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RECYCLE MATERIALS
It is satisfying, fun and economical to reuse old building materials.
In our society there has been a stigma attached to "used" stuff. We value
"new" above all else, or at least the advertising forces would have us
believe that. Antiques, of course, have acquired their own cachet and
their value is hyped, primarily because of rarity. It's that middle ground
of stuff that isn't new and hasn't acquired the status of being "antique"
that I would like to focus on here.
The local dump is a great place to look for such stuff because it
is often perceived as valueless. Our local dump actually has an area set
aside for potentially reusable items, and they encourage people to sort
through it. We found our kitchen sink there, in perfectly good condition,
except for a little chip in the corner that I covered with tile. The virtue
of recycling used building materials lies in diminishing the need for
industry to recreate it. All of the energy that is spent in manufacturing
and transporting something can be saved. The raw materials that would
be drawn from the earth can be saved. The need to cover the item in the
local landfill can be saved.
The value of recycling building materials, or anything else for that
matter, is that the cost is likely to be a fraction of the same thing
in the "new" category. The savings can be substantial. Take the case of
Lonny Roth's house that he is building in our neighborhood. It is a very
nice looking house of about 1,200 square feet. Lonny tells me that about
three quarters of all the materials used to build the house have been
recycled. He estimates that the cost of the house when it is finished
will be right around $20,000. About half of the materials for Lonny's
house were pulled from dumpsters at construction sites. Much of the framing
and sheathing materials were found this way. Also many of the doors, windows,
sinks, plumbing parts and appliances were used.
Another approach to recycling is to take an existing container and
incorporate it into the structure of the house. I've seen this done with
water towers, wine vats, silos, cabooses and box cars. There are several
houses in our area that have utilized railroad box cars very effectively.
One of these has incorporated two refrigerated box cars lined up parallel
to each other, with a room spanning the space in between them. Refrigerated
box cars are nice in that they are already well insulated. One of the
cars in Larry Johnson's house is earth bermed all the way to the top on
the north side. The other one has a greenhouse attached to the south side.
These box cars measure about fifty feet by ten feet, so they create about
500 square feet of living space each. With the additions to this space,
Larry has about 2300 square feet all together.
In our earthbag house we used lots of old metal wagon wheels and culvert
couplers to create circular supports for windows. We had to scrounge a
bit for the wheels because they seem to be popular for yard ornaments.
We also used a few truckloads of trash paper making the papercrete to
cover the earthbags. The polypropylene bags themselves are recycled misprinted
rice bags. Some of the lumber used to frame the solar roof was salvaged
from a local barn.
There is a good chance that old wood (if it has been kept dry) is
better that what can be purchased as new lumber. This is true for two
reasons. First, it has had a chance to cure; new lumber is often green
lumber. Secondly, the trees that supplied the lumber in the first place
were likely larger in girth, and therefore the wood has fewer knots and
is less likely to twist and warp.
Many localities have places that collect and resell recycled building
materials. They might accept and sell such materials as wood, flooring,
doors, windows, electrical supplies, ducting, hardware, plumbing, insulation,
cabinets, fencing and landscaping. So I suggest that before you go off
to the store to buy something new for your house, you might check the
used section of the classified ads, second hand stores, salvage yards,
the dump, or your neighbor's garage sale. Rather than stimulate more industrial
activity, why not utilize something that is looking for a home? Or if you are currently renovating or plan to in the future, you could call a company like this junk removal Toronto service or this service in Louisville when it's all done. They can help haul away junk, debris, rubble, etc., and take it to the appropriate location so others can find materials for their own building purposes.
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RESOURCES
SEARCH
THIS SITE
BOOKS
& VIDEOS
ARTICLES:
Recycled Houses
Building with Shipping Containers
Moving an Old Stone Building
Thermal Depolymerization Process
PLANS
EXPERT
ADVICE
with Bill Sitkin
Recycling in General
Deconstruction (and Reconstruction)
Recycling Old Wood
Recycling Bottles
Recycling Bricks
Recycling Tires
Recycling Shipping Containers
Remodeling
Miscellaneous
INFORMATIVE
LINKS
Here is a 2 minute radio interview with Kelly Hart talking about using recycled materials for building:
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Eco House Book by Terence Conran, 2009. A complete guide to home improvement the environmentally friendly way: whether you want to redecorate or redesign your home, this book provides all the information you need to reduce your home's carbon footprint and improve the quality of your life. Conran shows us that it is possible to convert our existing homes into greener, healthier places without starting from scratch. Whether you want to redecorate or redesign your home, Eco House Book explains how relatively small and economic changes can be made, including simple repairs to improve energy efficiency, water saving tips, and productive gardening, to more dramatic overhauls such as redesigning room use, converting basements and extending your home. Attention is given to reducing the vast amounts of energy and water that homes consume on a daily basis, with advice on low energy lighting strategies and decorative choices, improving insulation and reducing energy use, the latest green heating systems, alternative ways of generating power, and electricity reducing appliances.
