The advantages of reclaiming

Have you heard about reclamation? You will be amazed at the things people throw away or become available through demolition, items that can be recovered and used again, supplying over many years of use. Saving the old becomes the ultimate in recycling and you can get hold of some wonderful things for a fraction of the cost of buying the same item new.

Where reclaimed materials come from

When old buildings are demolished, items such as windows, stained glass, mirrors, doors and antique sinks can find their way into a skip. For a Demolition Bristol Contractors, visit a site like David Horton, a professional Demolition Bristol Contractors. Companies collect these items from demolished buildings or places that need restructuring, sell them on for remodelling projects or even do them up for their own resale.

For homeowners seeking an added touch of glamour to their décor, a reclamation yard is the ideal site to begin your search. You could come across antique chandeliers, fireplaces, reclaimed bricks or antique radiators that can be upcycled to add a stunning vintage feel to your interior. The search for such items is half the fun with salvagers who could find architecture from old churches, porch columns, antique lamps, doorknobs, wrought iron posts, flooring, tiles, reclaimed wood and iron bathtubs.

Renovating reclaimed pieces

The only downside with the items saved is that they may not be in a condition for direct use. It may take some time, effort and expense to renovate the pieces. There is no guarantee the items will scrub up, but this is far outweighed by the joy of saving a piece of history and know you are working to breathe life back into it again. The quality and detail you get with antique fixtures is unlike anything you’ll see in stores today so that you will have items that are truly unique and special for your home.

There is a fantastic benefit in saving the environment, too. There are a lot less impact on the environment when we reuse things. There is less energy consumption, less use of natural resources and the associated pollution and waste. There are also costs associated with excavating materials, through manufacture to producing the finished article and then transporting the goods to the stores. Using reclaimed materials can save up to 95% of these costs, reducing the amount sent to landfill and the amount of new materials that need to be produced.

The environmental case for reclaiming

Reclaimed materials can be found in reclamation yards up and down the country. These companies can specialize in the types of items they salvage. For example, some companies only sell high quality architectural materials, while others take anything and everything. Reclaimed materials still only count as 1% of a new building project so the market is huge and untapped. This means that there is a wide variety of items for you to source and discover.

Imagine if an old building being demolished to make way for the new build can be deconstructed and the materials used in the building. There would be virtually no impact on the environment and with the pace at which homes need to be built today, it could be the ideal solution.

Summary

This article explains the appeal of reclamation, where items recovered from demolished buildings such as windows, doors, mirrors and antique sinks are resold rather than sent to landfill. It notes reclaimed pieces may need renovation before use, that reusing materials has real environmental benefits over manufacturing new ones, and that reclaimed materials still make up only a tiny share of new building projects.

Questions this article raises

• What condition are reclaimed building materials usually found in?
• How does reusing reclaimed materials help the environment?
• Why do some reclamation yards specialise in particular types of item?