Mahoning Valley Forum

An appropriate topic for Earth Week


Deconstruction is the systematic disassembly of a structure to maximize reuse and recycling of the building materials that compose the structure.

I was very interested in this topic when it came time to demolish the
majority of the former Westlake Terrace housing projects.  Instead of
just bringing in a wrecking ball and a bulldozer, these old buildings were
carefully de-constructed, and most of bricks were stacked on pallets
and shipped elsewhere for re-use in other buildings.

This is a VERY environmentally sound practice, not to mention the
fact that it saves on construction costs for those builders who re-use
the old bricks and other construction materials.

Learn about the many potential benefits of Deconstruction for the City of Youngstown, including:

• Reduction of Waste
• Workforce Development
• Job Creation
• Neighborhood Revitalization
• Creation of an Environmentally Friendly and Recycled Building Materials Market

Event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

I've been reusing materials for years.  This is not somthing new for me. 

Deconstruction is much more than simple salvaging of "surface" materials. Every single component of the structure is assessed and cataloged. Lumber, brick, metal, asphalt shingles, and everything in between that can be reused or recycled is kept. A typical residential structure can yield 70-80 TONS of high quality building materials. Many of the vacant homes throughout the city are filled with old growth hardwoods that are straighter,drier, and of higher value than anything you can find at Lowe's or Home Depot. Through the careful and intensive development of a local market for reclaimed materials, deconstruction presents the potential for a self sustaining blight removal mechanism for the community.

Louie Free will be chatting with deconstruction expert David Bennink today at 1:30. 1500 WASN AM.

From all that I've heard about deconstruction this would be a good business to get into. There is just as much skill required to properly deconstruct a house as there is to build one and do it properly.