October 2015 Customer Creations Gallery Jacksonville, FL

Ciao, bella! The easy breezy Italian architectural style looks great all over the world! Tuscan landscapes, Sicilian sunsets, Roman holidays, and Florentine extravagance echo in the architectural design elements that define the Italian aesthetic. Incorporating a few of these elements into an indoor or outdoor space can generate a sunny southern European feel in any location. Picking a theme is…

It’s time for Spring projects! We didn’t have to wait for the snow to melt, but Spring still inspires the creator in all of us. Azaleas are blooming, bees are buzzing, and everywhere you look, nature’s busy builders are collecting raw materials and fashioning them into something they can use. Here’s a couple of recent projects, one from our wood…

Of all the building supplies acquired at the Eco Relics architectural salvage company, vintage and antique doors are among the most sought-after. Doors are often taken for granted, but they preform many silent (or squeaky) services beyond their aesthetic appeal. When open, doors admit people, animals, ventilation, and light. When closed, doors prevent the spread of noise or fire, enclose…

On March 6th, Eco Relics hosted  a fundraising event to benefit Waste Not Want Not and their mission to fight hunger and poverty by rescuing food that would otherwise go to waste. We raised enough money to collect and distribute over 9,000 lbs. of food! The nonprofit Berry Good Farms food truck was also in the house. Here’s a song from their set:…

Woodworking with reclaimed and salvaged lumber is a great way to lend some authentic Americana to a DIY project. “Weathered” is not a look that is easily faked. When done wrong, it just looks terrible. On the other hand, genuine patina not only adds aesthetic value to a piece, it can also provide a protective covering to material that might otherwise…

A few months ago I told my wife I’d build us a proper dining room table so we can stop eating off TV trays. We had a nice 5 panel door leftover from our remodel (a two year odyssey) that seemed like a good candidate for a table top. All I would need to do is make legs. We decided…

While sorting and organizing the vast vinyl collection at the Eco Relics architectural salvage warehouse, I came across several records produced right here in Jacksonville. While our fair city might not have the musical reputation of New Orleans, Austin, or Nashville, the truth is that Jacksonville has played a very important part in America’s musical history.   Ashley Street might…

Preservation and Salvage in Jacksonville, Florida After 6,000 years of human habitation, only a tiny fraction of Jacksonville’s historic buildings survive. The pole and palm-thatch buildings constructed by Mocama Indians are long gone, of course. The mysterious Fort Caroline, Jacksonville’s first European settlement, has never been located. The Kingsley Plantation house, built around 1800, is probably the oldest surviving structure…

Thanks to our custom wood shop, Eco Relics gets to work with some of Jacksonville’s greatest small businesses. The sawdust is flying, but many details are still sorting themselves out. The Termite says, “It’s not down to a science yet.” The final layout of tools and work stations will be determined as he gets a better idea of work flow on…

The Eco Relics architectural salvage company is proud to occupy a fine example of industrial architecture in one of Florida’s oldest surviving industrial neighborhoods. The 50,000+ square foot warehouse at 106 Stockton Street was built in 1927 by Baker & Holmes Company, a wholesaler of food staples, building materials, and more. The neighborhood was largely undeveloped until that time, save…

January is national hobby month, a time to acknowledge our interests that fall outside of our professions. Leisure time was once the exclusive province of the upper class after the Industrial Revolution, clock time, and electric lights dramatically changed most people’s relationship with work. For over a century laborers fought to reduce the length of their workday, which could range…

Please join us at Eco Relics on Sunday, November 13 for our Fall Fling! There will be live music, food from the Best Burgers Jax food truck, and free beer. Free beer? Free beer! We’re raising money for the Jacksonville chapter of Best Buddies International, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for…

Many historic buildings around the world are constructed with double hung sash windows. Unfortunately, many of these historic windows are lost to rot and replaced with inferior alternatives. Don’t let this happen to you! This simple maintenance procedure will return your windows to their rightful glory both aesthetically and functionally for decades to come. Before getting started, it is important…

The Eco Relics crew is a great resource for Jacksonville’s DIY community. We are wood workers, metal workers, engineers, draftsmen, and builders of all kinds with over a century of experience and we are always available for you to consult. And we’ve just deepened our knowledge and experience by adding another unique personality to our crew. Let’s take a minute…

A Very Short History of Signage Merchants and tradespeople have used signs to advertise their services for at least 5,000 years. Symbols, rather than writing, was the preferred method to communicate to potential buyers before widespread literacy. In ancient Rome, a bush of ivy and vines engraved in stone or terra cotta indicated a tavern. Besides directing thirsty patrons to…