Tag Archives: Cast Iron Plumbing Fixtures

Timber Frame Bath with Salvaged Fixtures

Incorporated into our new timber frame home were salvaged items.   We had hoarded items that we found charming for years, just waiting to place them in our new home.

Timber frames are a natural fit with heavy cast iron bathroom fixtures.   The sinks in both bathrooms are old, as is the kitchen sink, and the bathtub.  They were carefully refinished by John at http://www.southernstatesusa.com .  They feel solid and warm…much like a timber frame.

The sinks sit comfortably on vanities built with salvaged wood taken from old buildings on the site.  The door to one is an old window.  The frame for the mirror is also salvaged wood.  Over the tub hangs an old mirror that has hooks down each side.  What a find from the barn!

Our decorator, friend, negotiator, and peace keeper, Pam Pringle of Pringle & Associates was able to find treasures in the barn.  She knew just what went where and how it would be used in our timber frame home.  Since she owns and has decorated a couple of timber frames, she was the perfect person to guide us.

We had four clawfoot bathtubs in the barn.  David carefully moved them into the yard and I sat in each, selecting the one that fit me best for my “soaking tub”.  Banks and Robin were out and found the four tubs, sitting under a tree, quite the sight.  Banks loves it when people “embrace the mountain lifestyle”.  Well, the other three found homes quickly.  One worked well in someone’s outdoor shower and two more will grace the bathrooms in new timber frames in Georgia.

You’ve got to love saving these wonderful fixtures from the landfill.  Can you say “green building” and “sustainable building”?  That’s what I’m talking about!

So, build what you love, with “stuff” you love.  Just build boldly!

Green Was Easy with This Timber Frame

You know, I think we are all trying a little to hard to make “green building” work.  Today’s building technology, coupled with the age old craft of timber framing, makes being “green” easy.  Timber Frames just lend themselves to being green.

David and I had many of the elements of our timber frame home planned long before we broke ground.  We even designed our green home around some of the “stuff” we loved.

Saving two bath sinks, a great clawfoot bathtub, and an amazing farm sink from the landfill was a beginning.  Reclaiming the tin roof from a chicken house teardown was easy.

Doors…do they really wear out?  We don’t think so.  All the doors in our home, with the exception of one, had earlier lives in homes between 1850 and 1940.  Hinged doors easily became pocket doors and they are charming!

Wood, chestnut and oak, salvaged from teardowns on our property made beautiful cabinetry.  You don’t even have to distress them…it’s there.

Windows can be problematic.  You don’t want to sacrifice the energy efficiency of new windows by reusing old sash windows.  One made a great door for the vanity in the guest bedroom.

Timber frames lend themselves to mirrors with character.  We have old mirrors scattered throughout the house.

So, before you bust the budget and trash the landfill, think a little bit about what you love and how it could be incorporated into your new timber framed home.  We did and we are so pleased.

Old – New Plumbing Fixtures in Timber Frame Homes

For a long time now (a really long time), David and I have been searching for and buying old, cast iron fixtures for our new timber frame.  We found an amazing kitchen farm sink with an apron and drainboard…but it sure is heavy.  We bought a wonderful corner basin for the bath and another old basin and, of course, the clawfoot bathtub.  We saved a little money and kept them out of the landfill.   They have been resurfaced and are in place, waiting for the plumber.

Timber Frame Homes are substantial…like cast iron…and these fixtures just fit well with our new/old home look.  We’ve found faucets that carry the look through and are going make these fixtures feel right at home.

Resurfaced Cast Iron Plumbing Fixtures

Resurfaced Cast Iron Plumbing Fixtures


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