Can a new home have character?

Planning on a building a new home, but concerned that it won't have the same character as an older home? Can you give your a new home some character? The answer is a resounding yes!

At the planning stage think about adding beautiful mouldings: cornices and skirting boards, and maybe even adding wainscotting or tongue and groove panelling (bead board) to your walls. Raising your ceilings to at least nine feet is also critical to give your home that old style feel. Recycled floorboards are another way to add a beautiful feeling of character and solidity to your home.

But let's face it, often the budget precludes people from doing some of the above things - they can be costly additions. But one thing that might just possibly be within reach of the average jo is architectural salvage.

I think it is really sad when lovely old homes get demolished, but the fact is, it does happen - often because the house is unsound or because it is cheaper to rebuild from scratch rather than renovate. But at least if they are going to be demolished, parts of the home can be salvaged for others to re-use.

With some patience, you might just be able to find a fabulous fireplace, a great bathtub or some wonderful old doors. And think outside the square - consider barn doors, doors from a pub, or shutters.

Not all architectural salvage is cheap - pieces from Europe can be costly. But if you look around, you might just get lucky. So patience could be required! I'm guessing you'd also need a builder who understands your vision and is willing to incorporate these treasures into your home.

So here's some images to give you some inspiration on how to add character using salvaged doors, windows and shutters. Some of them hide televisions and stereo equipment - clever!

Images 1 Atlanta Bartlett 2 Sally Wheat via Cote de Texas 3 Country Living 4 & 5 Scanned from Australian Home Beautiful 6 Mimmi O'Connell via Desire to Inspire 7 unknown 8 Scanned from Elle 9 & 10 unknown

I've had a really busy week - working extra hours at work because I'm off to Bali next week. And the weekend is full, full, full! So I'm struggling to visit blogs right now, but when I come back and have found my feet again, I'll be back with bells on!

Best wishes,