It seems that we get at least one phone call or email per day asking if we buy old windows. Aurora Mills purchases as many windows as we can, but unfortunately so many people are replacing their old windows that we cannot possibly rescue all of them from the landfill. The sad part is that many of the windows don’t even need to be taken out; they just need some simple retrofits and repairs. By doing those simple repairs homeowners can retain the original character of their homes, still add energy efficiency, and save money. The payback in energy savings is, at a minimum, 50 years, but more along the 100 year mark. Check out this link for more details, but we haven’t seen any…
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Aurora Mills Hits the Small Screen
Last night Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage came to primetime — on NBC’s Grimm! The much anticipated show is shot and set in Portland, Oregon and many of their furnishings came directly from our inventory. If you tuned in this week (which you should continue to do, at 9 p.m. on Fridays), we hope that you were able to spot some of our pieces. Take a look at some of these screen shots, which feature Aurora Mills here and there: On the day of the premier the Oregonian featured Aurora Mills in its top television story. Read about it here. Let us know if you’re hooked on Grimm already and if you’ve been able to spot some of our contributions!
Reclaimed Wood Coffee Table
Sometimes customers come to Aurora Mills looking for specific resources to complete a vision. On Saturday we met Rob, a visitor who was looking for some reclaimed barn wood to build a coffee table. We were happy to be able to help him out. Here is what Rob said about his project: “I bought some wood from you guys yesterday to make a coffee table. I had a welder build the frame, I aged the steel and then used your wood for the top. It turned out perfect. – Rob” He was also kind enough to include some incredible images of the final product. Get your own! If you are interested…
Restoring a caboose
Here at Aurora Mills we love to see how people use our unique items. Gary Groce turned his passion for the railroad into an amazing project restoring an old caboose. Gary purchased two railroad lamps for Aurora Mills for his project and rewired them so they could be used again. Check of these photos of the caboose before and after all of his hard work. It is impressive!
Customer Projects: Joe’s 1900 Farmhouse
Way back in the warm days of summer, Joe contacted us on our availability of hand hewn beams for his kitchen project. He is an engineer by day and an old house remodeler by night. He is working on restoring his 1900s farm house and chronicles his progress in his blog, 1900 Farmhouse. He recently sent us this email: “I bought some old timbers from you guys back in the summer and when you asked what I was going to do with them, you said you’d be interested in seeing some pictures. I have a blog that I use to follow my remodel progress and I just posted on what I did with your hand hewn timbers.” I’m very happy with how it turned out….
John Labovitz’s House Truck
It is raining. Nothing new but my family is already planning our camping trips for the summer. That is nothing new either since my daughters will swim in even the coldest temperatures at Waldo Lake. Camping didn’t come easy for me. I grew up in East L.A. – Montebello to be exact and didn’t go on my first camping trip until I was twenty-four. I packed all the essentials. I had my toothbrush, hiking boots, hair dryer and flat iron. Later I also had my shame as I was ridiculed for trying to find the outlets in the outhouse. I’ve grown to love camping when it is warm and sunny. I love waking up at sunrise and sitting on the banks of Waldo Lake, watching…
Cody Schuster and Dustin Crooks of Imagestone 1: Deck and Sauna Project Using Reclaimed Cast Iron Tubs
Earlier this summer I met Cody Schuster and Dustin Crooks, two guys looking for two tubs for a construction project they were doing for two people. It all sounds fairly normal for a day’s work at Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage, maybe even fun – like a scavenger hunt since we have many,many tubs. The catch (because there always is one) the tubs needed to be identical twins, in great condition, didn’t need feet and needed to fit a budget. We worked really hard to find Cody and Dustin the tubs they needed for their clients and their project looks great! Thanks so much you two for coming by our store and especially for sharing your pictures with all of us. I truly had a lot…
Guest Blog Post from Kerin Gale of ‘Remnants of Olde’
Yesterday I posted a blog about listening to strangers. Not the ones your parents told you to never talk to but the chance meeting stranger that sparks and idea within you. Well Kerin Gale, one of the artist I mentioned, wrote a wonderful blog about her side of the story, art and Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage. Please take a look. And THANK YOU Kerin for your kind words! This is Kerin’s Blog but please visit her website. It is filled with beautiful art and interesting information. I want to share with you about a dear sweet lady, Louise, that I met while on the way back from Portland in October. Louise has what I consider a dream job. She is surrounded by the most fantastic…
Being Inspired by Strangers
There are times a complete stranger can walk into your life and end up making a huge impact. This summer Sarah (Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage’s newest employee for those of you who may not have met her yet) and I met two very energetic women named Tory Brokenshire and Dayna Collins. These two local artist that had us laughing at everything. They were looking for materials for their assembly art and Tory showed us some pictures of the kind of work she does – incredible and whimsical characters made from scraps that she finds. Later this past summer I also had the opportunity to meet Kerin Gale. She has the most amazing Steampunk style art and jewelry that I have seen. When I met her…
Customers Bill & Sarah Lorenze add vintage charm to their Palisade Homes
I have heard a few customers over the years say they love the items we carry but alas, live in a newly constructed home that just wont mix with our items from yester-year. What I try to remind people is that even our grandparents would have had some modern items from the day mixed with their own grandparent’s treasures from the past. People simply didn’t discard the way we do today so most homes wern’t one pure style but a blend. Bill and Sarah Lorenze know all about blending to create a comfortable home. They are owners Palisade Homes and are adding their special touch to one of their neighborhoods in West Linn. The article below was written by Nicole DeCosta and was printed in both the Lake…