The Ideal Home guide to salvage yards

10 July 2007

Get expert advice and find the best places to go

Whether you are in search of a reclaimed front door or some great vintage pieces, a salvage yard could be the place to pick them up.

Check out our top tips to get the most from your shopping

Research into the period of your house so you come away with pieces that will fit its style. Make use of the dealer's expertise, too.

Use a digital camera to take pictures of existing period features or fittings in your home so you can match styles precisely.

Research the yards before you visit Give them a call or check their website before hand – many sites now display digital pictures of the yard's current stock.

Compare prices between different dealers – prices vary hugely so be prepared to shop around. Remember to take into account any delivery, restoration or installation costs, too.

Be prepared to rummage. Some salvage yards are perfectly neat, tidy and categorised whereas others are a bit more ramshackle. A good pair of gardening gloves can come in handy.

Measure before you buy - don't just go on looks alone.

Take full measurements – as well as considering moveability through doors and stairs.

Be decisive! Remember that the reason people use salvage yards is to get a complete one-off, so buy it when you see it or it could be gone the next time you look.

Negotiate a price. Some yards maybe willing to haggle over the original price.

Get a receipt in case items turn out to not be what you expected or were told.

Look for Salvo Code certified dealers who adhere to rules that mean they will not buy stolen goods, or architectural effects taken from listed or protected buildings.

The Ideal Home salvage yard directory

NORTH ENGLAND

Steptoe's Yard
(01282 813 313)
Contains salvaged materials from demolished buildings - view there online gallery of customers finished projects.

SOUTH ENGLAND

Architectural Treasures (01233 840 004)
One of largest yards in southern England, housing a selection of radiators, fire surrounds and large-scale garden items.

WALES

Gower Reclamation (01792 851 111)
A huge supply of antiques, from the surrounding Welsh churches and chapels.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Wilsons (028 9269 2304)
A large stock of restored lighting as well as beautiful railway sleepers.

SCOTLAND

Glasgow Architectural Salvage (Tel: 0141 958 1113)
Large yard, offering extra services such as paint stripping and radiator testing, and the facility to hold items for up to a week.

MIDLANDS

Neville Griffiths – Rococo Antiques & Interiors (01327 341288)
A great ramshackle yard owned by former BBC Homefront expert Neville Griffiths.

LONDON

Lassco
(020 7394 2103)
World-renowned salvage specialists Lassco store a huge selection of items from complete parquet floors to the entire interior of a Victorian chemist shop, re-built in their showroom at Brunswick House in Vauxhall. They have a specialist reclaimed flooring showroom in Bermondsey and a new site in Oxfordshire.

Specialist Yards

LIGHTING

Trainspotters (Tel: 01453 756 677)
Specialising in 1900–1950s lighting, you'll also find other great treasures such as early Victorian lanterns.

FIREPLACES

Nostalgia (Tel: 0161 477 7706)
This Stockport yard has a huge stock of around 3000 fireplaces, from Georgian through to Victorian and Edwardian.

GARDEN

Wilson Reclamation Services Ltd (Tel: 015395 31498)
There are plenty of garden ornaments, tubs, planters, columns, sundials, and mill wheels for sale at this Cumbrian yard.

VINTAGE ACCESSORIES

Baileys Home & Garden (Tel: 01989 561 931)
A popular mail order company, complete with a yard that you can visit on their Herefordshire farm, Baileys stock anything from apple crates to tin trunks.

GENERAL GUIDE

Salvo
The ultimate online salvage yard user guide includes a worldwide directory, dates for forthcoming demolitions, and information on salvage thefts to look out for.

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