Authentic Restoration Detroit

At Authentic Restoration, we provide conscientious and affordable major and minor home improvement and repair. We particularly enjoy working in older homes.

We live in Detroit and serve the City and the surrounding suburbs, where there are significant numbers of 70-100 year old homes with exceptional craftsmanship.  We have also been known to load up the truck and travel to old houses from upstate New York, to Philadelphia or Chicago.

We specialize in helping homeowners make decisions as to what “updates” will potentially permanently alter the character of their older home.  Before you attempt a seemingly inexpensive remodel of your kitchen or bathroom, or any other room in your home, consider the craftsmanship and the materials that went into your home’s original construction.  Too often, what is viewed as outdated is destroyed at significant cost, and the ensuing renovation neglects the details, character and charm that went into the original.  We may also advise you that those darkened baseboards you plan on painting over just might be mahogany, which was common for many homes in Detroit and nearby suburbs.

We can help you avoid costly unfinished updates you’ll regret in the future, while saving you money with a cost-effective modern solution that preserves your home’s integrity.

Here’s what we offer:

• Architectural Trim/ Floor Refinishing
• Antique Plumbing Fixture Service, Rebuild and Parts, including Chicago Faucets, Fuller Ball assemblies, Kohler, pre-WWII Sloan Valves, Shower Mixer Valves (Neidecken, Speakman, Crane, American Standard), and Case Toilets.
• Modern Plumbing Fixture Service, Pedestal Sink Installation, Tub Fixture/Toilet Repair
• Ceramic Tile Solutions/Installation
• Cabinet Installation
• Painting/Plaster Repairs/Drywall Installation
• Lamp/sconce rewiring

We have access to and install old (and new) bathroom fixtures such as claw-foot tubs and pedestal sinks, even toilets in a varying array of styles and colors.  We are also able to locate replacements for most missing or cracked toilet tank lids.

We even know where to repair your damaged lead-glass doors or windows.

Call us anytime at 313.318.5514 and we’ll set up an appointment, or we’ll drive by your house after work if we’re on your side of town. Most of our consultations are free, as it is an honor to get the chance to step into another cool Detroit house.

On a final note, working with old plumbing can be frustrating.  Working with an old shower mixer valve can be frustrating and tricky, even to most plumbers.  These fixtures were made of bronze and built to last 100 years.  If you still have one, we have the parts and knowledge to rebuild them to make them last another 100 years.  We have leather washers, and even a ceramic cover or two.  We recently saw the results of an unscrupulous plumber who misdiagnosed a leaky shower mixer valve as a leaky supply pipe, and before you can say “sledgehammer,” destroyed a shower stall, just to make a buck, costing the unsuspecting homeowner thousands.  If the plumber’s first diagnoses is “we need to replace the old pipes with copper (or PEX), be wary, then ask him if he has a diamond blade (which can surgically cut ceramic tile, in the right hands). If  he doesn’t know what one is, or says he’ll get one, save yourself a bundle by never letting him in your house again.  In other words, please GET A SECOND OPINION.  Or call us.  313.318.5514