Why use salvage in my home?
The high-quality materials and beautifully crafted old fixtures you can find at the reclamation yards add instant character, and can cost less than their contemporary counterparts.

Any words of warning?
Salvage must be purchased with care: while a reconditioned Victorian cast-iron radiator is a fabulous find, an ill-fitting spiral staircase is just a white elephant.

Can I find a floor with character?
Reclaimed flooring can be a cheaper option than modern timber or brick. At Mongers, salvaged pine floorboards cost from £12 per square yard; brick flooring from £1.20 per brick.

What about more unusual materials?
Some materials are not readily available outside the salvage trade, and their prices are accordingly more expensive: genuine Yorkstone paving costs from £83 per square metre at Drummonds.

Will old window frames fit my façade?
You will have to be prepared to shop around, and even frames built to the exact size of your windows may be warped or rotted with age to an irregular shape. Reclaimed window frames can be put to use as decorative objects: made into mirrors or trompe l'oeuil paintings of vistas.

How about doors?
There is always a huge choice of doors at the salvage yards and prices are reasonable: at Cox's, an Arts & Crafts arched door in pitch pine with leaded lights is offered for £125. Take care not to buy a door even a fraction smaller than you need; a centimetre larger can be trimmed.

Any advice on chimneypieces?
Several specialists, including Westland and Renaissance, will advise on suitable sizes and styles, if you bring along a picture and measurements of the chimneybreast you need to furnish. At the top end of the market, carved marble fireplaces can be five-figure investment pieces.

Should I resist a real showpiece?
Dealers often display splendid staircases. Give these a wide berth. Most showstopping stairs are only useable if your home is partly adapted around them.

Can I install an old bath or sink?
Old baths, sinks and WCs can easily be converted to work with a modern metric plumbing. Check your supplier has fitted proper conversion connections before you buy.

What are the best buys?
Reconditioned cast-iron radiators are far more attractive than contemporary pressed steel equivalents, and they retain more heat. Buy from a specialist, such as The Cast Iron Reclamation Company, where prices start at £90 and rads are guaranteed leak-free for a year.

How about the small stuff?
Antique brass door furniture can be a gorgeous finishing touch to your décor - a much richer colour, with more depth and patina, than modern lacquered handles.

Any old iron?
Expensive to commission new, old railings and gates can be bought for a song, and these beautiful examples of wrought ironwork often find a new home inside, as a room dividers, tabletops or even bedheads.

Any preparations before I set out?
Know your measurements, from the width of your chimneybreast to the size of your doorframes, and the amount of space you have for a double-ended bath. Take a tape measure.

Any hints on negotiating?
Materials such as reclaimed bricks are often bought ready wrapped on a pallet. Some will turn out to be damaged when you unpack them, but more than 10 per cent is an unreasonable loss. If a dealer doesn't want to let you unpack a pallet before you buy, ask whether, if more than 15 per cent are broken, he will refund some of the cost.

Where does character end and bad condition begin?
A weathered lead planter is charming, and old floorboards, aged to a “driftwood” finish can have huge appeal, but anything that is impractical (frostbitten clay roof tiles) or unsanitary (cracked handbasin) must be avoided.

What about repair and restoration?
There are specialists to renovate everything from sash windows to wrought-iron gates. For instance, cast-iron baths can be re-enamelled to as-new condition by Antique Baths of Ivybridge.

Any hidden costs?
Add VAT to all prices. Delivery charges can be considerable, so try to negotiate a cost inclusive of delivery. Installation can be more expensive than with standard fixtures.

Will salvage affect the value of my house?
If you are canny, only in a good way. Bathroom and kitchen are the two zones where prospective buyers want to see pristine fixtures and fittings, so a perfectly restored roll-top or sparkling Belfast sink is an asset, but nothing crumbly will do.

USEFUL SOURCES
Antique Baths of Ivybridge, 01752 698250, www.antiquebaths.com
The Cast Iron Reclamation Company, 020 8977 5977, www.perfect-irony.com
Cox's Architectural Salvage, 01608 652505, www.coxsarchitectural.co.uk
Drummonds, 020 7376 4499, www.drummonds-arch.co.uk
LASSCO, 020 7394 2100, www.lassco.co.uk
Mongers, 01953 851868, www.mongersofhingham.co.uk.
Olliff's Architectural Antiques, 07850 235793, www.olliffs.com
Renaissance London, 020 7251 8844, www.renaissancelondon.com
Walcot Reclamation, 01225 444404, www.walcot.com
Westland & Company, 020 7739 8094, www.westland.co.uk

KATRINA BURROUGHS
NOVEMBER 2007