Anyone who lives in the Pacific Northwest probably knows the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. This concept applies to building renovation, too. Updating your space doesn’t have to mean creating more waste. Portland demolition contractors can salvage reusable or historic materials and prepare your property for its next development. Deconstruction is the sustainable, and often more affordable, counterpart to traditional demolition.
Almost anything can be deconstructed: a kitchen, a residential house, or even an entire commercial building. Crews can selectively dismantle as many reusable parts as possible, including doors, windows, cabinets, insulation, electrical and plumbing fixtures, framing, paneling, roofing, and flooring. The practice gives new life to unwanted products that would otherwise end up in landfills. Once you use deconstruction services, you’ll realize how much it benefits you, your community, the earth — and your wallet.
3 Reasons to Consider Deconstruction for your Next Demolition Project
- The Social Benefits.
Deconstruction achieves several community objectives. The practice helps preserve historic or architectural elements prior to a building’s demolition or renovation. From decades-old fixtures to pillars made of rare, old growth wood, there’s a use for most building materials. The legacy of architectural craftwork can live on, even if it’s not in the new building. Using deconstruction services can clean out a space while also helping to protect history.
But the materials don’t always have to be historical. Portland demolition contractors can donate building elements to help outfit nonprofit organizations. Your leftovers could better the lives of schools, laudable recycling programs, or disadvantaged individuals who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford building materials. By recycling building products back into the community at a low cost, you help your neighbors advance.
Deconstruction also generates employment and job training opportunities. It requires more labor than standard demolition, about a 5 to 1 ratio, which means more opportunities for employment. The work also necessitates specialized training, empowering laborers with important skill sets that can bloom into lifelong careers. Job creation means economic development. These “green collar jobs” are here to stay, especially as sustainability becomes paramount in business practices.
- The Environmental Benefits.
According to the EPA, new construction, renovation, and demolition projects create more than a quarter of the total solid waste volume in the United States. If 25% of the buildings demolished every year were deconstructed instead, approximately 20 million tons of debris could be diverted from landfills. Deconstruction benefits the environment by preventing usable materials from being sent to crowded landfills.
By reducing waste output, deconstruction lessens the amount of greenhouse gas emissions created by landfill incinerators. Less landfill waste also translates to less contaminated groundwater, and less dust in the atmosphere. It also lowers the need for manufacturing new materials, and thus, overall energy consumption. In addition, deconstruction encourages local reuse of building products, decreasing the amount of fuel spent on shipping.
The positive environmental impact of deconstruction is incredible. As much as 90% of a building can often be reused — a great boon to the earth’s health.
- The Financial Benefits.
Perhaps surprisingly, deconstruction can actually be more affordable than traditional demolition. Donating leftover material can bring generous tax deductions, sometimes representing tens of thousands of dollars saved.
However, deconstruction doesn’t have to equate to donating raw materials. If you plan to relocate, why not take parts of your previous home with you? Doing so will save you money for future renovation expenses. Most people don’t realize how much cash is, figuratively, lining their walls and floors.
Moreover, demolition requires waste disposal, and disposing of unwanted buildings materials isn’t cheap. Leaving garbage at Portland’s Metro Central costs $118.33 per ton. With deconstruction, the dumping costs are next to nothing. In fact, the EPA has stated that deconstruction is more cost-effective than demolition because of the high dumping fees, as well as the savings incurred from deconstruction donations.
Choosing Deconstruction
When redeveloping property, you may consider alternative ways of changing your space. For many, deconstruction is a logical solution to renovation needs. You’ll save time and money while also improving your local and global communities.
Some Portland demolition companies, like Elder Demolition, perform deconstruction services, too. Deconstruction can take place before, during, or in place of demolition. You’ll need qualified Portland demolition contractors to evaluate the structure and identify any salvageable materials based on utility and aesthetic values. We can also recognize, capture, and safely dispose of any hazardous elements, in accordance with local, state, and federal laws. Do you want to know more? Contact us to learn how Elder Demolition can start and finish your deconstruction or LEEDcertified green demolition project.