Rethinking demolition

The nonprofit Re-use Hawaii salvages building materials from houses that are being renovated

Before the walls had even come tumblin' down, a few customers had driven over to appraise the potential of such items as redwood lumber, granite countertops, intact siding and trim.

It wasn't so much the house they were interested in, but the materials used in the Kahala home. Buyers salivated at the idea of purchasing discounted second-hand materials such as nearly new kitchen cabinets. Salvaged materials go for as much as half-off the cost of new materials.

"Cabinets are hot items," said Marc Dawson, project manager for construction.

Such a wall of cabinets could cost $10,000 new, while the reconfigured cost could be about $4,000 after removal. Customers are buying the recycled material through the nonprofit company Re-use Hawaii, an organization that salvages materials, primarily lumber, at a nominal cost to homeowners who are tearing down their homes. Formed in 2007, the company then sells the materials to interested private parties.

Quinn Vittum, a founder of Re-use Hawaii, said the cost to homeowners is "equivalent with the demolition costs" of larger demolition crews. More important for homeowners, he adds, the material salvaged can be used as a tax write-off.

"This was our first Kahala site and our biggest (residential project)," said lead person Duane Ebalaroza, who said the timeline for completion was nine days. "We also had the shortest amount of time, but it was an interesting home."

The Asian-influenced three-bedroom, two-bath home had a renovated kitchen, two atriums and a detached garage - a find for "the quality of materials" available, said Vittum.

Re-use Hawaii completes about three projects a month, he said, "from full-building removals to interior renovations." The organization has deconstructed both residential and commercial buildings; homeowners who choose to go the Re-use Hawaii route often are fellow believers in the green philosophy that the company employs.

The Kahala homeowners, who asked not to be identified, had typical reasons for wanting to rebuild - their home had become outdated, plus they wanted a new layout that would better serve them as they grew older. After five years of house shopping, they decided to rebuild instead - and allow for the provision of salvageable materials to others.

Jim Byxbee, president of Homeworks Construction, recommended Re-use to the homeowners, with Byxbee's company to design and build the new home. He provided an estimate of $2,000 as the jumping-off point for the cost of demolition or deconstruction.

With an average of four people per crew, Re-use Hawaii takes down each structure by hand.

"It's better than an entire house going into a landfill," said Ebalaroza. "We're starting to get a lot of repeat customers."