Sadly, nearly twenty million tonnes of waste are sent to Canadian landfill sites each year and one-third of that comes from the construction, renovation and demolition industries, stated an article published in The Globe & Mail. There are opportunities to recycle, reuse and even repurpose used renovation and construction materials. This concept is something general contractors and construction companies are starting to consider and it’s catching on with homeowners as well.
David from Home Re-Use-Ables in Edmonton worked in the demolition industry for a few years. He saw the enormous waste or reusable building materials along with the frustration of eco-conscious people like contractors, builders, demolition companies and homeowners seeing perfectly good materials go to waste. David realized there was a real need to redirect these materials.
David and his environmentally conscious wife Sherry had a vision to create a business that would provide an outlet for other businesses to bring used and excess building product to, but also an provide an opportunity to the general public to purchase low-cost, quality used building materials. The retail store Home Re-Use-Ables was born!
How It Works:
Getting the Materials
The crew at Home-Re-Use-Ables finds the materials for the store. They source materials from properties undergoing demolition, renovations and from the general public who have quality used materials for sale. Some of the materials collected include windows and doors, kitchen cabinetry, plumbing fixtures and general construction supplies.
They have an opportunity for homeowners to sell their quality used items, and help out the environment while they’re at it! If you’re having a house demolished, Home Re-Use-Ables will come view and photograph the house and it’s interior contents before it’s torn down to see what materials can be collected and sold in the store. Then they provide an evaluation to determine what they’ll pay the homeowner and set a date for their own demo crew to come, dismantle the items and bring them to the store.
If you’re moving and have some old renovation supplies you’ve been storing in the garage for years, they can take that stuff off your hands. Or if you accidentally purchased too much renovation materials, or the wrong renovation materials and are having a hard time selling it online, they’ll buy that from you too!
Processing the Materials
Now that Home Re-Use-Ables has a good stock of materials from renovation, construction and demolition companies as well as from homeowners, they take it in for processing. This includes cleaning and repairing items and pricing them. Generally, the price is set at under half of new items and many times it is much less than that!
Materials Go to the Showrooms
Once the materials are all cleaned up and ready to sell, they go into one of Home Re-Use-Ables many showrooms. Here you will find a huge variety of household items, renovation and building materials including:
– business and industrial supplies
– cabinets and countertops
– windows and doors
– flooring
– hardware and building supplies
– heating, ventilation and cooling
– home décor
– lighting
– lumber, moulding and millwork
– 
masonry
– outdoor deck, fences and siding
– plumbing fixtures and faucets
– roofing
– stairs, spindles and railings
– storage and organization
– tile
– and re-funked, their store within a store!
“Reclaimed Look” is Trending in Home Design
The increased awareness of our impact on the earth and the development of more sustainable building practices has increased the use of reclaimed and re-purposed materials in home renovations. Materials like vintage metal ceiling tiles and old-fashioned light fixtures are being used in home design. Newer homes might have a rustic floor or feature wall made of reclaimed barn wood, wooden pallets are used to make patio furniture or indoor shelving and used furniture is refurbished and recovered to reflect the latest styles.
If you want to achieve this stylish reclaimed look, and participate in sustainable home renovations, consider visiting the Home Re-Use-Ables store in Edmonton for quality building supplies, materials and unique home décor. For some ideas on re-purposed materials used in home design check out Houzz, House Logic and the DIY Network.
See what Home Re-Use-Ables has in store for your next renovation project!
