Rick's Hardware

Buy an old house, shop for old house parts.  What grande dame isn't bereft a bauble: brass window lift, niggling bullet catch, or push button plate? 

Rick's Hardware at 4382 Lankershim Blvd in North Hollywood/Toluca Lake (91602), boasts a diverse inventory of door and window hardware, latches and catches.  

The narrow, densely packed shop manages to remain clean and discernible, unlike some larger salvage operations, though items aren't necessarily ordered by era or style.

Rick's caters largely to the film production community, with corresponding hours of operation:

Monday - Thursday 8 am -  4 pm, Friday 8 am - 2 pm.

Tel 818-508-7948

rickshardware@aol.com 

William Stout Books

Fittingly, William Stout Architectural Books is located in an 1850's office building in San Francisco's first official Historic District, that rare downtown collection of 1906 earthquake and fire survivors Jackson Square, a excessively charming enclave, filled mostly with antiquities dealers, shadowed by the leviathans of the Financial District. An enormous selection of titles devoted to architecture, design, the decorative arts, fine arts, and urban planning. Tomes technical and artistic, new and used, with architect monographs and some offerings published in-house.

I pocketed several local interest titles before seeking lunchtime pasta in nearby North Beach.

William Stout Architecture Books
804 Montgomery Street
S.F., CA 94133
415-391-6757
M-Sat 10 - 5:30
TH 10 - 9
www.stoutbooks.com

Casa de Meo

Antique addict Jim De Meo has opened a shop, Casa de Meo, in Silverlake.

Jim's period of concentration is early twentieth century, from Art Nouveau to Monterrey, with plenty in between.

Jim's current inventory is especially strong in Spanish Revival era light fixtures.

Casa de Meo
2876 Rowena Ave (corner of Rowena & W. Silverlake Blvd.)
Tu- Sat 11 - 7
Sun 1 - 5
(on Mondays, Jim buys like crazy)
323-660-9922
www.casademeo.com

E-Bay

E-bay is a great source for old house parts. Metal hardware, light fixtures, even stained glass windows are regularly listed and can sometimes be had for modest sums. Search keywords like vintage, antique, or Victorian, will regularly generate items, and many old housenicks run a battery of searches weekly. One enthusiast enters six different iterations of the keyword Handel, including misspellings.

If you bid regularly, or focus narrowly, you may develop an e-bay rivalry. One neighbor's pursuit of Carnival glass shades wrought frequent bidding wars with a username Gottahaveit43.
I routinely face a battery of rivals in my pursuit of Victorian sanitary magnificence including Plumbher, Vintageplumbing, and Sinkorswim.

Many frequent bidders use Auction Sniper, a service whereby a predetermined bid is entered seconds shy. There's a vigorish of course, typically 1% of the winning total.

Dodgy types lurk, so many buyers deal only with those sellers who've high feedback totals. In one supposed case, a bogus dealer posted photos of deluxe items taken on a house tour.

Getting outbid on one-of-a-kind articles can be a slight bummer, but nothing compared to the conferee of damaged goods. No matter the insulating properties of cardboard, stryafoam peanuts, or bubble wrap, the sickly rattle of inadequately swaddled glass, pulverized terra cotta, or severed porcelain quills, is insuperable.

Sometimes I feel a bit like a looter, raiding depressed steel towns, divesting the Piedmont South, and the architectural carcass of everyslum USA. Once, guiltily, I asked a seller in Detroit, from whence an item had come. "Palo Alto," he responded, "I had a dotcom venture in the late '90's."

Of course there's also Craig's List.......

Sharing on a Monday

Taken a week ago in the Rockler (Pasadena) parking lot. Suitably inspired (by nature, or more probably the prospect of a close), I proceeded to buy a Jet contractor's saw. My old table saw, a rickety Skil, and a gift of "Gentleman" Jim Dugan, hadn't survived the last and lengthy rip session. I bought a roller stand as well, to help cart in and out of the garage. (I like to work beneath the Sycamore tree.) The saw comes with a Biesemeyer knock-off, the first good fence I've ever owned. That'll be a pleasure, doing without c-clamps to hold the fence in place, or adding tape to keep even from end to end. Next, I've got to clear a space in the garage and put the thing together. What'll get finished first, the house or the workshop?

John White Sewer Line Video

John White Sewer Line Video

Using a push rod fiber optic camera, drains are probed, recorded on video.

When a property lacks a proper "clean-out", or a direct drain access, inspectors often have to enter through a roof vent, or by removing a toilet.

Most of the sewer lines I've inspected were an amalgamation of ABS plastic, cast iron, and clay. Rarely I see copper drains, a material usually reserved for supply lines.

Sometimes the inspection not only seeks to ascertain the condition of the pipe, but to prove a city sewer connection. While I've only encountered a single property without a sewer connection, many properties have no sewer connection permit on file (there isn't a connection permit requirement). This permitting detail is usually revealed in the Los Angeles City Residential Property Records Report, also called the 9A.


Operators also utilize a Locator, which can pinpoint the snake's progress and depth. Locations are marked with fluorescent paint or small flags.

