Fun at ReUse Stores

     When remodeling a home we tend to just run over to Lowe's or Home Depot and pick from whatever they have for the job. It is all the same, generic, boring stuff as everyone else is putting in their house. But if you want to be unique and environmentally friendly then reuse or building salvage stores are the place to be. We are lucky enough to have three in the Seattle area and Matt and I have been to them all. They all have interesting and useful things but it can take a bit of digging to find them. But who doesn't love digging through junk?
     Today we went to Second Use is the SODO district, http://www.seconduse.com/ which is where all of the pictures below were taken but there is also Earthwise, http://www.earthwise-salvage.com/ again in the SODO district and the RE store http://re-store.org/ in ballard. There is also a Habitat for Humanity store I hear but I have never been there. All of these places have interesting things at decent prices. Here are some of the treasures I found today.

     Building salvage stores don't usually have the newest, top of the line merchandise. Instead, they have an eclectic mix from who-knows-where. If you need something very specific then they probably don't have it. If you could take one of the granite slabs shown in the picture above and have it cut down to the size you need then a world of possibilities opens up.

     Need a top for you toilet? How about one in yellow? Yup, we've got that!

     Got a use for a cool old heater or two? I think getting two of these and putting a piece of wood on top for a table would be super cool.

      I think I counted three full rows of doors. We got one for our bedroom and a cool black door nob to go along with it. We had to cut it down but it looks great. And much cheaper than buying a new one.

     Vintage glass door nob anyone? Like a hoard of giant diamonds.

      I tried talking Matt into putting these tiles of a chubby kid riding a snail in the bathroom but he wasn't interested. You will certainly not find these at Lowe's!

    Or this one either. Not sure I would want more than one but it could be a cool trivet for hot dishes to be set on. Be creative with what you find.

      If these lockers were not $225 I would put them by my front door. One locker for me, one for Matt and one for the dog's stuff.

      A rather rowdy looking bunch of sinks and toilets. It is like a history of plumbing in this place.

     My personal favorite of the trip. I can't describe very well what we mean when we say we want "French Metro" style for our bathroom but this sink is sooooooo french metro. I secretly want go back, buy it and then hide it from Matt until it is time to redo our bathroom because I know it won't be there when I need it. That is the main thing about these places. There is only one of whatever you see because it came out of some old house so if you like it snatch it up quick!
    I encourage you to take a trip to a building salvage place on your next day off and just root around in all their cool stuff. You might just find the perfect corner sink that you have been looking for.