The Portland Salvage Home Tour happens October 6th. For those of you who can’t make the event in person, we’re featuring a few of the five homes here.

This post is by guest contributor Nancy Ranchel, home décor enthusiast, salvage supporter, and blogger. Her home was featured in Salvage Secrets by Joanne Palmisano. Here, she shares a few stories about the remodeling of a 1902 Victorian.

While house hunting in Portland’s Sellwood neighborhood, Maria and Jim had an epiphany. After bidding on – and not getting– a beautifully remodeled home, Maria realized she did not want an already-perfect house. She wanted to personalize her home – even if that meant putting up with the mess that comes along with remodeling. She wanted the house to be hers. Happily, the couple soon found a bungalow that was the ideal candidate for a makeover.

As they began planning renovations, they called around for bids and got several estimates. But only one contractor, Arciform, suggested they approach their remodel in phases. That was when they had a second epiphany: Tackling the remodel in stages would spread out the budgeting, decision making, and mess over time. It would also allow Maria and Jim to dream big, revise their ideas, and let their tastes evolve.

Maria knew she wanted to use salvage materials in the house. And that meant she wanted Anne DeWolf from Arciform to go shopping with her to select structural items. The pair visited several Portland salvage purveyors, including Rejuvenation, and found pillars, sinks, lights, cabinet doors, and windows.

Columns from Rejuvenation

Sink from Rejuvenation

Phase 1 of the project encompassed remodeling the basement and mudroom, including adding stairs to the second floor. Below are interior and exterior views of the mudroom and its charming balcony.

Exterior view of the mudroom 

Interior view of the mudroom

The balcony over the mudroom was unplanned, but thanks to the flexible remodeling schedule, Maria and Jim were able to add it. Because the mudroom windows did not have to be insulated, they installed salvaged windows, a period-appropriate option.

View into the mudroom

And did you notice the ceiling? It’s made from cabinet doors left over from other projects. The window sashes, mismatched hooks, and cabinet knobs are all from Arciform’s cabinet shop.

Redoing the first floor bathroom was also part of Phase 1.

First floor bath

The sink and lights are salvage and the glass tiles on the lower wall are remnants – and because there was limited quantity of tiles, there was no room for miscalculations or errors during their installation. Luckily, all went according to plan, and the bathroom turned out beautifully.

Maria then experienced a third epiphany: Choosing pieces that match is less important than choosing pieces you love. As you can see from the above photos, Maria and Anne used a wide variety of materials – initially, Maria worried that the mix might not look right together. Anne reassured her that when you bring home things you really love, they will usually work together because they reflect your personal style, which in turn links them to each other – whether or not they match. And of course, if some pieces don’t fit in, you can always save them for the next project! It’s all part of the process – and part of the fun of using salvage.