A booming enterprise: Recycling whole houses

[Ed Barrow]

Source: USA Today

Recycling is expanding from newspapers and bottles to entire houses as foreclosures, tax credits and landfill costs prompt businesses and non-profit organizations to salvage materials from old homes.

Stores are springing up to sell used lumber, appliances, cabinetry and flooring. Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit that builds and rehabs affordable homes, has 550 such retail outlets, called "ReStores." Mark Andrews, Habitat's director of U.S. operations, says the number is growing "almost daily." He expects an additional 100 stores in the next year.

"It's exploded all over the country" in the past five to seven years, says green building expert David Johnston about the trend toward deconstructing, rather than demolishing, homes.

Owners get a double benefit — a tax credit for donating goods and peace of mind for not dumping into landfills — says Johnston, founder of What's Working, a Colorado-based firm that consults on sustainable building.



Read more: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/06/home-recycling/1

[XXY]

1. This is not new..

Here in CA everything is removed from the interior of the house right down to the 2x4s and reused even the stucco goes to gravel yards and recycled..

[UpInArms]

2. saw those re-stores in iowa several years ago

:shrug:

[mistertrickster]

3. Some of the framing timber is probably better than what you can buy today.

Old growth fir instead of young warpy pine . . .

[Skink]

4. watch out for the Chinese drywall.

[leftstreet]

5. LOLOLOL I read that wrong at first

:rofl:

carry on

[Blue-Jay]

6. I glanced and saw the same thing.

Could've moved the thread in a different and more interesting direction.