Salvage or Demolish? Both.

We recently took possession of this 81 year old wood frame bungalow and garage apartment on Maxie St near Memorial Park.

In order to make plans for a future modern development, the lot would need to be cleared and the house demolished.

Considering the state of the

house and that it was in such a state of disrepair, most people would demolish it outright, and the structure and many of the usable house components would be lost in a landfill unnecessarily.

But before bringing in the demolition crew we wanted to make sure the house which already had a long life would still be able to be used in parts. This was accomplished by meeting with several organizations, such as the Habitat for Humanity Houston ReStore or Historic Houston, that specialize in salvaging usable building components from older structures and selling them for use in other structures.

After first ensuring the water, power and gas utilities were disconnected, and securing a demolition permit from the City of Houston, we provided access to the house for all interested people that could use any remaining parts to begin the salvage process.

From this house we were able to salvage all this

1. Toilets
2. Kitchen sink
3. Water heater 50 gallon tank
4. Electrical wiring
5. Plugs and Switches
6. Light fixtures
7. Siding on exterior
8. Front Porch decking
9. Front Porch ceiling
10. Windows
11. Doors – Interior, Exterior, Screen
12. Door hardware- doorknobs, handles, locks and hinges
13. Some siding and ornamental trim fascia boards
14. Chain-link wire fence
15. Steel Laundry-line posts
16. Bathroom fixtures- sink, vanity, showerhead and faucets
17. Ceiling joists
18. Kitchen cabinets, cabinet doors, cabinet hardware

The lifecycle of these items will be extended for use in another location and provide use for some time. We saved about 10 yards of waste from going into a landfill, a small speck in a mountain of garbage, but if this was done with more older homes prior to demolition, it would have a noticeable impact.

Other items one should have salvaged or recycled from buildings slated for demolition include:

1. Carpets and carpet padding
2. Hardwood floors – these can be sanded and refinished
3. Air conditioning systems – metal components should be recycled
4. Garage doors
5. Any metal piping, conduit can be recycled