… but it isn’t exactly impossible either. Wayan’s on the prowl for some cabinets and appliance and finds EXPO’s big-ticket mentality unpleasant. If Home Depot’s take on upscale home renovation isn’t to your liking, there’s always the opposite way of going: reused building materials. Like everything else, there’s an association for the concept – The Building Materials Re-use Association – but somewhat amazingly, they’re not one of the bazillion situated in DC.
These are the people who sit at home and seethe as the folks on Trading Spaces or other renovation shows take sledgehammers to perfectly good cabinets and fixtures that just aren’t the color they want. Thankfully not everyone is as needlessly dramatic, and places like Harrisonburg’s Friendship Homestore or our area’s Community Forklift, or Baltimore’s Loading Dock will take those more carefully removed products and re-sell them.
If none of them are to your liking, check the general Builders’ Guide to Reuse & Recycling which has directory listings by category. Community Forklift and Loading Dock are run by non-profits and Friendship Home Story has a social imperative, but they are by no means the only place to get used materials at a discount. There’s more than one place to buy a cat-skinner.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
Well I used to say something in my profile about not quite being a “tinker, tailor, soldier, or spy” but Tom stole that for our about us page, so I guess I’ll have to find another way to express that I am a man of many interests.
Hmm, guess I just did.
My tastes run the gamut from sophomoric to Shakespeare and in my “professional” life I’ve sold things, served beer, written software, and carried heavy objects… sometimes at the same place. It’s that range of loves and activities that makes it so easy for me to love DC – we’ve got it all.
Just stumbled upon this old post and wanted to say THANKS for the shout-out!
Community Forklift is still doing very well – we’re about to celebrate our 5th anniversary, and just won the “Best Hardware/DIY Store of 2010” contest in the Express. Folks in the DC area are realizing that reuse just makes sense.
I want to add: “ReStores” run by local chapters of Habitat for Humanity have also popped up all over the DC area, including Gaithersburg, Prince George’s County, Charles County, and Northern Virginia. Some accept more traditional thrift store fare (furniture, etc) as well as renovation supplies and hardware.