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Save Money With Recycled Building Materials Article
Save Money with Recycled Building Materials
from:With so much focus on saving the environment and keeping as much stuff as possible out of landfills, there is a great opportunity for saving a ton of money by buying recycled building materials instead of buying them new. In some cases, you can save as much as 50% of what new materials and fixtures would cost so buying recycled is an important consideration. Besides, you’ll be doing your part to save the environment as well. Whether you are completing a small home improvement project or a grand scale home renovation, you can likely find recycled building materials that you can use.
Find New and Used Recycled Building Materials
Recycled building materials aren’t always throwaways from others who are renovating. Sometimes, they are simply leftovers that have been donated or sold to a recycling center that specializes in construction and building materials. Think of it as a construction based flea market of sorts. You may be able to find the perfect bathroom fixture for half the cost or an entire set of kitchen cabinets.
Consider Using Recycled Paint
Many retailers, including national home improvement stores, offer recycled paint and you can save a lot of money over buying new paint. You will still have a wide choice of colors, especially with reprocessed paint, which is intended for use on exterior surfaces. Reblended recycled paint, which is intended for interior use doesn’t offer as many color variations but if you’re happy with the colors available, it can mean huge savings.
Shop ReStores
ReStores is the name of Habitat for Humanity’s retail outlet that offers donated recycled building materials at a huge savings to the public. Contractors, individuals, and home improvement stores donate surplus or sometimes, damaged building materials to ReStores and there are many of them across the United States. Check online for a store in your area. In addition, although ReStores is a not for profit venture, there are also for profit retail stores that sell recycled building materials at a fraction of the cost of new building materials. In fact, some of these stores will pay you for your scrap materials so you may be able to strike a deal in getting rid of your old building materials.
Be Aware of Types and Grades
Before purchasing or using recycled building materials, it is important for you to know the type and grade of the materials as many of the building materials you will use in your home improvement project have specific attributes that differ among areas of the country. For example, before you use someone else’s leftover wood for your building project, make sure it is the type of wood that is fitting for your project. The same goes for brick, insulation, paint, and a variety of other building materials. That’s not to discourage the use of recycled building materials, on the contrary, if you can use recycled materials, save money, and keep them out of the landfills, you will be doing yourself and the environment a great favor. Just make sure you can really use the products first.