One thing I love is replacing old crap with new stuff. Light fixtures, door knobs, load-bearing walls. . . that kind of thing. Usually a question that comes up after removing the old stuff is, “What the hell am I going to do with all this?” Well, assuming the old stuff has some value, Habitat for Humanity has come up with a great solution: donate it to one of their ReStores. This beats dumping building materials and resources into landfill, and it’s a great cause. Plus this ReStore system works both ways. The stores are also a great way to find building materials on the cheap. Some contractors unload brand new goods there too. I dropped off some cabinet hinges and other goodies I removed from our house recently. While I was there I browsed around and found loads of doors, windows, cabinets and appliances among other things. Just keep in mind they have to sell whatever you bring in, don’t even think about trying to stick Habitat with broken pieces of that 1960’s cabinet you just ripped out.
Here’s a list of ReStores in California. . . you can pull up other states at their web site.
