Discovering that something in your house simply isn’t a standard size is a bit of a tragedy in some respects.  It means there is no easy replacement for that item and you will be stuck trying to customize a standard size or having one built from scratch.  Lucky for us, we have friends with more experience in this arena who were able to point us to Second Use.

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Located in south Seattle, this organization has been reclaiming building materials for over fifteen years.  The boyfriend and I had been intending for weeks to go by and look at a variety of things: light fixtures, doors, and any other little thing that might catch our eye.  it wasn’t until we discovered that our horrifying bathroom door is a custom size that we were really motivated to finally take a trip down there.

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I was immediately in awe and dealing with internal battles to take all of the amazing old materials home with me.  Door knobs, light fixtures, old 1950s desks obviously rescued from schools, toilet tank lids–anything you could think of saving, this place has it.

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Even things you wouldn’t imagine a salvage yard having, like a ‘Drug’ sign or a turn of the century cast iron stove–they have it.

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We were disappointed to find that the light fixtures were still out of our price range.  Our friends who have significantly renovated their West Seattle craftsman reassured us that it’s quite a bit like a thrift store–you have to go back often because they’re constantly getting new stuff.   So even though we only walked away with a replacement for our bathroom door (26.5 inches wide and only $10!), we’ll definitely be back.