Salvage

ReUse Action’s wood being used!

by Megan on February 11, 2012

in Lumber, Rusted Grain, Salvage, Woodshop

Check it out! I took some wood from ReUse Action’s indoor lumber yard, processed it at the Rusted Grain woodshop, and am making a cabinet for a client. The wood comes from the demolition project ReUse Action’s Green Demo Team conducted in South Buffalo in September. Flush doors with tongue and groove paneling and a very simple face frame and body structure. They will be using their new cabinet in their dining room to put extra plates and table settings when not in use. Check out the progress so far…panels glued, table top made, face frame complete…it just needs to be put all together and finished!

If you have a cabinet project in mind, please contact Megan at 716.220.8842 or email info {at} rustedgrain(.)com.

If you want to buy salvaged lumber from ReUse Action’s indoor lumberyard, contact Michael at michael {at} reuseaction(.)com or call 716.949.0900.

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Back from the mill!

by Megan on January 1, 2012

in Building Material ReUse, D-Build, Demolition, Green Demolition, Rusted Grain, Salvage, Woodshop

Last week we took a shipment of 2x lumber stock to a mill in Arcade, NY Brauen Custom Millwork. It is very exciting to be able to track the life of this wood–from where the lumber came from to how it was processed and finally to the end product. This lumber came from the demolition of the John Deere Factory in Syracuse, NY, was tracked and coded by D-Build, brought back to Buffalo by the Green Demo Team to Action HQ, shipped to the mill, and is now being used in Rusted Grain’s woodshop. We will be using this lumber in our woodshop to construct a 74″ cabinet piece as well as a large built-in armoire for two separate clients. This same lumber is being used to build two new doors for the Nickel City Co-op! The southern yellow pine is gorgeous and we think it will look amazing once it is cut up and re-glued into furniture. More pictures to come as we progress…

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[2011-07] Curved Oak Pews from Black Rock Church

by ReUse Action Staff on December 28, 2011

in Building Material ReUse, Building Parts, Materials for Sale, Salvage

Intrepid salvage spotter Mary Fisher, of Environmental Education Associates, gave us the lead on these fine oak pews from an Austin Street church:

Curved Oak Pews

More photos here: ReUse Action Flickr set.

We’ll be selling these at $50 a running foot. We have eight and ten foot sections – some of these combine to make longer pieces.

Mary is the ReUse Explorer of the Month! For her sharp eyes and quick response, she gets our gratitude and a $25 gift certificate from one of our favorite restaurants, Merge.

Call or text Michael Gainer at 716-949-0900 or email {sales} at {reuseaction} dot {com}

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The waterfront story continues…

by Megan on October 7, 2011

in Blog, Building Material ReUse, Green Building, Green Demolition, Rusted Grain, Salvage, Woodshop

locally salvaged wood, and proud of it!

As the summer ends and winter approaches, we finished the final touches on the waterfront food kiosk “Clinton’s Dish.” We boarded her up for the season, installing beautiful storm shutters that were made in the Rusted Grain woodshop at Action HQ! Like the siding, our materials for the storms were locally sourced: yellow pine flooring that was salvaged by the Green Demo Team during a green demolition project taking place in South Buffalo. The aged boards were refaced and stained, becoming an awesome addition to the local flavor of Buffalo’s newest waterfront building. Speaking of flavor…can’t wait ’til they come off in the spring and we can go down to the waterfront again for some ice cream!

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Harvesting the City!

by Megan on September 27, 2011

in Building Material ReUse, ReUse Industry, Salvage

This past Sunday was the first in a series of events, exploring with the Rusted Grain/ReUse Action crew and learning how to use our city as a materials resource. Five trucks gathered in front of Action HQ on Sunday and headed off to the Fillmore district to harvest the treasures to be had as a result of Bulk Trash Day.

Bulk Trash Day happens in each council district once every spring and once every fall. A homeowner is allowed to discard as much as they can in a 12′ long x 4′ wide x 4′ high pile on the sidewalk in front of their dwelling. Often people discard broken objects, but sometimes within the piles lie hidden treasures…perfectly intact windows, solid oak doors, The Goonies DVD . . .

For this first event, there were teams of two–one driver, one spotter–driving around and looking out for building materials people had discarded. Teams had exactly 1 1/2 hours to find as much scrap metal and as many items worth saving as possible. At the end of the hour and a half, teams reconvened to sort through their finds, to discuss why they chose to save certain things and to reflect on the activity.

Many in the caravan confessed that they had never considered Bulk Trash as a harvesting opportunity and had only been saddened by the sight of such large piles of stuff being thrown out every Spring and Fall. Each person found something worth saving. The scrap metal was used to even out the costs of driving the trucks. $75+ dollars worth of clothing, toys, etc. were donated to St. Vincent’s. And what wasn’t taken by the participants for immediate use was stored at Action HQ for future use or for repair. Reuse, Recycle, Repair, Upcycle . . .

Since this weekend is the last of the Bulk Trash Days for the fall, the next Harvesting the City event will take place next Spring. If you missed the event this past weekend, come join us in the Spring and learn how to take advantage of our city and its amazing resources!

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Workshop: making wooden bottle openers

by Megan on August 31, 2011

in Blog, How-To, Rusted Grain, Salvage, Woodshop

Kids are reading less, people use e-books more, and libraries are scrambling for what to do about it. One common solution is to close libraries and get rid of books (sound familiar Buffalo?). Instead, one library in British Columbia is changing the way we think about libraries; they have a collection of “living books,” local experts, who have volunteered to share their knowledge on specific subjects. Want to know about the history of the circus? Want to learn a certain painting technique? “Check out” a living expert that will meet with you to discuss your topic of interest! Libraries remain a center of knowledge but are recognizing living people can be just as an effective source of knowledge as books and encyclopedias.

