The Salvage Hunters Giving Old Carolina New Life
Reclaimed heart pine, antique hardware and architectural fragments are prized ingredients in the state's most characterful interiors.
Some of the most sought-after building materials in the Carolinas are older than the houses they end up in.
The value of the old
Salvage dealers across the state trade in reclaimed heart pine, antique hardware, old doors and architectural fragments rescued from demolished buildings. These materials carry a character — a patina, a density, a history — that new products cannot match.
Designers prize them for adding soul to new construction and authenticity to restorations.
Waste not
The practice is deeply sustainable, keeping usable materials out of landfills and reducing demand for new resources. Reclaimed heart pine, in particular, comes from old-growth trees that no longer exist.
For those building or renovating with care, the salvage hunters offer irreplaceable ingredients — the literal bones of old Carolina, given a second life in the homes of the present.
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