Santa Cruz, CA: A single-family home in Santa Cruz on Capitola Beach has been dismantled and donated for reuse and recycling with the Deconstruction & ReUse Network (DRN). DRN is an environmental and humanitarian non-profit that helps Californians with deconstruction and reuse solutions. The homeowners opted to recycle their 1,900 square foot, ocean-view home with DRN rather than demolish it and many of the home’s beautiful fixtures and building materials are now available for purchase at the Habitat for Humanity East Bay ReStore.
“California’s landfills are inundated each day with construction waste that could easily be reused as is or recycled,” says Lorenz Schilling, founder/president DRN. “By choosing deconstruction, homeowners can recycle about 75% of their home, with the donated materials being used to help build affordable housing for families in need.”
DRN began the process by identifying and inventorying all reusable (and donatable) items in the home. Next, Up State Demolition, a deconstruction contractor for DRN, carefully dismantled the home and organized all salvageable materials under DRN’s direction. Some of the valuable materials included in the owner’s donation were; oak flooring, redwood tongue and groove sub-floor, low-flow toilets, IWC double-pane windows, Dutch doors, rare waved glass windows and side lights, Kitchen-Aid® appliances and a stainless sink with Grohe® faucet fixtures. From start to finish, the complete deconstruction and removal of materials took fifteen days.
Habitat for Humanity East Bay helps DRN to achieve its mission by using some of the materials in construction or selling reusable materials to the public through its ReStore. Rough lumber will be delivered to Orange County based Corazon, where it will be used to help build more sustainable communities and affordable housing for low-income families in Tecate and Tijuana.
About Deconstruction & ReUse Network:
Deconstruction & ReUse Network is an environmental public benefit corporation 501(c)(3), whose mission is to promote and empower deconstruction practices and to grow a greater reuse network for quality building materials through partnerships with complimentary operations and organizations. Deconstruction & ReUse Network currently serves Northern and Southern California with partnerships that benefit Habitat for Humanity and Corazon. www.Decon-Network.org
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Media Contacts:
Lorenz Schilling
DRN Founder/President
T: 562-307-6065
Angela Moore
T: 310-429-8868