Welcome to the website for Architectural Salvage, Inc. of Exeter, New Hampshire. Click on any of the photos below to access our other pages. Build with a Historic Structure Having Heritage Restorations here to put up our barn is a family memory like no other. We are truly blessed to have this barn. The beams and workmanship are remarkable. The whole process was smooth and rewarding. We hope to do it again. The craftsmen at Heritage Restorations were always very pleasant to work with in every aspect of the job. We never had to worry about something not being done in a professional manner. Their work is quality. That's something hard to come by these days. We always knew that the job would be done right and to our utmost satisfaction. We get so many compliments on our structure, thanks to Heritage Restorations. I would and will always recommend them to anyone. Just a note to say how impressed I was with your crew that erected our barn. It was refreshing to see a team of craftsmen work in unison with honor and pride.
Throughout the process every detail was addressed and every question answered with a smile. They certainly exceeded my expectations.There are fixer uppers, and then there are Fixer Uppers. An unkempt property with a rundown cabin and decrepit barn in the ski resort town of Ketchum, Idaho, wasn’t anyone’s idea of a dream home, but interior designer Jennifer Hoey Smith and her husband Cory saw potential in the shabby junkyard aesthetic of the distressed buildings. “The site was close to the river on a nice residential street in town, and it included a barn, historic cabin, smokehouse, shed and chicken coop,” Smith says. Still, taking the financial plunge to purchase the property dictated a tiny budget for renovations—and the couple also happened to be expecting a baby. “When Cory said he’d tackle the majority of the work, I thought, ‘If he’s willing, let’s do it!’” says Smith. “Then we got resourceful.” The couple decided to begin by expanding the 400-square-foot barn after making a fortuitous visit to a building supply thrift store in nearby Hailey.
There they scored five Pella windows for a rock-bottom price. Smith drew up plans for a modest addition that utilized all the windows, increasing the living space to 700 square feet, including two new bedrooms and a bathroom. With energy efficiency in mind, Smith specified structural insulated panels (prefabricated building panels with superior thermal performance, also known as SIPs) for the new construction. The barn’s unsightly exterior had to go, but expensive siding was out of the question. “Cory had noticed some rundown barns near Fairfield, Idaho, and said, ‘What if I go knock on some doors and see if we can buy someone’s unwanted relic?’” “After successfully negotiating to take down a barn, he carefully dismantled the vintage fir boards and sealed them with natural linseed oil. We got our siding for about $800.” Meanwhile, Smith went to work designing the interior space. “I wanted to create a modern barn feel, playing off the juxtaposition of old and new,” she explains.
The original tongue-and-groove ceilings and new drywall were painted bright white to make the space feel larger. A custom sectional maximizes seating space in the main gathering room, with an adjacent dining area pairing transparent polycarbonate chairs with an antique trestle table. In the kitchen, Smith combined reclaimed fir floors with modern stainless-steel appliances and crisp white Ikea cabinets fitted with oil-rubbed bronze hardware from Restoration Hardware. The couple returned to the building supply thrift store and found a steal on a remnant of new 100-percent wool carpeting. They also installed a new roof, energy-efficient appliances and a tankless water heater. “Our building process was very green, and we saved a ton of money along the way,” Smith says. “Someday we’ll tackle the main house and this cottage will become a guest house, but we’re not in any hurry to move. Because of the sweat equity we invested and the creative solutions we employed to meet our budget requirements, this home means a lot more to us and our family.”
The Fixer Upper, it seems, had potential after all; it just needed the right family to recognize its well-hidden charm. SUSTAINABLE DESIGN ON A DIME “We consciously tried to make green building decisions,” says Smith. “It helped our budget initially, and we’ll also save money over time in reduced energy bills.” Here, she offers helpful tips for creating an eco-friendly design for less: SHOPPING Building supply thrift stores, such as those operated by charities like Habitat for Humanity, can be gold mines for perfectly usable used or remnant materials at deeply discounted prices. APPLIANCES ENERGY STAR-rated appliances help reduce future energy expenses and are often no more expensive than standard models. EFFICIENCY Structural insulated panels (SIPS) are energy efficient because of their airtight, insulated core and can reduce construction labor costs because they are prefabricated at the factory. design Simple design lends itself to do-it-yourself construction, like the open kitchen shelving Cory Smith built and installed.
WATER A tankless water heater provides on-demand hot water, takes up less space and uses less energy than a conventional water heater. REPURPOSE Be creative about repurposing materials. When the Smiths needed exterior siding, Cory knocked on doors and offered to demolish old barns until he found a taker. The fir hardwood flooring is also reclaimed wood. CABINETRY HARDWARE Deluth Pull and Knob by Restoration Hardware SECTIONAL Custom design by Jennifer Hoey Interior Design, EXTERIOR SIDING Reclaimed fir from old barn in Fairfield, ID Find inspiration at the new BMC Design Center in Austin Texas. Homeowners in A-T-X expect a selection of product, finish, and design options that deliver style as well as innovation, and BMC Design delivers. Express your personal style with BMC Design. BMC and Stock Building Supply combined under the single brand name “BMC” to serve our customers even better. The rebranding rollout is expected complete by the end of 2017.