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Mantelpiece Removal

11:00 AM 02/18/2013

 

amarylis33

We would like to remove two antique wooden mantelpieces from our small apartment. One is in the living room, and one in the bedroom. We will either store or sell them. Can anyone please recommend a person who has experience with this sort of removal? We want to preserve the mantels for future re-use. We'd also like an assessment about this style of mantel. The one in the photo is from the living room, but the bedroom one is almost identical.  Many thanks.
 

 

 

Chimney and Fireplace
Brownstone Renovation
Architectural Salvage
5 answers
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  • vote

    zarathustra

    NY

    Not anything special -- probably fetch about $200-300 in the open market.  Are you asking for a mantel removal contractor?  I might be able to refer you to a specialist!

    7:22 PM 02/18/2013 | 0 Votes

     

     

  • vote

    frederick-law-homestead

    I don't know about $200. An outfit like Olde Goode Things would probably pay you that much to remove it, but they'd sell it for at least $800. People pay a ton for details.

    8:17 PM 02/18/2013 | 0 Votes

     

     

  • vote

    frederick-law-homestead

    Scratch that. They'd probably sell it for $4500. The prices on that site are nuts:  http://ogtstore.com/architectu...

    8:21 PM 02/18/2013 | 1 Votes

     

     

    Comments (1)

    • amarylis33

      Thanks. I will check out Olde Good Things. Am I right to assume that the tile is set around the firebox? We are planning to cover up the openings to gain some wall space and the tile comes out further than the wall/chimney.

      10:06 AM 02/19/2013

          

  • vote

    frederick-law-homestead

    I would sincerely think twice about removing original details. It's your place, and you can do whatever you like, but the added value of having intact (and unpainted) wooden mantels and mirrored overmantels will be vastly higher than any price you could sell them for. These are exactly the kinds of things many buyers look for in an apartment, and will set apart your small place from many others. They're worth a lot more to you left where they are.

    1:29 PM 02/19/2013 | 0 Votes

     

     

    Comments (2)

    • amarylis33

      Thanks for your input-- we're aware of what you say. This is a small apartment and we feel the value of having more space is more important. While I personally do not like the way this mantel looks, I know many people value it for both aesthetic and historic reasons. But again, we are pretty cramped here and having two huge mantels in a small 1 floor apartment takes up considerable space. We are still debating whether or not to remove it, but opting towards removal. The other option is perhaps to remove just one of them (in the bedroom). Also, we were considering painting them so they would at least be visually "lighter."

      1:56 PM 02/19/2013

          

    • bobmarvin

      Prospect Lefferts Gardens, NY

      FWIW we've found that the mantel in our bedroom makes a great headboard.

      2:11 PM 02/19/2013

          

  • vote

    grandarmyredux

    Prospect Heights, NY

    Don't rely on Olde Good Things to offer you a good price. Their business model is to buy very, very low and then mark up enormously.

    4:14 PM 02/20/2013 | 0 Votes

     

     

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