Remodelers Prefer the Old to the New
A growing number of remodelers are turning to used products, as the number of reused-material stores around the country has doubled in the last five years from 150 to 300, according to the Building Materials Reuse Association.
The stores are popular because well-made products — some of them from new construction sites and others from previous eras — can be purchased at a fraction of current retail cost.
Many of the sites are run by nonprofit organizations and get all or most of their products from donations, many of which come from homes that have been torn down or "deconstructed" instead of being demolished.
Still, not all reusable material is cheap. For instance, Mountain Lumber in Ruckersville, Va., which manufactures products from reclaimed wood, charges an average of about $3,000 for flooring for a 300-square-foot kitchen and about $8,000 for an 800-square-foot one. And that's just for the product — the company does not do installation.
Source: The Washington Post, Allan Lengel (08/04/07)
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