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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Building and Remodeling by John Barrows and Lisa Iannucci, 2009.
This guide helps environmentally conscious people make real-world decisions about building or remodeling a home. Readers will find information on how to save money by going green when building or remodeling, how to find the right green integrated system design, how to choose heating and cooling equipment, and how to save money on water.
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Intermodal Shipping Container Small Steel Buildings by Paul Sawyers, 2008.
Intermodal Shipping Container Small Steel Buildings explains how to purchase steel cargo containers and modify them for use as buildings under 1000 sq ft in size. Learn how you can save up to 40% over tradition lumber and factory made steel structures with these unique building blocks. New and used steel shipping containers are available nationwide. It's easy to buy containers and modify them for use as workshops, garages, cabins, guest houses, super carports, RV - 5th wheel covers, and much more (the book shows how). Enjoy a building that's up to fifty times stronger than most structures, built quick and with amazingly little labor. Take part in the shipping container building revolution with the worlds first book on the subject.
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Recycled Spaces : Converting Buildings into Homes by Vinny Lee, 2000. Recycling old buildings can keep historic landmarks part of the community, and revitalizing these structures makes for one-of-a-kind homes. Recycled Spaces presents projects that have created beautifully designed apartments and houses out of former ecclesiastical, industrial, agricultural, municipal, and commercial sites. It provides guidelines for preserving the integrity of architectural features such as staircases, mezzanines, and period decor. And it includes a resource list with contact information for historic building preservation societies, restoration specialists, salvage companies, and architects. This is a perfect guide for renovation projects, but its coffee-table format and striking photographs will appeal to armchair decorators, people looking for fresh design ideas, and collectors of design books.
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Green Building & Remodeling For Dummies by Eric Corey Freed, 2007. Building a home—even a green home—uses plenty of resources and energy. This practical, hands-on book shows you how to build or remodel conscientiously, whether your dream home is a simple remodel or a brand-new multimillion-dollar mansion. You'll start by identifying green materials and sizing up potential systems and construction sites. You'll weigh the pros and cons of popular green building methods and identify opportunities for saving money in the long run. This book will also help you discover how to: Understand the lifecycle of building materials; Choose the right system for your green building project; Put together a green team; Work within your budget; Use green building methods and sustainable systems; Speed construction and reduce energy use and waste; Refinish old fixtures and materials; Beware of asbestos and lead-paint hazards; Avoid costly mistakes. |
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Old Wood/New Home by Lawson Drinkard , Audrey Hall, 2000. Old Wood/New Home is all about reclaiming a homestead cabin in an imaginative way, either for permanent residence of for vacationing, and preserving nature's resources at the same time. Rich photographs of wood cabins, either reclaimed or constructed of recycled wood, shows a myriad of ways you can make a homestead building your own. From interior decor to architectural details, from reclaiming logs to blending new wood with old, author Lawson Drinkard shows tricks of the trade for building and decorating.
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Natural Remodeling for the Not-So-Green House: Bringing Your Home into Harmony with Nature by Carol Venolia , Kelly Lerner, 2006. To have a home that's more in touch with the earth, you don't have to start from the ground up! It's possible—and more environmentally friendly—to go green by renovating an existing home. With the help of Carol Venolia, an award-winning architect and bestselling author, and Kelly Lerner, a world-famous innovator in the field of sustainable development, even the least mechanically inclined person can make a difference in his or her dwelling…and to the planet. The two have produced a remarkable book—packed with information and photos, and the first ever in full color to cover the subject. It's lush and exquisite to look at, filled with motivational case studies and informative graphics, and completely user-friendly.
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The Resourceful Renovator: A Gallery of Ideas for Reusing Building Materials by Jennifer Corson, 2000. This lavish compendium of design ideas for the home owner combines ecological sensitivity with a diehard frugality and flare for style. From moving entire houses to salvaging a surprising range of materials, this book will inspire you to push the limits of creativity. You'll never think of that old door or window frame the same way again. As the "Resourceful Renovator," Jennifer introduces the primary categaories of building materials (wood, glass, stone, ceramics, metal, and brick) and highlights the environmental impact of each during its life cycle, from extraction to disposal. She then takes the reader one step further into the process and shows how to avoid the pitfalls of "cheap chic." By imaginatively and creatively reusing materials, a resourceful renovator saves energy, saves money, and creates space that is uniquely beautiful. This book will inspire the do-it-yourselfer, the home decorator, the forward-thinking architect, the green builder, the cheapskate, and the economist.
