Up Next: Deconstructing Banks

Graphic in-kind from PH Design

This is not a renovation project, the useful life of this house is gone. The property is located in the heart of Houston's Museum District and close to all that inner loopers hold dear; like great restaurants, shopping, entertainment and cultural destinations.

existing house

A sustainable house will be built on this site.

First step to new house: Deconstruction

We are not throwing this house away, we are reusing and recycling it. After discovering the Houston Reuse Warehouse, we were excited to learn more about this newly launched program from Green Houston - Mayor's Office of Environmental Planning. The Reuse Warehouse takes donated construction materials and in turn donates them to non-profit organizations, like Living Paradigm, at no charge.

It's important to note that building construction waste is the largest landfill contributor.

About 90-95% of the building material from this structure will be diverted from our landfills. We will earn LEED points, make tax-deductible donations, provide jobs and save trees.

Donating to the Reuse Warehouse is a partial solution for the Banks house. Our work gets more complicated and dangerous as we consider dismantling the structure. At this stage, we will work with Habitat For Humanity Northwest Harris County, who offers total deconstruction services. This group is fully insured and their fee is added to the tax-deductible benefit of deconstruction.

At this time; in the fourth largest city in America, we are extremely limited in locating demolition companies that offer total deconstruction services, making this task a bit challenging. To that end, we've begun by breaking the house apart slowly and finding our own resources while taking responsibility for getting these materials where they need to go. Habitat for Humanity Northwest Harris County has become our shining light as they are able to take our project to the next level. For the non-salvageable materials, we have a recycling plan of action.

Banks Deconstruction Plan:

Reuse Warehouse: doors / frames, hardware, wood trim, wood flooring, plumbing fixtures, cabinetry, medicine cabinet, light fixtures, ceiling fans, blinds, shelving, shutters, HVAC vents, thermostat, smoke detectors, wood siding, gutters / downspouts, windows and brick
Habitat For Humanity Northwest Harris County: electrical boxes, switches, wire, wood wall and roof framing, tongue and groove wood roof decking , attic fan
Houston Habitat Restore: appliances, air conditioning equipment, water heater
Century Asphalt Materials: roof shingles to be recycled for new paving ***used asphalt shingles considered "clean" with nails (okay) and no wood or flashing are accepted for free
Lone Star Disposal: gypsum board, metal flashing to be sorted and recycled (materials not listed, like insulation, will be disposed) ***It only costs $35 above the regular price of a dumpster rental to process and recycle waste versus traditional landfilling
Southern Crushed Concrete: concrete foundation and site paving to be recycled for road base meeting TxDOT standards

How is this donation translated into a taxable deduction?

Winston McKenzie of McKenzie Appraisal Service is the person for this task. The appraiser should be on board at the beginning in order to photograph and document the building intact. He gives a rough estimate of material resale value at the initial site meeting and then creates a turnkey certified appraisal that exceeds IRS standards. When the house is dismantled it becomes personal property. A detailed listing of values are placed on architectural elements and cost of materials; down to the last switch plate cover.

How long does it take to deconstruct a house like this versus a typical demolition?

Unbuilding and traditional demolition require the same amount of time and money to pull permits, disconnect the sewer, water, remove gas and electrical meters, etc. Deconstruction labor accounts for the additional time or expense of this process and on a positive note, provides jobs. Once the preparation work is complete, a demolition for a simple house would take less than one week with salvage; considering demolition companies reserve the right to make additional profit by reselling brick or wood floors, for example. If for-profit total deconstruction services were offered in Houston with the charitable tax benefit granted to the homeowner, there is no reason that this sustainable process should take more than a few weeks. The added time is modest, yet yields tremendous value to the homeowner, community and environment.

Below are a few photos of the deconstruction work we've begun and have already diverted over 7 tons of building materials from the landfill.

oak floor removed
wood stacked
wood windows
cedar shingle siding
metal fence parts
antique brick

our second delivery to the Reuse Warehouse

Links to companies in other cities that offer deconstruction services:

Portland, Oregon
Seattle, Washington
Fairfax, Virginia
Cleveland, Ohio
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Boulder, Colorado

Want to read more?

Articles & resources on deconstruction:

Seattle Business Journal
Deconstruction Institute
A Guide to Deconstruction
Institute for Local Self-Reliance

I am telling my design and construction colleagues about the benefits of deconstruction and hope this becomes a common practice, not an oddity in Houston, Texas.

Spread the word with me.

Karen

On a personal note...

I dedicated three years of my life as founding president of the non-profit preservation group Houston Mod, creating programs like "Mod of the Month" to save homes on a scale I felt was feasible. It worked. The group was founded to create awareness and in the same way and scale we need to educate others about deconstruction when the battle of preservation is lost.

Each time I drive by a building fenced and prepped for the wrecking ball (aka Komatsu), I sing the song, "Another one bites the dust, another one bites the dust, hey, hey"

I distinctly remember the personal pain I felt as I rushed to my grandmother's house to remove the glass door knobs when it was fenced; slated for demolition to be replaced by a McMansion.

What could possibly make me, along with my fellow preservationists feel better when we lose buildings we care about?
Total deconstruction, the reincarnation of buildings.