The Governor of Salvage

The Richmond area has a plethora of salvage yards - a plus for those of us trying to renovate old homes. Last year we had some luck finding a door for an opening between two bedrooms in which the original door had been removed - at Caravati's. There were several doors to choose from and they made it so easy for us by taking the door to the paint stripper. After it had been stripped, and without too much trouble, Harry was able to hang the door so that the kids and the house guests at Thanksgiving had some privacy. Caravati's was also the source of a load of heart pine that the floor people needed when patching some bad spots during the first stage of the renovation.

Fast forward to the next project needing an old door. The laundry room, which in its previous life was a bunk room and before that a trunk room, had a very ugly hollow door, installed, I imagine when some previous owner removed the door with the transom (gasp) and installed the bunks.

Above is the bunk room as it looked when we purchased Haven.
In this shot you can see the hollow door still hanging after the room became our laundry room.

So, off we went, back to Caravati's, in search of a nicer door. The dimensions were funky so we weren't too hopeful. And, sure enough, no luck was had in finding the door.

I had read on another local blog, http://darlingoctopus.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/salvage-yard-heaven/, about Governor's Salvage.

Words nor photos can accurately describe this place. Have you seen the t.v. show Hoarders? I can't really watch it as I'm fearful that I'm one tube of paint or roll of fabric from starring in an episode. Anyway, hoarding is a compulsive issue in which a person continues to obtain belongings and is unable to get rid of useless items. Even the most useless items that most people would describe as junk, is unable to be thrown away for the fear that it would be needed in the future. Well, in this case, it was moved out to a yard and has become a business. Very smart.


Wouldn't you try to sell one rusty bathtub before acquiring another? Maybe they all have different charms, I'm not sure as I didn't climb up to inspect further.
This old iron scrap is pretty.
Lots of statues scattered hither and yon.
Love all the old stained glass windows. I wondered about their previous lives.
Does anyone need an old wagon wheel? Might make a cool coffee table. Harry needs a metal shop. I'm a sucker for anything with a bird on it. But I was trying to stay focused.


Ah, finally, the doors. Eureka, we found several that would work and wound up with a 15 light door that didn't need more than a good sanding and a couple of coats of Benjamin Moore White Dove. We decided to go with a 15 light door so that the noise from the machines would stay inside the room but the light from the window could come through to the very dark back hallway. Harry is working on the base trim and I'm trying to decide what sort of storage to put above the counter and machines.


I like this look from Crown Point cabinetry. I wish I had a sink in there.



In my dreams I'm doing laundry and sewing at the same time with that gorgeous thread. Hah.

I need a trip to Ikea to check out their kitchen cabinets. Anyone have any suggestions?

Happy Laundering!!