Salvaging Old Materials in a Modern Space

We finally moved into our new home in the historic Cambria district last fall after two years of planning and renovations. The commercial structure was built in 1975 and operated as an industrial mill for many years before being purchased by the Rorrer Well Drilling Company in 2004. We purchased the property in 2021 and have extensively renovated the space to create a modern headquarters for both us and our sister company, Baseline Solar. Read more about our renovations and see before and after photos here.

Situated less than 20 feet from the railroad tracks that run though Cambria, the building used to offer easy access to rail cars for loading and unloading freight. Nowadays, we enjoy watching the trains go by through the large plate-glass windows on the north side of the office.

The trains have been operating here since the 1850's, aside from a few years after the tracks were destroyed by the Union Forces in 1865 during the Civil War, which makes us appreciate the rich history of this area and the building we now occupy.

With that history in mind, we love when we get the opportunity to reuse or repurpose old materials to create something new and functional. We enjoy paying homage to the almost 50-year-old history of the building and its previous lives.

To create our sign by Depot Street, we repurposed old metal beams that we found in the original structure among other rubble. We think the rusted patina is pretty cool!

We installed new drywall and LED lighting and polished the concrete floors, but kept this heavy original barn door in place.

Once separating the main building from the mill tower, this fire-rated "Fyrgard" door was manufactured by the Richmond Fireproof Door Co. (founded 1891) to prevent any fires caused by exploding boilers or other ignition sources to spread throughout the building.

The crew at Baseline Solar repurposed two solar panels to create a more modern sliding barn door on the tower structure. Notice the horseshoe handle for good luck!

Dan and Harry showing off their creative build (Photo credit: Baseline Solar)

We are so lucky to be a part of this vibrant community with deep roots, and hopefully we can contribute to Cambria's rich history moving forward. If you're wandering through the neighborhood, come see our new shop and say hi!