Used building materials are a time honored conservation strategy. My father was an old world carpenter who maintained a shop that was half workspace and half storage of used building materials from previous jobs that could be used in future jobs. It was part of his work habits to conserve good used materials. Maybe that was because we didn't have curbside pickup of trash -- we lived in the country and had to haul our own trash to the city dump and pay to dump it. So the trash was minimized ... and the annual trip was seen as a necessary evil, not a solution. That meant we learned every trick to use old building materials like wood and brick and even old nuts and bolts.
The solution to conserving materials was to carefully use every bit of material bought for a job, and to save anything left over -- both new materials and used materials. Recycling used materials is smart. Using "used" saves money. AND it saves our increasingly precious natural resources.
But what are the tricks to maximizing the value of used building materials?
Pre-planning the job.
During the design phase of your job, when you're sketching possible solutions...revisit your stash of used building materials. Sort through your used hardware. And used plywood,. And used boards. And used or remnant laminate. Let your imagination roam among your current resources -- your treasure chest of used building materials and make them an integral part of your design.
Designing with used building materials
Used materials have not only pragmatic value...but aesthetic value. The patina of old wood is rich and textured with use. Old paint can be decorative and unique. Used hardware has character.
Sourcing used building materials
Architectural supply houses deconstruct old buildings and make these used, aesthetic and practical materials available for new projects. Habitat for Humanity also has a growing chain of reuse materials that are salvaged materials from remodeling jobs and old buildings. These used and remnant materials are sorted and stored to protect their value and integrity. And the discounts are amazingly affordable.
The Habitat ReStores of used building materials are found on the Internet by searching for your local region (city, county, or state) and "Habitat Restore".
Local building tear downs
Many people have old buildings on their property that they want torn down (with a treasure trove of used building matrials!). Reasons vary. Often they don't have the tools or the truck available to handle the job of reclaiming or storing the used materials themselves, but would welcome your help in tearing down the building and hauling away the valuable used building material salvage...in exchange for your proud acquisition of the used building materials.
Sometimes people advertise that they are looking for a deal to exchange labor for the used building materials and salvage. Sometimes it the "friendship network" that connects you can connect you with used materials. Sometimes you can find reclamation opportunities at a local resource center such as the local hardware store, lumber yard or restaurant bulletin board.
Salvaging new construction materials
When you see a construction site -- whether it is a new home or a remodeling job, you can stop and ask the owner and construction supervisor if you could have their left over and salvaged, used building materials. You could work out a deal for a good price...and save them tipping fees at the landfill. You can also purchase excess materials they purchased because they need a safety factor on large scale jobs -- this excess inventory can often be bought at a savings.
Consider all your costs
Before you scavenge for new or used building materials a long way from home, consider your own costs: the fuel, the wear and tear on your vehicle and the storage costs. It pays to save...but it pays more to carefully time your used material purchases to meet your needs. Most people don't have a working shop in which they can store used and salvaged materials for some future possibility. Storage takes money to heat and cool, to pay taxes on...and to clean.
But reclaiming used building materials has many benefits ... for you, for your community and for our natural resources.
The solution to conserving materials was to carefully use every bit of material bought for a job, and to save anything left over -- both new materials and used materials. Recycling used materials is smart. Using "used" saves money. AND it saves our increasingly precious natural resources.
But what are the tricks to maximizing the value of used building materials?
Pre-planning the job.
During the design phase of your job, when you're sketching possible solutions...revisit your stash of used building materials. Sort through your used hardware. And used plywood,. And used boards. And used or remnant laminate. Let your imagination roam among your current resources -- your treasure chest of used building materials and make them an integral part of your design.
Designing with used building materials
Used materials have not only pragmatic value...but aesthetic value. The patina of old wood is rich and textured with use. Old paint can be decorative and unique. Used hardware has character.
Sourcing used building materials
Architectural supply houses deconstruct old buildings and make these used, aesthetic and practical materials available for new projects. Habitat for Humanity also has a growing chain of reuse materials that are salvaged materials from remodeling jobs and old buildings. These used and remnant materials are sorted and stored to protect their value and integrity. And the discounts are amazingly affordable.
The Habitat ReStores of used building materials are found on the Internet by searching for your local region (city, county, or state) and "Habitat Restore".
Local building tear downs
Many people have old buildings on their property that they want torn down (with a treasure trove of used building matrials!). Reasons vary. Often they don't have the tools or the truck available to handle the job of reclaiming or storing the used materials themselves, but would welcome your help in tearing down the building and hauling away the valuable used building material salvage...in exchange for your proud acquisition of the used building materials.
Sometimes people advertise that they are looking for a deal to exchange labor for the used building materials and salvage. Sometimes it the "friendship network" that connects you can connect you with used materials. Sometimes you can find reclamation opportunities at a local resource center such as the local hardware store, lumber yard or restaurant bulletin board.
Salvaging new construction materials
When you see a construction site -- whether it is a new home or a remodeling job, you can stop and ask the owner and construction supervisor if you could have their left over and salvaged, used building materials. You could work out a deal for a good price...and save them tipping fees at the landfill. You can also purchase excess materials they purchased because they need a safety factor on large scale jobs -- this excess inventory can often be bought at a savings.
Consider all your costs
Before you scavenge for new or used building materials a long way from home, consider your own costs: the fuel, the wear and tear on your vehicle and the storage costs. It pays to save...but it pays more to carefully time your used material purchases to meet your needs. Most people don't have a working shop in which they can store used and salvaged materials for some future possibility. Storage takes money to heat and cool, to pay taxes on...and to clean.
But reclaiming used building materials has many benefits ... for you, for your community and for our natural resources.