As developers furiously build more and more homes in the Valley, many of which look the same,
some homeowners are craving an individual touch. Maybe it’s an ornate
mantelpiece, a stained-glass window or intricately carved door.
However, the price of these items can be staggering, especially on
top of the mortgage payments and landscaping fees associated with a
new home. As for existing homes, remodeling projects can also be costly.
So what can be done to give your home a personal touch without draining
your wallet or taking out a second mortgage?
The solution is right here in the Valley: Millworks Outlet, located
at 45120 SE North Bend Way, between exits 32 and 34 in North Bend.
The outlet offers a warehouse full of unique mantles, doors,
moldings, porch posts and windows at discount prices. The business also has
boards of poplar, fir and other types of wood for shelfs and other projects and
sells to contractors.
Millworks Outlet opened in June and is the second store for
the Drilevich family, whose original store has existed in Maple Valley for
15 years.
Manager Todd Preimsberg said the outlet gets its supplies locally and
from sources all over the world.
“What we do is buy close-out and surplus from auctions,” he
said. “When we get a good buy on something, we mark it up (just) a little
so the customer can get the savings.”
Currently, a recent collection of hand-carved mahogany mantles
from the Philippines elegantly decorate the outlet’s lobby, and Preimsberg
just received a shipment of iron doors. Every week, a different selection
arrives, and one disappears.
“What you see is what you get, so if you see something you like, get
it,” Preimsberg explained.
Some items are antiques or have come from old buildings in
Seattle. Preimsberg has run into first-growth wood and one-of-a-kind pieces
from Seattle and the Puget Sound area.
Millworks Outlet workers will go into a building about to be
demolished and save countertops, wooden floors and doors _ anything that would
add a unique touch to a residential home.
Most of the products are unfinished, which makes them
affordable and easy to customize.
Preimsberg explained that staining or painting the pieces is not
difficult, and some homeowners prefer to finish projects themselves.
Decorative glass is also a special find for the outlet, and Preimsberg
also has a source that can design custom glass. In addition, several
log-cabin motifs have also found their way into the store.
North Bend resident Diane Stinnett said she enjoys the
unique items found in the outlet. She has a wormwood beam in her cabin
that came from Millworks, which she said adds an authentic cabin feel to
the building.
“(The beam) makes the cabin more rustic and adds a lot to the room,”
she said.
Stinnett has also seen many other unusual pieces at the outlet
because Millworks employees have referred customers to her husband, Steve,
to install their purchases. Steve owns Nonopariel Construction in
North Bend.
“Steve has installed some of the mantles, and they just have some
beautiful pieces,” Stinnett said. “It’s a
really nice alternative to the cookie-cutter stuff that you find in chain places.”
The Stinnetts have replaced the windows of their current and
previous homes, as well as their cabin, with vinyl windows from Millworks.
“It made sense to replace them,” she said. “A lot of (older) houses
have single-pane, aluminum-frame windows, but vinyl is easy care, cuts
outside noise and doesn’t sweat.
“It makes a real difference on how your house retains heat,” she added.
Preimsberg said Millworks Outlet offers a savings on surplus
windows, from 30 to 50 percent.
“There is nothing wrong with the windows; often they were
accidentally double-ordered by a contractor or from a computer mistake,” he said.
Preimsberg, who has worked in the construction industry for 18
years, enjoys the times when customers bring in pictures of finished and
installed pieces that came from Millworks Outlet.
“It’s different every day,” he said. “I enjoy it because I spend a lot of
time helping people out and giving them ideas.”
Millworks Outlet hours are 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday through
Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Millworks Outlet can be
reached at (425) 888-5044.
