Before You Build

Reduce

Early planning for new construction, renovation or demolition projects can dramatically reduce the amount of C&D waste entering landfills and save money. Starting a notebook listing building materials that are locally available, or that are being generated at a deconstruction site serves as a reminder of items that can be incorporated as a new build evolves. These special items also bring a unique, hand crafted quality to projects.

Design decisions play a huge role in minimizing the amount of waste generated on a building site. “In residential construction 6-8% of the total weight of the building materials delivered to the site typically ends up as waste. About 12 % of the drywall purchased ends up as scrap”(Venolia and Lerner 2006).

Designing small and smart has enormous positive environmental impacts.

Questions to Consider

Renovation and New Construction

• What are the possibilities for reusing existing materials to complete the

photo by Jennifer Corson

• project? For instance rather than installing new kitchen cabinets, might a fresh coat of paint or the addition of interesting trim and new hardware spruce up the kitchen just as well?
• Does the project design use standard material sizes in order to minimize cutoffs and waste?
• Can materials be salvaged during the construction process and then reused within the same project? For instance at the Ecology Action Centre, wood cut-offs were dropped in between the wall studs to minimize wood leaving the site. This strategy also improved sound insulation between the rooms.
• How accurate can you be about quantities when purchasing?
• Can you select materials with less packaging?
• What might local salvage/building reuse centres have that could be used in the project? Because their stock is changing all the time it is worth checking in often.
• How do builders on the project intend to process and reuse the materials on site?

Building Removal

• Who in the community might have a use for waste materials being generated on the project?
• Is it possible to hire a deconstruction professional instead of a demolition expert? Deconstruction takes more time, but is more environmentally responsible, can generate income for the project, local employment and is great for public relations.
• What are the options for moving the building rather than demolishing it?
• Is an addition to the existing structure an alternative to demolition and reconstruction?
• What are the estimated tipping fees for the C&D materials being generated from the project?

>>Next: Renovation and Reuse: work with what you have