|
Pragmatic
Construction is pleased to announce our new deconstruction services.
While we seek to save homes whenever possible, if a home must be
taken down, we offer an alternative to typical demolition.
Deconstruction
vs. Demolition
Demolishing
a home means completely destroying it, using heavy machinery to knock
down and then crush it, condensing the materials as much as possible
for ease of transport to the landfill. Not only does this method clog
the landfills and shorten their life, it can cost homeowners
thousands of dollars in landfill fees while depriving consumers of a
wealth of quality products and materials.
Deconstructing
a home means carefully dismantling it, using hand tools to take it
apart board by board, beam by beam. All usable materials are then
sorted and distributed for donation and reuse. As much as 85 percent of a
structure can usually be diverted from the landfill.
How
It Works
As
a Certified Deconstruction Contractor, Pragmatic Construction will:
-
Provide
a free home deconstruction estimate
-
Complete
the home deconstruction using our safe, certified program
-
Coordinate
appraisals and donations of all salvaged materials
-
Provide
documentation of the complete list of materials and appraised value
as a tax-deductible donation
After
proper planning and accurate estimating, a typical deconstruction
process takes about three – four weeks to complete – from roof
removal down to the excavation of the foundation – and everything
in between.
Tax
donations are available for every private building owner. These
donations can often be substantial – large enough to pay for the
costs of deconstruction. Please visit our nonprofit partner’s
website for some examples of actual deconstruction jobs and the tax
donation value received by the homeowners. The Reuse People
Who
benefits?
-
All
of us, through a cleaner environment
-
Homeowners,
who receive tax deductions for donated houses/building materials
-
Builders
and contractors, through better service to clients
-
Local
governments, by increasing the life of existing landfills
-
Consumers/families
who cannot afford to buy new
Our
NonProfit Partner - www.TheReUsePeople.com
Pragmatic
Construction partners with The ReUse People of America in order to
enable tax deductible donations of salvaged home materials. The
ReUse People (TRP) is a nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation that reduces
the solid waste stream and changes the way the built environment is
renewed by salvaging building materials and distributing them for
reuse.
Deconstruction
Resources
Writings
“Recycling
the Whole House”, New York Times, October 2007
“Unbuilding
- Salvaging
the Architectural Treasures of Unwanted Houses” by Bob
Falk and Brad Guy
“Deconstruction
Guide”- a Deconstruction Instutute handbook (PDF document)
Building
Materials Reuse Association's (BMRA)
The
BMRA is a non-profit educational organization whose mission is to
facilitate building deconstruction and the reuse/recycling of
recovered building materials.
The Tunnel House-
An interesting deconstruction/art project link
The
Deconstruction Institute
The
Deconstruction Institute provides educational materials, tools and
techniques, networking, case studies, articles, facts and many other
downloadable and interactive modules
about
the environmental impacts of deconstructing
|
