Why Wouldn't You Choose Deconstruction?

Posted by Timna Zemel (DRN Intern)

Sometimes it can be challenging getting homeowners on board with deconstruction. I can’t understand why anybody would choose to demolish instead of deconstruct. Deconstruction can save homeowners money in the long run, with a tax write-off for donated reusable materials; deconstruction is safer than demolition; it’s good for the environment and the donated materials help other families live in decent, affordable homes.

Some possible explanations for a homeowner’s apprehension may be:

• Inconvenience: A huge wrecking ball can get the job done much quicker. But this method of demolition is dangerous and wasteful. That huge pile of rubble that was formerly your home goes straight to your landfill.
• Lack of Information: Do you realize that demolition increases the amount of construction and demolition materials in local landfills? Some are quick to assume you don’t care, but perhaps you just don’t know that 34 billion tons of construction wastes ends up in the landfill each year. Deconstructing a 2,500 sq ft home can divert 25 tons of building materials.
• Education: Many homeowners probably do not realize that deconstruction is an option. Deconstruction is a fairly new trend that only started getting popular a few years ago. The deconstruction word needs to spread, but probably because of its infrequent use (most people do not renovate their house often), the word is taking a while to get around.
  

Many cities are adopting strict new green building guidelines so this is all worth learning about because you may not have a choice at all in the future, you may have to deconstruct & reuse if you remodel or build. But why wait until "everyone’s doing it" - choose to be a leader. Instead of being that neighbor with the awful roll-off out front, you can be the really generous family that's recycling their house to help others in the community.

Want to learn more, visit our website to learn about the facts and misconceptions about Deconstruction.