Restore your Silver Lake home with parts from Silver Lake Architectural Salvage
A lot of people find themselves buying fixer-uppers these days. Many short sale listings and bank owned REO properties can be in major disrepair at the time of sale. There are alot of craftsman and California bungalow homes in Silver Lake, and Echo Park. If you'd like help locating one, click here to search for Silver Lake properties. Chances are if you buy one in a distressed sale, it's going to be needing some help.
If you are a lover of old architecture, do not despair. Sure, you can spend a fortune for brand new (read, "expensive") reproductions of doors and windows, or you can pick up the real Mc Coy, add your own elbow grease and end up with the real thing as it was originally built!
People throw away all kinds of things. When it comes to architectural salvage, one man's junks is definitely another man's treasure. There are places where you can find all kinds of architectural pieces to restore your craftsman, Victorian or California bungalow back to its original beauty. One such place can be found right here in Silver Lake.
Silver Lake Architectural Salvage, owned and operated by Bruce Baken and Alan Teman, opened in 2005. You'll find it just South of Sunset Blvd at 1065 Manzanita Street. You can't miss the yard full of all kinds of doors, windows and miscellaneous old building parts. Step inside the big white building for a huge selection of old built-ins, stained glass windows, light fixtures, claw foot tubs, sinks, and all kinds of odds and ends you thought were irreplaceable.
You can get sash weight for your double hung windows, old door knobs, cabinet hardware, door moldings, and hinges- you name it, they have it! On my last visit I was stunned to see a completely restored stove that was probably originally built in the 20's. It was magnificent! Can you tell I have a thing for old architecture and appliances?!
My husband has been restoring some double hung windows for a 1920's- built Spanish building. We did the same thing on our Silver Lake property years ago but had to hunt all over Pasadena and East L.A. for parts. He was thrilled to walk into Silver Lake Architectural Salavage and be able to find sash pulleys by the handful and even 5 perfectly sized window sashes at the incredible price of $5 each! Yes, there's will be stripping, sanding and painting ahead, but how wonderful to have original, beautiful working windows in place once again. They're not kidding when they say "The don't make ‘em like they used to"!
New stock arrives at the store every single day so if they don't have what you are looking for the first time you go, keep checking back and eventually they probably will. You can ask the owners to notify you if something becomes available. If you're anything like me, after visiting Silver Lake Salvage once, you'll find yourself returning again and again.
For more information on Silver Lake, Los Feliz, Echo Park and surrounding areas, contact Jenny Durling at 213-215-4758 or check out LApropertySolutions.com
Broker Associate
Keller Williams Realty, Los Feliz
213-215-4758
http://www.LApropertySolutions.com
Jenny, aren't you right on top of things, getting your post up so quickly! I'm making calls today to set up interviews with local business owners. Silver Lake Architectural Salvage looks like the kind of place I would frequent, if only I were in CA. Excellent review!
Jenny - This sounds like a great place. I will have to do some investigating to see if we have a salvage place like this in New England. That would be a gold mine in this area with all the historic homes we have in this area. Very nice post.
Dear Jenny,
I LOVE these places. I know I am a bit of an architecture nut, but I really love old homes because they really don't build them like that anymore. These homes were built to last, and these salvaged parts are a testament to how well they were crafted. Thanks for sharing this gem and I only wish it was closer to my home. There is a place like this in Houston, but sadly the one in Austin closed a few years ago.
;)
Kathryn- Actually, I was really just too late to post it for the previous challenge! I tend to blog and work on my site at night. In order for my posts to qualify I have to get them up before 10pm my time, and that's tough for me. I may have to start writing in the morning instead so I don't keep missing the deadline. LOL!
Judy- I bet there's something like this around where you live and you just haven't found it yet. It's funny how I discovered so many of these salvage yards once I'd bought and old property and had to actually go out and find things for it. Pasadena actually has a number of these places, probably due to the large number of old craftsman homes and all the local residents that want to bring them back to their glory.
Betina- I love old architecture too! We bought a 1926 Spanish duplex, then 5 years later moved into a 1912 craftsman. I guess next it will have to be a Victorian?! It kills me to see what some people do to these old homes by putting in vinyl windows and tearing out built-ins. I have found some really cool pieces to be picked up by the trash collectors when I've been out for a walk. Now I know to call one of the salvage yards to go pick it up before it hits the land fill! I'm glad to see there's a movement towards saving and restoring them now rather than trying to convert them to something more "modern! Sorry you lost your local shop- maybe someone will open another one if there's a market for it.
Good Job Jenny, looks like a great company that look after the detailed work.
Thanks! I heard from a previous buyer-client of mine via facebook that she got a front door there for $75 and was thrilled. I hadn't even posted a link to the blog on facebook, only mentioned I'd just written about Silver Lake Salvage!