That people are a great resource and a way to learn new skills is certainly proved true in the building trades. Through our apprenticeships and workshops, we hope to become those “living books” on reuse that are a resource to WNY and the country.

Speaking of workshops, we will be having a free workshop in two weeks:

Make your own bottle opener

Sept 14th, 7-9pm

@ Action HQ (1212 Jefferson)

Use all reclaimed materials and some old nails and hone your skills on the band saw. We are using people knowledge to share skills…would you like to check us out of the reuse library?

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Call the ReUse Action TIP Line!

by Michael on August 29, 2011

in Green Demolition, Jobs, ReUse Industry, Salvage, Tip Line

Opportunity Lost?

Last week, we noticed another house in our neighborhood was gone. The house had been vacant for years, but if you were to peek inside the windows you would have noticed the original, unpainted trim; an antique cast sink; and beautiful 5 panel doors. Grrrr . . . it’s all in the landfill now, an opportunity lost.

Opportunity Found!

Over the past few years, we’ve heard on numerous occasions from folks about other lost reuse opportunities: old school doors, gymnasium floors, lockers, industrial carts, unique foundation stone, architectural pieces, scrap metal, windows, and much much more. ReUse Action needs your help to ensure that this madness does not continue! Material reclamation translates into jobs for our local economy and we don’t need the waste entering our landfills!

How can you help???

Well, we don’t expect something for nothing . . . so there’s an incentive for you, our committed ReUse Explorers. All folks who deliver leads to the ReUse Action Tip Line 716-884-DEMO or via email at tip {at} reuseaction(.)com, will be entered into a quarterly drawing for a $50 gift certificate to a local Buffalo restaurant. Furthermore, if your lead results in a reclamation opportunity that generates $500 or more in material value, you will promptly receive a $25 gift certificate for a local Buffalo restaurant! Each month, we’ll feature the hottest reused materials that you help us to recover!

WHAT do you do?

First, talk to people you know . . . contractors who are removing materials, architects who are designing new buildings, home owners who are doing rehab, institutions that are in the middle of capital improvement campaigns . . . and find out if any reusable materials are going to be removed.
Second, call or email us with the tip . . . and any details you know . . . 716-884-DEMO (3366) or tip {at} reuseaction(.)com . If you think it’s urgent (and it often is), you can also TEXT A TIP directly to Michael at 716-949-0900. What material is available (approximate quantity)? Where is the material is located? What is the contact phone number of the person who has the material? At the very least, leave us a message with your name and number, so we can follow up.

Finally, keep your eyes peeled for reusable materials. ReUse Action is creating jobs from waste and the more leads we obtain, the more money we can cycle IN our communities and keep OUT of the landfill.

Call the ACTION TIP LINE…716-884-DEMO. We’re WNY’s First and Only Green Demolition Team and we need your help. Pass it on!

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Lafayette Hotel and The Outsource Center in the News

by Editor on July 28, 2011

in Adaptive ReUse, Apprentices, Building Material ReUse, Jobs, Media, People, Salvage, Training, Young Adults

Here’s an informative article by Mark Sommer in the Buffalo News, all about the current state of Rocco Termini’s Lafayette Hotel renovation.

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Salvaging at the Lafayette Hotel

by Michael on June 17, 2011

in Adaptive ReUse, Building Material ReUse, Jobs, People, Salvage

We’ve hinted at our current big salvage project, and some of you may have seen activity downtown at Washington and Clinton. Here’s the scoop on what ReUse Action’s salvage team is up to:

The Lafayette, Buffalo’s Most Palatial Hotel . . . Absolutely Fireproof . . . European Plan . . . 300 Rooms . . . Designed by the first female professional architect in the US, Louise Blanchard Bethune.

Opened in 1904, every room featured hot and cold water and a telephone. Built in the French Renaissance style, befitting its name, Lafayette, after the French general who fought in America’s Revolution. Much of the main floor was redone in the 1920′s in the Art Deco style. Located on one of Buffalo’s earliest public spaces, formerly Courthouse Square, used for public gatherings since 1816, before Buffalo became a city.

Adaptive Reuse

Developer Rocco Termini will convert the 448-room hotel into a mixed used building, with a small hotel, apartments, several restaurants and some retail space. The first floor will retain many of its features – check-in desk, brass-covered elevators, tile and stone floors, ornate plaster details, several large public rooms, lots of turn of the (19th/20th) century and later Art Deco styling. The upper floors will be gutted to make room for modern hotel rooms and small apartments. These rooms contain porcelain bathtubs, radiators, solid wood doors, baseboard molding, sinks, “subway tile” and other fixtures.

Our Role

ReUse Action is handling the heavy lifting of removing, organizing and storing the salvageable items. We’re partnering with Demolition Depot, a New York City antique dealer. Together, we’ve purchased the items from the building owner and will be working to make them available for sale.

Our Goals

With this large project, ReUse Action is accomplishing several goals. First, we’ll make a profit on the work – at this point one of our specialties is the recovery and handling of this type of material. Second, we’ll put our crew to work and increase their job skills in an area of business, salvage and deconstruction, that is steadily increasing in Western New York and particularly in Buffalo. Third, this is preservation of a kind – in quite a few cases, even material as valuable and authentic as this ends up in the landfill. Very little of it will be reused on site in the new development, and the local market would only be able to absorb a fraction of the large quantity of material. So these historic items will be available for sale around the country and indeed around the world and will continue to serve their mundane purposes a plumbing and heating fixtures while providing some real “history” for their new owners.