic charm and character into our new home construction. Our adventures and experiences using salvaged materials have been both fun and rewarding!"
And another gem discovered recently in Nova Scotia for those scouring for salvaged architectural details, have a look at Onslow Historic Lumber Co. in Truro.
Happy Hunting!
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