Day 279 – Joys of a 1917’s Craftsman House

You got to spend hours wandering around reclaimed hardware stores looking for something to keep the house close to original.

Not that I’m complaining. I enjoy getting ideas of what should be upgraded or replaced next.  For example, the fucking idiots we bought the house from replaced most of the hardware on the built-ins with cheesy ass yellowish brass nobs and pulls.  The hinges are one color of brass, the rest is just….well….wrong regardless of the age of the house.  So wandering around the place today gave me an idea of how much of a financial hit we would take if I fixed it.  (It’s low on the to-do list now.) 

My aim was to find a skeleton key for our bedroom door.  I found the box of skeleton keys…..each one totally unique ….and there were about 100 of them.  I realized at that point that I was fucked, and wishing I had pulled the lock out of the door and brought it with me.  Upon the advice of the repair person, I bought the 5 generic skeleton keys they reproduced.  New is returnable; used is not.  I’ll be returning all of them tomorrow.  None worked.  I do have an idea though – of what we can do.  Replace the locking mechanism in the door.  They sell reproductions for $25 – with the key. 

During my wanderings of this place, I found two things we have in our house that are more valuable than I thought.  The first is this:

There is our exact medicine cabinet we have in our bathroom.  Ours is in better shape.  They go for between $250-300 here. 


A wooden register cover – in the floor – probably for a cold air return in the old oil furnace days. We have one in our dining room and one in our bedroom that needs to get removed. Guess I should look to sell them when I do. They were going for about $75-90 a piece.

Maybe I should look at what it would take to reclaim hardware from old houses before remodels.  Hmmm….I’d get to use tools and take things apart – both things I like to do.  Might be an idea to look into.

5 Comments Add yours

  1. Sorry the keys didn’t work.

    One day this country will realize that everything old sux! New hawtness is the r0xorZ!

  2. I love old skelton keys I have a bunch….

  3. Just me... says:

    One of my favorite gifts ever was a keychain made from old skeleton keys!! I got one several years ago and have been giving them as house-warming gifts ever since!!!

  4. garbonzo says:

    You could probably hit garage sales and such and find a lot of that stuff. Remember, that is how we found our table and chairs.

    You could start your own online business… Like selling pornographic comics and hot wheels!

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