Did you know that 1/3 of all trash in our landfills comes from construction debris, much of which can be reused/recycled? Kurt Buss does and has decided to do something to reduce that number. Kurt Buss is a deconstruction contractor. He compares himself to Robin Hood: “I get things from the rich because they are the people who can benefit from the tax deduction and I sell them cheaply or donate them to people who cannot afford to buy new products to improve their situation”. mens.”
Kurt began his deconstruction career working for Eco-Cycle, Resource 2000. He ran the recycling/sales yard for 6 years and helped Resource 2000 become the company it is today. ReUse People of America reflects where Resource used to be 7 or 8 years ago. When asked if TRP is now a competitor of Resource 2000, Kurt explained, “We’re both nonprofits, we can benefit from each other and share resources. We compete for customers, yes, but more than that, we both try to work together.” .with the City of Boulder to accomplish more deconstruction work.Resource 2000 is geared toward providing a drop-off site for homeowners.
TRP specifically works with whole house deconstruction contractors to keep parts of the house, door sets, etc. together. This process helps maintain more profitable inventory. We also donate material to Habitat for Humanity and places like that.” The biggest competitor for both nonprofits is the bulldozer and the landfill. Until you factor in the tax deduction involved, it’s cheaper to demolish and dump the waste that is to deconstruct and recycle.The tax deduction is what helps to level the expenses for the owner.
Of course, this requires additional planning on the part of the owner. TRP uses an independent third-party appraiser to first assess the value of materials to be donated to the recycling center. Everything is accurately inventoried from demo sites that use tax deduction. TRP recommends a certified contractor to perform the deconstruction. A large part of the cost is the labor hired to disassemble the house. The working hours themselves are not tax deductible, but are largely offset by the tax deduction savings. Kurt personally goes to the demo site for the first few days to ensure that the most valuable materials are properly recovered for reuse.
Of course, this requires additional planning on the part of the owner. TRP uses an independent third-party appraiser to first assess the value of materials to be donated to the recycling center. Everything is accurately inventoried from demo sites that use tax deduction. TRP recommends a certified contractor to perform the deconstruction. A large part of the cost is the labor hired to disassemble the house. The working hours themselves are not tax deductible, but are largely offset by the tax deduction savings. Kurt personally goes to the demo site for the first few days to ensure that the most valuable materials are properly recovered for reuse.
From TheReusePeople.org:
The example is a composite based on actual jobs and is used here to make an economic comparison between deconstruction and demolition. This compound is a single story home, 2200 sf plus garage, with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, raised foundation, composite shingles, single pane windows, carpet, hardwood floors, and a 12 x 40 wood deck. Costs do not include removal of concrete slabs, sidewalks, foundations, or asphalt, but do include cleaning the site (no debris).
In the machine demolition scenario, the owner pays $10,100, but in the TRP deconstruction scenario, the owner receives $4,702 in after-tax profit. In other words, the owner would be financially better off to the tune of $14,802 ($4,702 received in tax benefits vs. paying $10,100 in demolition costs). Now for the disclaimers. Figures vary based on location, age and condition of home and materials, topography, type of siding and interior walls, distance to TRP, landfill rates, etc. Still, the economics almost always favor TRP deconstruction over demolition.
**Total materials (lumber, plywood, cabinets, electrical and plumbing fixtures, doors, windows, etc.) would generally be valued between $77,000 and $112,000 in good used condition. Assuming a 33% tax bracket (federal only; will be higher in states with an additional income tax), the after-tax cash value, based on a typical appraised value of $88,000, is $29,040.
Reuse People of America began in April 1993 with a collection of construction materials to help victims of the floods in Tijuana, Mexico. The campaign, Proyecto Valle Verde, was planned and coordinated with the mayors of Tijuana and San Diego, the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, the County Board of Supervisors, the San Diego Electric and Gas Company, Waste Management and the Association of the Construction Industry. The success of the Valle Verde Project demonstrated the need for used building materials and the impact of this need on our already overused and compromised landfills.
Today, The Reuse People of America has offices and facilities in San Diego, Orange/Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Washington, and Boulder, Colorado. Kurt Buss runs the Boulder operations with a phone, fax, credit card machine, no Internet, no running water, and his own personal laptop. “It’s like Home Depot raw,” says Kurt, “but you have to start somewhere.” They are currently looking for a new space to lease in the Denver metro area. His reason for moving is simply to be closer to a larger population that will come to buy his materials. There is a lot of deconstruction work going on, but most people opt for the ‘quick and easy’ demolition/removal process rather than deconstruction, which requires more effort.
Kurt and his staff work hard to keep products organized so people can see all the merchandise available. The Lafayette store is open Thursday through Saturday. with some days busier than others, depending on the weather and the day of the week. Most of the customers are DIYers and bring hand-drawn drawings of what they need. The staff’s job is to help the customer find what he needs. I found this very organized and upscale junkyard to be the perfect place to find something like a 1950’s retro table, for only $30!
On the days the warehouse isn’t open, Kurt is busy bidding on Deconstruction jobs. To keep the company running, they need to have 30 debuilds/year. Once a job is hired, Kurt is on the job for the first day or two to show the team what can be saved and how it should be saved. Kurt likes to deconstruct the most delicate materials himself, to ensure they are preserved for resale. Crews are hired by a certified deconstruction contractor and trained in the process to best recover assets for reuse.
“The most frustrating thing about the industry, Kurt says, is getting people to do something new, an alternative to how they’ve been doing things. Younger people are more interested in recycling and reusing than older entrepreneurs. But every year there are More and more people are interested.” The key is to educate the public: the more people know that there are options, the more the industry will grow. Due to the nonprofit budget they operate on, they have found that word of mouth has been their best form of advertising. Kurt’s regional office is a member of BGBG, The Boulder Green Builders Guild, a group of green-minded architects, builders, fabricators, realtors and other professionals. This group has been a good source of referrals for TRP, as well as an aid in the educational process.
The bottom line is that deconstruction creates jobs, saves money, and will contribute to the health of our planet. Provide cheap materials to people who need them. The most important part of the process is planning. If you are interested in deconstruction, contact someone like Kurt in your area who is a deconstruction contractor.
Kurt’s five favorite tools
1. DeNailer by ReConnx, Inc: Made specifically for deconstruction, it shoots the nails.
2. Milwaukee Reciprocating Saws: Reliable
3. Dewalt 18V Cordless Drills
4. Demonstration saws for cutting foundations
5. Makita circular saw
*Most of the time, battery-powered tools are necessary because there is no electricity in the house. It is important to turn off the power before deconstruction so you don’t cut live wires.
8 pieces of important safety equipment for deconstruction:
1. Safety glasses: there are always things flying
2. Helmets
3. Steel inserts for shoes.
4. Rugged work boots
5. Particulate Respirators/Cartridge Filter Respirators
6. Electrical cable tester for testing live wires
7. First aid kit
8. Common sense
