This past November weekend was gorgeous here in Toronto. While we’d had snow by this time last year, I have flowers blooming in the containers on my doorstep (no, I haven’t finished winterizing my garden yet). I didn’t spend a lot of time outside, however, because it was time to replace our back door. What can I say, it’s a great source of fresh air (even when shut).
Like many renovation jobs, however, you can’t just take measurements, swap in the new thing and be finished. Oh no. “What are the brick-to-brick measurements?” the door store would like to know. We have to get a custom-sized door because it’s a small opening size, and we’d like to install the door ourselves, since installation service seems to cost about $400.
To determine the brick-to-brick measurements, we had to strip off all the wall materials and trim around the door. Easy, right? Well, two days later we’d pulled down two small interior walls and all kinds of cladding, dealt with some odd wiring and become pros with a reciprocating saw (aka rip & tear). We could see the mortar and brick around the door to take measurements, and uh oh, we had a lot of waste to deal with.
Here are a few ideas on how to reduce the waste:
- Pull nails from all of the structural wood you’re ripping out. Good straight 2×4s, and even long pieces of 2×4, are certainly worth reusing. If you can’t reuse them, freecycle them.
- If you’re getting material hauled away, look for a company that recycles. Many can recycle wood.
- Freecycle or donate any fixtures, switch plate covers and other materials you remove.
- Keep a box of hazardous materials, such as old smoke detectors, for disposal at a designated municipal site.
- Offer chunks of unpainted wood to someone with a fireplace. Bits of wood can make great kindling!
How have you dealt with your construction waste?
