Building up the Tear-Down

Homeowners leave the wrecking ball behind for a more responsible way to dispose of their unwanted materials.

Text: Kimberly Stern
Photos: courtesy iStockphoto/Lya Cattel

Precious Metal
Scrap recycling is quickly becoming a consumer’s best friend in the rush to establish eco-friendly methods for disposing of household items and waste. Kansas City-based Galamba Metals Group, LLC buys tons of high-quality scrap metal, including old appliances, painted siding, cable, fencing, metal window frames, metal guttering and more. 

With metal prices at near-record highs, it makes sense for homeowners to recover items from houses prior to deconstruction or demolition. “Even in an annual housecleaning or purge, there are plenty of items that could be recycled,” notes Leman Schulz, Galamba’s executive director of non-ferrous operations.
 
The company purchases all grades of scrap iron and steel, along with aluminum, copper, brass and stainless steel scrap. The benefit homeowners realize from utilizing companies like Galamba is payment, based on value and weight, for their discards. These items are then separated, processed and returned back into general manufacturing for the production of new metal products, ultimately producing cost savings and a better level of efficiency. 

At the forefront of the green movement for 30 years, Galamba has established a viable outlet to consumers for recycling metal household items like faucets, lawn furniture and lawn mowers. It also has added new commodities like cardboard and E-Scrap, which includes computers, hard drives, computer boards and cell phones. “We want to become the ultimate recycling point for consumers,” Leman stresses.

Cora Ferris, Galamba’s marketing coordinator, says the company also promotes community education and raising public awareness by speaking to neighborhood homes associations, schools and other organizations about recycling metal and how the funds can help provide social functions like picnics, new playground equipment and other reoccurring maintenance costs.  Galamba is available for annual neighborhood clean-up days and Earth Day activities.

Local drop-off points include one near the stadium and two in Kansas City, Kan.; plus 12 regional locations throughout Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri. For more information on acceptable items, visit

 www.galambagroup.com.

Many savvy Kansas City homeowners with plans to build a new home on a lot with an existing structure are opting for the green method of “deconstruction,” advocated as an eco-friendly way of disposing. Instead of demolishing a home and having its materials go into the already overwhelming waste stream, Habitat ReStore — currently the only residential deconstruction company in Kansas City — meticulously dismantles and salvages a home’s parts.

Brian Alferman, ReStore’s associate director, says people aren’t satisfied with the outdated “crunching and dumping” method of removing homes to make way for modern versions packed with amenities. “The thinking man’s alternative to the once-common practice of home demolition is the reverse tear-down,” notes Brian, who has an environmental background. “When homeowners hire us to deconstruct a house, we’re able to recover approximately 75 percent of its materials, including lumber, appliances, wiring and other items and put them back into circulation in the community through our ReStore.”

Habitat ReStore has been in the business of tearing down homes by hand since 2001, mostly in the northern Johnson County communities of Fairway, Mission Hills and Prairie Village. Property values are high in these suburbs, and land is extremely desirable, but the housing stock is beginning to age. Brian’s deconstruction team (a total of 15 full-time workers) uses basic hand tools and can completely take a home down in about three weeks. “Some of [the work] can be quite painstaking in order to salvage something and ensure it’s in good working order or desirable for resale,” he says. 

The deconstruction versus demolition scenario is truly a win-win for everyone. Not only do homeowners escape the hauling fees, which can be significant, depending on the home’s size, they also realize a tax deduction because Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, charitable organization.

“We put the homeowner in touch with an independent appraiser who values the materials gleaned from the deconstruction,” Brian says of the process. “It makes a huge difference when you’re talking about a whole house, and often the cost we charge to deconstruct the home is defrayed by the tax write-off.”

Typically, four homes are being simultaneously deconstructed at any given time in the area, and annually, 25 houses are successfully torn down and recycled through ReStore. “Cabinets, appliances, and bathroom and light fixtures are just a few of the materials recovered from a house that are diverted to the ReStore,” Brian notes. “They’re put in our 35,000-square-foot warehouse in the East Bottoms and sold to the public at 50 to 75 percent off retail.”

The ReStore concept ultimately supports Habitat for Humanity’s goal to alleviate substandard housing and improve neighborhoods by allowing homeowners to purchase reasonably priced materials for maintaining their homes. Profits from ReStore’s sales are in turn used to fund Habitat for Humanity’s long-standing mission of providing quality homes for low-income families. “It’s a beautiful continuum because we create jobs, too,” Brian adds.

 “Affluent homeowners and eco-minded developers turn to Habitat ReStore’s hand-dismantling services for various reasons, including that it’s the right thing to do from a recycling perspective, attractive financial benefits and to support Habitat’s overall mission statement,” he continues. 

Gary Justis, a partner in Kansas-based LAM Development, LLC has used Habitat ReStore’s services since forming his company in mid-2006. “Our primary focus is rebuilding homes in established neighborhoods,” he says, “and one of the reasons we like the deconstruction is because it’s less disruptive.” Additionally, Gary likes deconstruction rather than demolition because it makes environmental sense.

Another way environmentally aware homeowners utilize the Habitat ReStore is during room remodels. “Kitchens — one of the most common rooms we individually deconstruct — have a wealth of salvageable materials for the ReStore,” Brian stresses. “Throwing stuff away becomes cost-prohibitive, especially when a homeowner is working with a tight budget on overhauling a room,” he says. “We’re the perfect solution because even if we aren’t involved in the dismantling, we often offer free collection.”

Habitat Restore bids each deconstruction job — whether it’s a whole house or a single room — on a case-by-case basis, depending on the scope and size of the project. Brian admits Habitat ReStore costs a bit more upfront than wrecking-ball demolition but is more reasonable on the back end because of the tax breaks.

Kansas City’s Habitat ReStore is one of more than 500 in the United States, although Brian says the deconstruction program is unique to a handful of the organizations. “Not many Habitats offer this service, and we’re a training ground for affiliates who want to learn about the fine art of deconstruction,” he says.

Heartland Habitat, located in Kansas City, Kan., doesn’t offer deconstruction but will accept furniture, unlike the Kansas City ReStore. 

Brian’s ultimate goal is to make the dumpster or landfill the very last option. “What used to be a throw-away problem now becomes something that is positive for the community,” he says.