Wow, I can't even begin to express how great it feels to get my head out of the computer and actually start to get out in the world with my new endeavor; BuildingSurplus.com. It's been more than a year since the idea was born, and V.1. is actually ready to present to the world. I almost don't know where to begin!
With my newly printed 4-color trifold, I have been visiting many of my old contacts in the Building Trades. During my short stint as a general contractor, I found some really great resources in the Boulder/ Denver area that specialize in surplus building materials. One of my first discoveries was Extras, Extrabuild.com, a 40,000 square foot wherehouse chock full of building materials. From Extras, I have bought cabinets, polyiso-insulation, carpet, pine trim and well... The list does go on... Owned by Al Smith, this place is amazing. I've been visiting them since 1997 and it's definitely one of my favorites! Cheryl and John, who run the place were enthusiastic about Building Surplus and promised to post some of their inventory as soon as time allows.
Another of my favorite Re-use yards is “Resource”, http://resourceyard.org/, in Boulder, Co. From their website:
“The Center for ReSource Conservation has pioneered the construction waste recycling process, installed solar hot water systems on low income housing units, helped cities conserve their residents’ irrigation water use through its Slow the Flow Colorado program, diverted thousands of tons of building material waste from the landfill, and created Boulder Solar Week, a week long renewable energy workshop series featuring the annual Tour of Solar and Green Built Homes each October...”
They have a great group of people working there and are doing good work. While we do not yet have the support of their board, The guys from the yard are hugely enthusiastic and I am crossing my fingers we will be supporting each other in our endeavors. One more note on “Resource”... One of their former employess, Mc Caren Avalon, wrote a letter on our behalf to the “decision-makers” at The Center for ReSource Conservation. I thought it was great and have posted it below.
“
Greetings Gentleman,
It's been awhile! I hope this email finds you happy
and enjoying the warmer weather. Believe it or not, I
am NOT writing to promote my bout this weekend.
I will make this as brief as possible cause I KNOW
very well how busy you all are.
Steve Stein has been creating a national used building
materials website (a la craigslist but better) over
the past year. He was always hoping for ReSource
involvement, because he loves the place and is
passionate about creating a useful tool to assist
people and businesses who sell and buy UBM.
The site is very well done and is close to being
finished. I walked thru the site with him and was
surprised how many times I said "WOw, that's cool!
We used to fantasize about creating a site with the
same capabilities, and although we didn't get to it
first, I think it still is valuable to ReSource. It's
the first of it's kind and if it gets big, it could be
a great venue for exposure and selling your bigger
items.
To demonstrate how it works, he created a ReSource
seller site that shows items from both yards with
prices and other pertinant info a buyer would want to
know. If you go to:
http://www.buildingsurplus.com/index
and type ReSource under "Seller" it will bring this
up. The categories are very detailed and the site is
easy to navigate. It also enables people to shop
locally.
I think it's a great idea and am happy to see the site
almost up and running. If you have already spoken
with Steve, that's great. Just wanted to send a note
to tip you guys off about it and to encourage you to
check it out.
Mack http://www.mccarenphotographs.com/
New beginnings
Is it ecology or economy? I say it’s both! While it helps the proverbial pocketbook (A penny saved is a penny earned) to utilize surplus or used materials in the building of a structure, it also falls smack dab in the realm of the latest craze:: Being Green.
I suppose there are many ways to “ Be Green.” Certainly keeping building refuse out of the landfills qualifies. It is reported by the EPA that over 35% of the Nation’s landfills are comprised of building refuse. Obviously this is a BIG problem. In my home town, Boulder Colorado, the City recently revised its Green Points program which includes a minimum 65% landfill diversion for construction waste in residential building projects. The higher the diversion rate, the more points you get... And you must comply or forget ever getting to the end game:: Certificate of Occupancy!
Seems to me, the City is providing a win-win situation. From the deconstruction of a house, can come many reusable materials including reclaimed lumber; both structural and non structural including trim and flooring. Other items I’ve personally salvaged are; bathtubs, bath fixtures, insulation, steel posts, furnaces, cabinets and doors.
Aside from the obvious advantages of diverting these items away from landfills, there is the economic windfall of not having to buy these items new! Have you priced building materials lately? Steel has gone through the roof, lumber is out-of site and well, as you can imagine, there is no end in site.
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