Deconstruction is the new buzz word in “green” construction, but it’s actually a fairly old concept. It refers to salvaging building materials during a remodel rather than doing a complete tear-down or demolition, and reusing as much as possible.
That used to be a common practice. Builders would often reuse good lumber, bricks or other materials. Kitchen cabinets removed during a remodel would be put to use in the garage. Somewhere along the line, though, it became easier to tear down buildings with heavy machinery rather than carefully take them apart.
As people and companies are striving to be more environmentally conscious, though, the pendulum seems to be swinging back toward reusing and recycling materials.
While it is more labor intensive to carefully deconstruct a residential construction site than it is to demolish the space with a sledgehammer, the results are far more gratifying.
Diverting building materials from the landfill, saving on dump costs and salvaging good materials for reuse are just a few of the factors to consider when weighing the pros and cons of deconstruction.
For many homeowners, the significant tax incentives for deconstruction help swing the decision toward doing it.
According to The ReUse People (TRP), the tax benefits of deconstruction often more than offset the added labor costs. In an example on the TRP website, the machine demolition costs to tear down a 2,200-square-foot house are estimated at $10,100. The deconstruction cost would be $24,338. However, in a deconstruction, the homeowner would receive $24,640 in after tax benefit, or slightly more than the total deconstruction costs.
At Doyle Construction, we strive to be as environmentally friendly as we can so we are big proponents of deconstruction. Our residential construction project directors work closely with the team at TRP in Oakland to salvage building materials.
We have delivered truckloads of appliances, fixtures, cabinets, doors, trimwork, windows and lumber to TRP. Everything we take to the Oakland warehouse is ready to be re-sold for a new use.
If you would like to learn more about deconstruction for your residential remodeling project, please call our office at (510) 687-1771.