Sourcing genuine vintage fittings for period home renovations
When you are renovating a vintage home, the transformation isn't quite complete unless you can make sure the fittings and fixtures in each room match. There is a range of great reproductions on the market but they don't have the same patina of age and wear as a used piece, which can make them stand out in a renovation. Here are some ways to source genuine vintage home fittings.
Scour Gumtree and other online auction sites
One great source of unusual fittings is online classifieds. Many ads are placed when shops go out of business or when people are clearing out old workshops and factories and find old stock on the floor. This can be a good way to find a selection of unusual fitting if you want to replace a large house worth of power points, for example. Some homeowners will also advertise when they are doing their own renovations and looking to modernise a home, in order to offset the cost of their own renovations.
Speak to demolition companies
Demolition companies will look to sell as much as of the contents of a building before demolition, to save on landfill costs and maximise their profit. If there are some other suburbs with similarly aged homes being demolished, it can be worth driving through the area and checking the demolition companies being used, then contact them directly to let them know which types of items you are looking for. They can often let you know if there are any properties of the right vintage that you can review.
Chat to your builder
Your builder can often have some great connections in the industry and may be able to source the type of items that you want. Be sure to discuss the project and show them the exact items that you are looking for. They will often be looking for items for other projects as well, or have some memories of where they have sourced similar pieces for other projects. This knowledge, relationships with suppliers and memories of past projects can be just as valuable as their technical skills when doing a period renovation.
If you are looking to source some genuine vintage fittings for your period home renovation, it can be a good idea to dedicate some time to exploring different options. While it can take more time to source vintage fittings, it can be a beautiful addition to a house to have items that have the patina and charm that comes with age and history.
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