On my beat, most drains exit the rear of homes, possibly towards an early septic, and then turn 90 degrees toward a driveway or sideyard, along which they travel to the street. Some continue through rear yards away from the street, en route to an alley connection.

The John White people record to DVD, adding narration, a guide through a watery world that sometimes includes insect life. Great fun for the kids!

The service costs around $300.00.

Crown City Hardware

Crown City Hardware is located at 1047 N. Allen in Pasadena (a mile North of the Allen exit on the 210 freeway).

Crown City specializes in quality reproduction and decorative hardware, though there are antique items in the store as well.

The customer service, at the back hardware counter, is knowledgeable and resourceful. Crown City issues an extensive hardware catalog (the latest edition is 432 pages), which can be viewed online at www.crowncity.com.

It's a great place to look for unusual hardware items like picture hooks, corner guards, or screen hangers.

Open 7 am to 7 pm Monday - Friday , 8:30 am - 5:30 pm Sa

Anderson Plywood

Anderson Plywood in Culver City is my favorite place to buy plywood, and cabinet building aids, fasteners and adhesives.

They carry an astonishing assortment of plywood (plyboo, anyone?), lumber (oak, fir, maple, alder, ash, pine, etc), manufactured boards (like melanine, MDF, Sound board, etc), and veneer.


Four times a year, the store hosts a used tool swap meet in the parking lot. The next is scheduled for the third Saturday in November.

Anderson will work off cut lists, and trim pieces to your exact specifications with little wait.


Also nearby, at 11266 Washington Place is Anderson Moldings, a great place to check for basic and stock mouldings.

Anderson Plywood
4020 Sepulveda Blvd.
Culver City
310-397-8227

Concrete Countertops

In an effort to finish my kitchen before the next millenium, I asked Seth Ernsdorf to fabricate countertops of tinted concrete.

My original countertops I suspect were wood, later tiled over, and badly sagging by which time I came along, compromised by grout-less fissures. Unable to reuse the original materials, I installed plywood atop the cabinets as a stop gap measure, whilst we debated the universe of countertop choices. Ultimately we opted, impressed by Seth's craftsmanship, to carry the spirit of the tinted concrete on the porch, into the kitchen.

The concrete tops (1 and 1/4" thick) are reinforced with rebar, polypropalene fibers, water reducer and admixture. The concrete is sealed with a food-safe penetrating sealer and finished with a topical curing sealer. The wet mix was pigmented to our color specifications, and Seth included three color passes. Our counters also included a backsplash, sink cut-out, drop-skirt, eased corners, and holes for a wall mount faucet. The total countertop square footage was about 35, and the job, including painless installation, ran around four thousand dollars.

For more information and other examples visit Seth (and his right-hand man Ivan) at www.ernsdorfdesign.com, or call him at 323-377-6965.

Baltimore Salvage

Naturally when I was in D.C., I had to slip off to Baltimore, to check out the architectural salvage. There's a lot of good architectural salvage in Baltimore--though according to some--most comes out of D.C..
Second Chance, Inc., a non profit, operates five warehouses along Warner Street, with over 100,000 square feet to explore. I picked up these porcelain brackets there, amongst the largest and most unique I've ever seen.





A few blocks away, Housewerks (1415 Bayard St.) operates in a former gas works. A little more boutique-y, Housewerks showcases industrial and large scale items, as well as simple house parts. I snapped up a subway tile tissue holder there.






My wife suggested recently that I take a short vacation, "maybe to the mountains or up the coast..."
"Or to Buffalo", I interjected.
"Because there's salvage, " she asked
"I've always wanted to go the Albright-Knox."
"And there's salvage?"
"A park system designed by the Olmsteads."
"And salvage."
"I could stay at the Roycroft Inn."
"Salvage?"
"Wellll, there is a guy with some sinks in Niagara."

Buying Mission Furniture Part One

Buying a period house is only a start for some. Filling it with period furniture comes next. Personally, I'm smitten for good Mission style furniture and Arts & Crafts era accessories.

I've bought and traded dozens of pieces, and while I never considered myself a collector, I guess that's what I am.

Some collectors have success scouring Craig's List and buying "smalls" on e-bay. If you've the time and dedication, both can be bonanzas, though I don't recommend paying much for furniture that one can't touch, inspect, etc. Flea markets or antique fairs (er, faires) are another outlet, and if one is handy, may be the best place to buy distressed pieces. I purchased this late 19th century commode (see door with the sunburst relief) several years ago at the Long Beach Antique Swap Meet for $40. Painted white, it languished in my garage for a few years, before working its way up the project list.



The number of Mission furniture dealers seems to be in steady decline, and several prominent LA shops (Antiques Too, Circa 1910, Marc's) have ceased operations recently. Among the surviving vendors probably the best known are Lifetime Gallery (7506 Santa Monica Boulevard), the Detelich Gallery (1654 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica), and the Pasadena crowd, chiefly centered around the Fair Oaks antique malls, including Revival Antiques (527 S. Fair Oaks) . My favorite LA area store however is Old Friends, located in uninspiring Canoga Park, at 21517 Sherman Way.

