stuff

as you may have noticed from previous post we've adopted a bit of the 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) attitude toward the house. taking things old from one place and using them new again in others. (we have big plans for the tin ceiling we "harvested" from under the drop ceiling on the first floor).

here's the hitch. construction sites make garbage, demolition multiplies that exponentially. there is no way to not throw tons (and I don't exaggerate) of debris away. building little fires out of the clear wood will only get us so far. we have bundle upon bundle of old oak flooring tied up in the backyard. it's too good to throw away but we have no idea where to use it.

on a like note, what to do with the rarified building materials (I'm looking at you big pink insulation plank) that are still good but not likely to ever be used? I feel like we're becoming a home for wayward building supplies. not to mention the whole ethos of getting rid of hazardous materials.

I struggle. when we got into the whole home reno thing I never thought about the large percentage of work that is procurment and disposal. buy crap and get rid of crap. rinse and repeat.

we hired some demo guys to come haul away the debris we made in demoing the first floor. it was the best $300 I ever spent. we called them on a sunday afternoon, and they were there within a couple of hours (yes New York is good for some things). they hauled away all but the most choice 3R bits.

and now our backyard is filled with debris again!

the entire time I have been typng this post michael has  been yammering about this idea or the other for how we can use all the reclaimed wood. so we are still trying to stick to our guns. but I pledge you this -- once everything is done the rest is going. of couse as I make that statement I think about the three principles of wabi sabi:

All things are impermanent
All things are imperfect
All things are incomplete

Comments

[Saple]

Do you have a habitat for humanity restore store near you. They will take usable building materials that were left over or have been removed.. ie. Sinks toilets doors cabinets..

[Kevin]

You could see if there is a Freecycle group in your area. I've never done it, but I plan to.

[Lillian]

Freecycle is great, but sometimes no one's looking for what you're trying to give away when you want. Habitat is also a great choice. The EPA has a commodities exchange with the following web address: http://www.epa.gov/jtr/comm/exchstat.htm#ny. It's a shame it takes so much work to reuse good materials instead of letting them become part of our waste stream. Here's hoping you can make a connection.