If I were a carpenter

So where do I start, when talking about Extras?

Do I start at the place where you walk into the warehouse, and you feel like you're in Home Depot heaven? It's heaven, because Extras is so much cheaper.

It's heaven because there's row upon row of kitchen countertops, and I need new countertops.

And there are sparkly things, like the ornate and huge and tinkling chandelier that was selling for a song. I only wish I had a room that would accommodate this beautiful bit of lighting. It was all I could do to walk away without stuffing it ever-so gingerly into the trunk of my car.

That's Extras. The cavernous Denver warehouse isn't terribly easy to find (near the 58th and I-25 exit - 400 W. 53rd Place), but it's worth the effort. Just give them a call at 303-296-8090, or googlemaps it. Because once you find this handyman's Shangri La, you'll most likely wonder how Extras has flown under you fixer-upper radar this long.

I'm sure if I were the least bit handy, Extras would be a Mecca to me. I'd feel so very happy to purchase a cabinet for $15 or a bathroom tub for $20.

But I know about Extras now, and I feel like it's my ace in the hole.

When I need anything for my house, I now know where I'll go. I'll go to Extras.

Because Extras has everything.

And anyone who knows about Extras can go there. It's no wholesaler's destination.

I know about this magical place because Mr. Fabulous is friends with Al and Marcie. Al owns Extras, and he and Mr. Fabulous have developed a bit of a kinship.

Al and Marcie are as magical as Extras.

And Cheryl, who's the backbone of the place, is just as fabulous as Al. She knows everything about Extras, and she seems to have a mental inventory of every unfinished door, every stack of drywall, every finish of cabinetry.

I wish I were handy. I would choose to die at Extras.

Because there's just so much great stuff here.

Rows and rows of material look just like this. And the prices are rock-bottom.

If I were a carpenter, Extras would be my destination.

I've mentioned the inventory, multiple times.

But the people behind Extras make Extras extra-special.

Quality: top-drawer. Inventory: extensive. People: extraordinary.

Unlike Lowes or Home Depot, there's no one at Extras who doesn't want to be there. Each employee is committed to the mission, and if you visit the website, http://www.extrabuild.com/, you'll see what I mean.

I especially enjoyed the travelogue of Don's house renovation, which you'll see on the Extras website. Don completely outfitted his house with material he'd obtained at Extras.

The website gives some Al and Marcie backstory, and it tells of how Extras began. When Al and Marcie were renovating their house, a need for Extras was identified.

I've been to Al and Marcie's house. It's one of the coolest, most eclectic, most creatively crafted, most comfortable houses I've had the good fortune to visit. Here's a photo of their ceiling, created from old railroad box cars.

Much of this fabulous house was created with unique finds not unlike what can be found at Extras.

Walk into Extras and possibility explodes. Extras is proud to be green, having culled its inventory from builders and contractors who have a little extra when their projects are completed.

Nothing is predictable at Extras, which makes it even cooler.

If I were a carpenter, Extras would be my second home.

Extras is the home I'd find myself wandering through while I'd be planning my personal sanctuary.

Ah, if I were a carpenter.

Lucky for me, I know a few.