Salvaging & Rebuilding: The Keepsake Shed

It’s autumn in Maine and the days are getting shorter, but Great Northern Builders are still working long days.  We are currently building a barn for a long-time customer of ours, and at her request we’ve taken on a small side project while we are on site.  In the back corner of her property sits an old shed- sagging into the earth, its floor rotting away. We are in the process of salvaging this structure, even though this customer knows it would be cheaper to knock it down and build something new. She likes this old shed- it reminds her of one she used to play in when she was a young girl.  And so we are saving it.   It currently sits, suspended up on cribbing, awaiting a rebuilt floor tomorrow and a brand new life, yet one solidly connected to the past.

What is it about old structures that draws us in?  There is an inescapable charm to beautiful old houses that can’t be replicated.  It’s a genuine, lived-in warmth of something individual & unique, hand-distressed over generations.  From the aged patina of the roof rafters to the smoothly worn doorknobs, there’s a certain grace to an old house.   As remodelers, it’s always a pleasure to work on these homes.  It re-connects us, in a way, with the craftsmen of a bygone era as we salvage, restore, and enhance what they created decades, or even centuries, ago.  Through our work, we rebuild a new life for these homes, one solidly connected to the past. And so, as an old-home aficionado, I understand my customer’s desire to save this old shed.  

It has meaning for her, a story held somewhere within her memories.  Old structures can be like that. To step inside their walls and take in all that they are- the look, the smell, the feel of them- these solidly connect us to our past.  Therein lies their charm. We are grateful for these projects and look forward to sharing the finished product in a future blog post.