While it's nice to buy pieces by known makers like the Stickleys, Roycroft, Brooks, etc ("signed pieces"), I've generally been content to buy strong "generics", unattributed furniture. While signed pieces are more collectible, I've never had trouble recouping--or enjoying--monies spent on smart-looking, well-built stuff.



Pieces with their "original finish" are also more valuable, though I'm frequently dubious of such claims. Very few pieces, particularly those with a work surface like a table or desk, survive 100 years with their original finish. If so, the finish will likely be uneven, with stains, and worn areas like the side of this bookcase.

Carpet Diem

Playtime at Parag's, layers and layers of floor coverings dissevered. In one bedroom, three layers of carpet sat atop two linoleum rugs.










The fir floors beneath looked worthy of refinishing, most had been covered/protected for over half a century.



Baseboards grew in height, as over an inch of padding and carpeting was rudely escorted to the curb. 'A carpet salesman'll be by any minute', we joked.




Then we began removing the luan (or luaun) panelling, 1/4" wood veneer, tacked in the stairwell, entry, and hall.

The layers theme continued, as the luan revealed de-laminating wall-paper, painted, and finally beautiful sand-finish plaster.









In looking for obscured value, I often counsel clients to consider those things that can be done quickly and easily and therefore cheaply (because most improvement/restoration projects will take long, require money, and impose difficulties). Yes, it will cost to refinish the floors and to patch the scarred plaster, but probably less than it took to cover these surfaces originally, and the psychological return is immediate.

I'm going back for the awnings and security bars.....

Rockler

Rockler Woodworking and Hardware is a national chain of 23 stores (and an online business), with five Southern California locations. Sometimes called the router superstore, Rockler is a woodworkers specialty store that carries router accessories, power tools, exotic and furniture grade cuts of wood, finishing supplies, and more.

The two stores closest to LA are in Pasadena at 83 S. Rosemead, and in Torrance at 20725 Hawthorne Blvd.

Rockler is open till 8 pm on weekdays, later than other boutique tool stores. Free product demonstrations are held Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Be sure to get on the mailing list to receive sales notices, coupons, and their nifty monthly flyer.

The Porch Ceiling Part 1

My latest project:

I needed to strip the paint from my porch boards (don't ask why), the tongue-and-groove beadboard that comprises the porch ceiling. I opted to remove the boards, rather than work, arms over head, heat gun a-blazin', showered by scrapings of shriveled paint.



The cavernous aperture permitted a few improvements. I installed a new header (the engineered wood product shown), ledger, and joists--2 X 6's (the span is a mere seven feet). The joists formed a pocket for insulation, and I laid 3/4 plywood on top.





Now I've reinstalled the paint-free bead board and I'm preparing to stain. I also used the opportunity to hoist plywood into the attic.

Architectural Salvage of San Diego

Architectural Salvage of San Diego, is immaculately organized. Soon to expand, its current location in San Diego's Little Italy offers metal hardware, doors, plumbing fixtures, light fixtures, windows (mostly decorative transoms with leaded glass) and other remarkable cast-offs.












Architectural Salvage of San Diego
Elizabeth Scalice
1971 India Street
San Diego, CA 91201
619-696-1313

Vix Bit

I install a lot of hardware, mostly in my own home, largely antique brass stripped free of paint, polished, or re-plated nickel.



One of life's little annoyances is an off-center screw hole. How to ensure a perfect pilot hole when drilling? Use a vix bit, a self-centering drill bit. The spring-loaded chamfered tip, or guide, centers the bit, then retracts into a larger housing as the bit penetrates. Vix Bits come in multiple sizes, most commonly 5/64 (intended for #3 & 4 screws), 7/64 (#'s 5 & 6), 9/64 (#'s 8, 9 & 10), and 11/64 (for #12 screws).

You're probably best buying them online, in a set (of three), or at a place like Rockler (feature coming soon).

Long Beach Flit

Another go-to hardware establishment named B & B? Yep, in Long Beach's California
Heights neighborhood. Long Beach's B & B Hardware mixes an extensive decorative hardware section with old house parts, and everyday items.














Tom Barnes/B&B Hardware
929 E. Wardlow Road Long Beach, CA 90807
(562) 490-2669
BNBHardware.com
















Near by, at the intersection of Orange and Wardlow (near Jan's Antique Mall), packed into a tiny streamline moderne storefront, Antique Emporium peddles vintage linens, California pottery, jewelry, and bric-a-brac. Open since April, proprietress Julie Brown-Wooley hopes to expand next door, unable to showcase her extensive backstock.


California Heights, the largest of Long Beach's 17 historic districts, was developed beginning in 1922. Fuzzy cheeked Sunset Magazine included the former Los Cerritos ranch land, in their 2004 Best Neighborhoods in the West feature.














The Vintage Emporium
3423 Orange Avenue
(562) 988-8460
TU - FRI 2 - 7 pm
SAT 10 am - 6 pm