A nice story from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about a nonprofit that has found a way to make money from selling construction salvage, not necessarily a new idea, but one this group is planning to take deeper.
An excerpt.
“One recent day along Forbes Avenue in Squirrel Hill, two workers for Construction Junction fed wavy ceramic roofing tiles down a makeshift chute from a porch roof into a box in a truck bed. Cardboard and other cushioning absorbed the tiles' landing.
“Original to the 1920s house, the tiles are "an excellent product" that could take another 50 years of wear, said Brian Swearingen, Construction Junction's crew chief on the job. It was the first "deep salvage" project Construction Junction has been able to do after years of lobbying private and public property owners.
“Terradime Development gave its approval to the crew, whose mission was to rid five properties of as much usable material as was financially practical to take. The Urban Redevelopment Authority granted $5,000 toward the effort. The properties -- a former beauty salon and four homes of similar vintage -- will be razed this spring to make way for a 14-unit condominium.
“Deep salvage, as opposed to the typical salvage CJ's crews do, can gut a house if everything is in good shape and salable, from floors and subfloors to floor joists and molding. The depth of the salvage depends on whether the expected return is worth the labor. Some houses yielded good sub-flooring, some didn't.
"You can only go so high on [pricing] used stuff," said Mr. Swearingen, adding that some materials aren't in demand.
"It's always a gamble. People in our company believe strongly in the mission, but we have to keep the doors open."
“Typically, Construction Junction takes what demolition contractors don't want and what it can sell to the public. Other contributions come from individuals who are renovating or clearing out their homes.
“Pittsburgh's 11-year-old nonprofit used-building-materials superstore in North Point Breeze has been trying to dig deeper in the salvage game, but it's tricky business, said director Mike Gable. Many properties are too ravaged to yield decent material.”
About
- David H. Lukenbill
- I am a California native, married, we have one daughter and live close to the American River with two cats and all the wild critters we can feed. I am a management consultant to nonprofit organizations and have an Associates of Arts degree in Administration of Justice from Sacramento City College, a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco and a Master of Public Administration degree, also from the University of San Francisco.