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Building Adaptation by James Douglas, 2002. Nearly half of all output in the construction industry in the Western world is the repair and adaptation of existing buildings, yet few books have addressed this subject in any depth. 'Building Adaptation' is a textbook for senior students that covers not only the technical aspects of how to carry out alterations, but also addresses issues such as feasibility, design and contractual matters. Numerous illustrations and examples are included that focus on a wide variety of different building types. Professional architects, building surveyors and construction managers will find this a welcome addition to their library and it is essential reading for degree and diploma students of these disciplines. *Covers the whole adaptation process from inception to implementation and disposal *Includes case studies and over 130 illustrations *Looks at commercial, industrial and residential buildings.
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Eco-Refurbishment, First Edition : A Practical Guide to Creating an Energy Efficient Home by Peter Smith, 2003. This clear and accessible guide provides a comprehensive outline on how to convert your house into a more 'green' home. Buildings are the greates energy wasters and for those of us concerned about the environment, and household bills, this book presents the key design changes that we can implement to our own homes to remedy energy loss. This title covers the full range of design chanegs that are available to the homeowner and designer for renovation, from the roof to the basement, from insulation to windows. It also feature a selection of case studies illustrating the experiences of other homeowners and designers and how they have adapted and used the technology available to them in creating an energy efficient home. This is a practical, hands-on guide, ideal for architects, designers and homeowners. * Comprehensive practical design guide to making your home energy efficient * Covers all aspects of the house, from roof to basement, making it relevant to all homes * Clear explanations give you a basic understanding of the technology behind the design.
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Reviving Old Houses: Over 500 Low-Cost Tips & Techniques by Alan Dan Orme. Practical advice for anyone maintaining or restoring an old house. Covers roofs, walls, masonry, glazing, insulation, plumbing, stairs, doors, and more. 6x9, 180 pages, paperback. Note: Since I bought a 50+ year old house myself I found this book useful for some areas I did not know about during the purchase cycle. The advantage of buying an old house is that it's "grandfathered" in, and you may have less code/inspection/permits to deal with becuase you are "repairing" old walls, floors, roofs, etc. --Charmaine Taylor.
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The Art & Science Of Dumpster Diving ..How to get anything free! Furniture, clothing, building materials, tools, good food, even luxury items for free; handing run-ins with police; converting trash to treasures; selling found goods. The author gives an excellent rendition of how he does it, and the best ways to find virtually anything you want for free! Best Seller among the frugal crowd. If you scrounge, ask for free stuff when you see it, and don't care what people think as you sort through the local dumpsters then this book is for you. Personally, I found this book a good "back-up" to my natural inclination to go for tossed out windows, building materials and "junk" put out on trash day. I built an entire hot water heater closet on the back of my home from brand new "scrap" from a new bank building built in town. The site manager was happy to let me take HardiPlank wallboard, 2x4" , top grade plywood sheathing, and new trim pieces, as it saved him the cost of paying for removal. Needless to say the Hot water heater was free too...aquired from a guy upgrading to a bigger model- just haul it away, so I did. I cannot tell you the amount of free stuff you can get, and many owner-builders across the country do the same thing!- Charmaine Taylor
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Affordable Home Design : Innovations and Renovations by Martha Torres, 2005. This book showcases a wide array of solutions to this same architectural challenge of good design and structure on a budget. The projects featured include extensions of houses and apartments already in existence, ecological housing design, sustainable and structurally cost-effective homes, and new buildings in strictly coded conservation zones. Through more than 250 full-color photographs, this essential book reveals how today's architects are able to adapt to the necessities of a more affordable budget when approaching the always exciting necessity of designing a home. This book is packed with solutions to appeal to designers on a budget who want to keep quality without high expense. Here are projects which focus on budget-saving ideas and sustainable designs, covering both new construction and renovation projects from single family homes to apartments. Energy saving ideas are a big part of Affordable Home Design, with discussions revolving around originally commissioned idea versus finished project considerations. Martha Torres received a degree in architecture in Venezuela and has coordinated a number of design projects: her expertise lends to a fine set of ideas.
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Eco-Renovation: The Ecological Home Improvement Guide, by Edward Harland, 1999. There's a popular bumper sticker that says "Think Globally, Act Locally." You can't get any more local than your own home. One of the best paths to environmentally-friendly housing is recycling old houses, whether you want to improve your current home or "move up" to a better place. Eco-Renovation is specifically aimed at homeowners who want to make existing houses as "green" as possible. Author Edward Harland provides a concise overview of the major home related ecological questions and concerns and then offers practical solutions and suggestions for renovating the home ecologically. Eco-Renovation will show you how to: reduce heating bills substantially, select building materials that are resource efficient and environmentally-safe, convert and maximize living space and protect the family from toxic substances.
