A Reclaimed Family Room and Basement Addition

Our new "old" family room

One of the fun things about being an artist with a husband who loves to salvage/rescue building materials is building something with all the beautiful old materials!  About a year ago, we took on the daunting task of putting a two story addition on our home. The two stories were to be our family room and our basement beneath that.  The job of project manager, general contractor and designer fell to me, myself and I. At least we didn't have to do all the construction ourselves. Trust me, it never would've happened that way!

The project swallowed up eight months of our lives, but the end result was well worth it.  If I had hired a designer,  I would not have the same satisfaction when I sit in those rooms and look around me.  If we had not used reclaimed materials,we would not feel the same kind of pride in knowing that we are saving those beautiful building materials from wasting in already overflowing landfills.  If we had not used salvaged materials, we wouldn't have the same beauty and unique character in those living spaces.  

Hand hewn beams support the ceiling and roof.

I'm here to tell you that you, too, can achieve your own reclaimed design when you build by using salvaged materials!  Get inspired by our project and others and find a good builder who doesn't mind working with old materials. When you find a gem like that you are really lucky!

I'd be happy to answer any questions you have...  I'd love to hear your feedback and comments, too!

Our new "old" basement has stone walls that are part of the original foundation of our house, a door made from reclaimed wood with antique strap hinges, and a salvaged stone step.  This picture shows a bunch of paint chips on the wall.  I ended up leaving it white with a stucco type finish that looks like old plaster walls.

 In the bathroom, we used reclaimed subway tile, trim, beadboard, an historic door we used as a pocket door due to lack of space, and the cabinet is even made out of reclaimed wood.

The bathroom as it looked almost done, with salvaged subway tiles, beadboard, and earth clay walls I paintstakingly finished.

The door has original crackled finish.  This is the beadboard before I painted it white.  I almost left it chippy, but decided I wanted a cleaner look.

Even the table on which our TV sits is made from salvaged wood and an old iron base.