Here at J Thompson Builders we use reclaimed materials in home building/remodeling/renovation projects. It just makes sense…use the resources already available to us when possible. Many items are reusable. And reclaimed items have an aesthetic appeal. We utilize them in some of our JT Unique-designed products.
Recently, Mother Nature Network published an article about the best building materials to salvage. Here are some of the helpful suggestions they offer:
- Grind materials into a gravel-like material to use as a driveway, road or parking lot base. Some materials suitable for this use include asphalt or fiberglass composite shingles, bricks, concrete blocks, clay roof tiles, toilets, porcelain sinks and ceramic tile.
- Re-mill heart pine lumber into flooring, trim or cabinets.
- Grind unpainted lumber into mulch.
- Repurpose cabinets, doors (particularly non-hollow core), appliances, windows, wood trim, large timbers, dimensional lumber, plumbing fixtures, lighting and flooring. If you can’t use them in a current project, donate them to a nonprofit organization such as Habitat for Humanity. The organization operates retail stores (named “Restore”) in many major cities, including Des Moines, where they resell salvaged building materials.
Contact a building material store, such as Restore, to ask if their staff can remove the items from the structure. Some stores may remove the materials for free or only charge a nominal fee.
*As a safety precaution, when removing items avoid cutting surfaces possibly containing lead or asbestos.
Read the full article from Mother Nature Network »
Check out some of our previous articles on using reclaimed materials:
Photo credit, Steve Snodgrass