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Rural Studio: Samuel Mockbee and an Architecture of Decency by Andrea Oppenheimer Dean, 2002. For almost ten years, Samuel Mockbee and his architecture students at Auburn University have been designing and building striking houses and community buildings for impoverished residents of Alabama's Hale County. Using salvaged lumber and bricks, discarded tires, hay and waste cardboard bales, concrete rubble, colored bottles, and old license plates, they create inexpensive buildings that bear the trademark of Mockbee's work, which he describes as "contemporary modernism grounded in Southern culture." In addition to being a social welfare venture, the Rural Studio--"Taliesin South" as Mockbee calls it--is also an educational experiment and a prod to the architectural profession to act on its best instincts. In giving students hands-on experience in designing and building something real, it extends their education beyond paper architecture. And in scavenging and reusing a variety of unusual materials, it is a model of sustainable architecture. "I tell my students, it's got to be warm, dry, and noble"--Samuel Mockbee
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Building With Reclaimed Materials by Wim Pauwels, 2007. Antique building materials immediately give timeless, inimitable style to a new or restored home. Reclaimed wooden floors, old terracotta tiles, traditional Burgundy slabs, old roof tiling, antique fireplaces... these all fit perfectly into contemporary or classic surroundings. This book presents dozens of inspiring examples, each one beautifully photographed, and also provides addresses of dealers in antique construction materials.
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Converting Old Buildings Into New Homes by Barry Davies, Nigel Begg, 2004.
Residential property prices have risen dramatically over the years, yet there are thousands of dilapidated and unused buildings which can present a much cheaper way of acquiring a home. This book examines every aspect of converting types of redundant property including surveys, legislation and regulations, professional help and advice, and budgeting and insurance. It also discusses design and location of various living spaces; external features; lighting, heating, ventilation, energy conservation, and acoustics; and it guides the reader through contracts, quotations, planning the project, timetables, and on-site operations. It includes a number of case studies which demonstrate what can be achieved with different types of property.
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LINKS
www.ubma.org The Used Building Materials Assocation is a North American non-profit organization.
habitat.org/env/restores Habitat for Humanity ReStores sell recycled building materials.
recycle.net worldwide recycling directory.
grn.com global recylcling network with links.
Recyclestore California based listing of sources for recycled building materials.
deconstructioninstitute.org features articles, educational opportunities, and links related to recycling.
nytimes.com an article, titled "This Old Recyclable House" weighs the pros and cons of the modern deconstuction industry.
buildingresources.org Recycled building resources in the San Francisco Bay Area.
resource2k.org Recycled building resources in the Boulder, Colorado Area.
thereusepeople.org Buys and sells used building materials in Oakland, CA, Boulder, CO and Seattle,WA.
staplescabinetmakers various pieces of furniture are made with lumber reclaimed from New England buildings.
oldwoodworkshop.com sells reclaimed lumber and architectural features.
frtirerecycle.com this company sells huge bales of recycled tires that have been used for various building projects.
arcillaresearch.com is a company that is involved with designing systems for reprocessing a vast array of waste materials into useful building materials that resemble ceramics, but without being fired.
retreadproducts.com manufactures "tire logs" from recycled tires that can be used for many building and landscaping projects.
buildinggreen.com an article about the importance of retrofitting existing homes for energy effciency.
sgblocks.com describes a system for reusing steel shipping containers to build residences up to several stories high.
dancingrabbit.org this well-made and informative video features a light-straw-clay home that also uses reclaimed lumber.
LivePaths.com blogs about people and companies that make money selling recycled or reused items, provide green services or help us reduce our dependency on non renewable resources.
all-scrap.com is a scrap materials exchange website.
earthstonetechnology.com takes recycled glass bottles and turns them into a variety of useful products.
oldwoodguy.com features recycled wood warehoused in Washington and Minnesota states.
TheBarnPages.com You can buy and sell used barns all over the U.S. from this site.
theownerbuilder.com.au an article about building a staircase out of recycled lumber.
wholeloglumber.com sells a range of recycled wood flooring materials from North Carolina.
agilitynut.com has several links to some wonderful examples of bottle houses.
paperhouserockport.com describes an entire house made mostly of old newspapers, furniture and all.
cnn.com an article with embedded video and photos about shipping copntainer homes.
krepcio.com/vitreosity a pictorial presentation of many lovely and amazing bottle construction projects/art.
youtube.com this video shows how some plastic bottles were used to create a wall.
bluecollarindustrialist.blogspot.com the story of how an old grain bin was recycled into a dwelling.
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