do you know your local building material reclaimer/recycler?

[mopinko]

i cannot tell you how much money i have saved and what good friends i have made by shopping at my local reclaim joint first.
at this point, i get the best deals available. now, i have bribed them. they are a 501, training people to do building deconstruction, as well as basic life skills to various at risk populations. they have fund raisers that are fun and not that expensive. they sell memberships, which gets you a 10% discount. and i take them xmas cookies. and eggs, which the boss gladly pays the going rate for.

i am rehabbing a cute little house as a rental. i have scored-
a 20 piece honey maple kitchen for $1200
2 toilets, 2 nice pedestal sinks and a tub for about $300
a couple of nice hand made light fixtures for $50
a fancy wrought iron screen door for $100
the exact same butlers cabinet that was missing from the house $750
2 nice wide/odd sized windows for the basement $40 ea
2 corner cabinets $150
2 medicine cabinets $50 ea

and here is the super score-
marble counter tops. ok, i had marble for the backsplash and bathroom walls that i got pretty cheap. it is the thin end of a vein, the less desirable parts, in this case less flecks/streaks of red.
the countertop is the same marble, but from the sweet part of the vein. lovely splashes of red that matches the floor tile and the siding and the backsplash tile.
one big piece- about 8', and about 1' wider than standard counter, w a bow out in front of the oval, fancy sink, inc.
4 more pieces of standard counter from 8'-12'
one of my contractors says this is $10k worth. i do think it will easily do 2 kitchens.

just guess what a favorite customer pays to rescue such beauty from the landfill.

[KT2000]

1. I know someone who used

a lot of materials from places like that to build a duplex for her and her son. I just got an old mop there that is metal - not plastic for 50 cents.

[mopinko]

2. yeah, not just cheap, but the good stuff.

there are a lot of them popping up here because cook county has a rule that 30% of building materials are supposed to be recycled.
not that it is widely done, or even known, but at least some of the bigger guys know. since it's a 501, you can get a tax deduction, and who doesnt love that?

also happens that the woman who runs it was a contractor on the ritzy northshore for 20+ years, and knows everybody. she did lots of work for the many pritzkers, the hyatt hotel family.
what those people up there tear out is better than most new homes. and because they are all so big, there are enough parts for a good sized kitchen and leftovers.

it can be a challenge to design on the fly, and to design w what you have. but it is a really fun challenge.

[Historic NY]

3. Habitat ReStore.....is also a source

depending on location is usually stocked with leftover contractor items, and stuff from various stores.

I got all my laundry room cabinets from them, all unfinished oak, the same ones Lowes & Home Despot sell, for 20 bucks ea. along with a huge length of countertop. Furnished my garage with solid cherry cabinets, LOL. We have a reclaimer at the nearby airport

Now I'll have to take a ride need to find a laundry room sinkbase that can be made to fit the slop sink.

[mopinko]

4. yeah, there are a couple in chi.

they pick up a lot of crazy stuff like furniture and appliances.
when i go to pick out my appliance for this job i've got a couple of places i'll check. can get gently used/new even wolf and subzero for kenmore prices.

[mopinko]

5. ok, imma kick my own thread w the answer

over 50 linear feet of high end marble counter top, including 8' of oversized counter, w sink cut and sink.

told it was worth $10k. i paid



















$1500