Going green during your Bay Area home remodeling project will not only be good for the earth but it’s going to be good for your pocket as well.  

 

Reusing Materials When You Remodel Your Home

Whether you’re remodeling the kitchen or your entire Bay Area home or office from scratch, or you’re just revamping a bathroom, kitchen, or guest room, so that your grandparents can finally have a place to stay when they visit the kids, this article will introduce you to a better way of thinking about how to conserve/recycle materials during general construction.

It can be tempting to want to rip out everything. But a little bit of thought can not only save you time and money; it can also inspire new kinds of creativity. Here’s a sound process for thinking through your repurposing needs.

1. Write down why you’re remodeling.

Are you remodeling your kitchen in your Bay Area home, so that your house will be more valuable on the market? Are you transforming your living room, so that it will be a safer/more fun place for your kids or guests? Until you understand precisely why you’re doing the project, you’re going to have a difficult time determining what, if anything, you can recycle and reuse.

2. Identify the values that will govern the remodeling project.

Imagine if you turned over the keys to some other person or company. In other words, say you decided that you would no longer be involved in any aspect of the remodeling. What would you tell that person or company to do (or not do)? For instance, would you impose budget or time constraints? Would you want to ensure that x percentage of the materials used got recycled? Would you have aesthetic or safety rules to follow? Write these down.

3. Imagine a best case outcome – in detail.

Once you have your purpose defined and the values articulated, spend time brainstorm a best-case outcome for the project. What if the remodeling project was already done? What would your room like? How much would it cost? How much of the materials would be reused? What would happen to those materials? Don’t constrain yourself at this point of the thought process. Just take some time and imagine best-case scenarios.

4. Make a real world plan.

Once you’ve envisioned your dream result, it’s time to get down to brass tacks. What sub-projects will be required to help you remodel? What materials could you reasonably repurpose, given your Martha Stewart-like abilities (or lack thereof), handiness (or lack thereof), time frame, and budget? If you’re scampering to remodel your kitchen in advance of your family’s Thanksgiving visit, for instance, you might have to toss out your old baseboards, cabinets, and flooring. If you have more time, you could repurpose those materials – use them in other rooms or to build exotic stuff, like a tree house or a fun obstacle course for your dog.

5. Bay Area General Construction Professionals

For help discovering best practices for recycling and repurposing, turn to the general contractors at B.A. Morrison. Our savvy, experienced team can help you make the most of your project and keep it on-spec and on-budget. 510-538-9817 or contact us here online right now.

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