It’s recycling at its best
Whether rebuilding, remodeling or renovating, DeConstruct can help you save time, money AND get a clean start on your project. Our licensed and insured professionals remove old cabinets, fixtures and building materials and resell them at The Habitat HomeStores. You don’t have to pay for the deconstruction, plus you might get a tax credit for your donation.
Habitat’s DeConstruct program is a major contributor to HomeStore revenue, by removing re-sellable items from homes being remodeled, redecorated or demolished for new construction.
DeConstruct services director Jim Neal and his team performed 66 DeConstruct projects in fiscal year 2008-09. DeConstruct diverts tons of quality, reusable material from city landfills per year.
Quality is the key
Crown molding from an older home is generally a much higher quality than what is being used in homes today—made from poplar, not MDF board. In older homes the interior doors are almost all solid wood, not hollow. Light fixtures are heavier, faucets on sinks and tubs are easy to remove and sell at The HomeStores at prices substantially below home-improvement center prices.
“We like the challenge of removing items that have been constructed with such craftsmanship, in a way that can prolong the useful life of the items,” said Jim Neal, deconstruction and rebuild director. “It could almost be classified as ‘surgical removal’, and we take pride in that. Our customers have been happy with the results and with the fact that they’re helping build more homes for hard-working, low-income families.”
Savvy buyers stop in often
Architectural details, french doors, leaded glass windows and antique doorknobs go quickly. Jacuzzi tubs don’t stay on the floor long and kitchen cabinetry and antique mantels are snatched up as soon as they come in the door.
Removable, reusable items include:
- Windows, doors, doorknobs
- Toilets, sinks, vanities, tubs, mirrors
- Faucets, fixtures, kitchen and bathroom cabinets
- Mantels, pine paneling, crown molding
- Light fixtures (both interior and exterior)
- Wrought-iron railing, shelving units
Habitat HomeStore’s DeConstruction team has been wonderful to work with, and they do a very professional job. Whether it’s a complete tear-down on a home for new construction or renovation work on condominiums, they do a very thorough job, removing and hauling away everything that could be re-sold in their stores to build more homes for deserving families. As a developer, it helps me by getting the demolition started with no cost for labor, reduces the amount of waste going to the landfill, gives my business a tax write-off, and generates money to build more Habitat homes. I recommend their team to every builder I know, and it would be great if this kind of program was a municipal requirement for every project where there is tear-out involved.
Guy Marsh
Independent Developer
We worked with Habitat HomeStore’s DeConstruction team on a Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design (LEED) for Homes construction project for which we were tearing down a home to build a new one. The LEED certification process, which promotes green building practices, allows extra points for innovation. One of our ideas with this particular project was to recycle everything we possibly could from the tear-down, and the DeConstruction team made it possible for us do that. They were extremely professional, and they made sure to recover all re-sellable items and materials of the home. They showed up on time and did their work in an extremely timely fashion, which is very is important in any demolition and construction project. So, in addition to generating funds to build more Habitat homes, they also enabled our project to earn points for being more environmentally responsible.
Stanley Jewell
Nashville Construction Company
It’s a great cause, and I’m happy to help carry out the homeowners’ wishes to use their assets to help hardworking families through Habitat. I support any effort to re-use and recycle, and it’s especially nice to know these items will not only be a bargain for shoppers at the HomeStore but also help build more Habitat homes.
Mark Drehobl
Carter Group, LLC
When my wife and I made the decision to replace our home rather than remodeling, we wanted to be just as thoughtful and responsible with the demolition and new construction as we had with our investment in our new living space. The Habitat HomeStore’s DeConstruction team offered us the chance not only to recycle but also to provide a bargain for someone shopping for furnishings, all while raising funds to build Habitat homes for hardworking families. We feel good knowing that the things we enjoyed in our former home will have a place in someone else’s living space, and the money generated will be used for such a good cause.
Ed Routon
Homeowner