In the current flip that I am working on with my husband, we, regrettably, must get rid of 12 gorgeous, solid wood doors. What's really unfortunate is that most of them are 5 panel solid wood doors with clean, modern lines. The problem? The doors have been painted a few times so it's tough to achieve a "like new" finish without extensive sanding and refinishing (new or "like new" is mandatory in a flip of this price tag). Our general contractor and my husband agree, to my objection, that the doors require more time and money than they are willing to give.
What to do? In order to help these gorgeous doors and our other items of vintage and interest avoid the dumpster, there are 2 options: sell or donate.
Sell
The easiest way to sell architectural salvage is to use an online service to post the sale and select a specific day and time for pick up. This eliminates the need to coordinate showings with multiple people. To sell architectural salvage, I suggest:
www.craigslist.com
www.ebay.com
www.estatesales.net (or local estate sale providers)
You can always sell to an architectural salvage retailer or builders' surplus warehouse in your area. They will give you a wholesale price and pick the items up. Look up "architectural salvage" and "builders surplus" in your area for options. Expect to receive 30%-40% of retail.
Donate
There are a number of nonprofit resellers that will also come and pick up your items or provide a drop off location. Donating provides you with a tax write off in support of a worthy cause (and warm and fuzzy feelings!).
To donate architectural salvage, I suggest:
ReStore, a national network of Habitat for Humanity stores for used home and construction related items www.habitat.org/restores
Local nonprofit salvage reseller like www.communityforklift.com in Maryland
Your local www.Goodwill.com or www.SalvationArmy.com
My choice? A two fold approach. The doors are going on Craigslist for a week. If they don't sell then we will have ReStore or Community Forklift pick them up! I'll let you know once they've found a new home.
If you'd like to buy them, email me at qmoniqueallen@gmail ! I'll take $75/door. Pick up is Saturday, January 14th unless otherwise arranged.