What are Some Rules of Reusing and Purchasing Recycled/Green Material? 

I want to remodel my home and have no idea where to start and want to reuse and purchase recycled/green material. Please give me some simple rules to follow.
- Chris in Prescott

Chris, starting a remodel project can be daunting enough. Here are some simple rules to help guide your decision making process.

(1) REUSE. When contemplating your home redesign consider first of all what you have that you want to keep and are able to keep. This includes walls, roof, foundations and floors. Sounds simple, but using what is in place can save you real money from having to repurchase and it also saves the energy necessary to demolish and transport to a landfill. Whatever you do when demolition occurs save all useable materials and apply those to the second rule

(2) RECYCLE. Recycle has several meanings here. First is recycling the materials you can from your existing home. This can be structural lumber, insulation, wiring, fixtures and finishes. Doing this will save money and divert usable material from the waste stream. We often look at items such as reusing a carpet pad if it is in good condition, or replacing only that portion worn by traffic patterns. If items cannot be recycled on the job, then considered taking them to our local charitable organization.

(3) BUY REUSED OR RECYCLED PRODUCTS. There are hundreds upon hundreds or claims being made in the market on items that are made from recycled material. There is a web site www.buildinggree.com to research products and gather advice on the applicability to your project. Most often, the products that you will consider for recycled material will be lov VOC paints, adhesives, flooring materials, fixtures, roofing materials and countertop materials. Construction materials should be discussed together with your contractor and architect. Using their expertise will save you lots of money and time. Your project will more than likely not be able to apply “RESUE” “RECYCLE” “GREEN” solutions to the entire job. Every little bit helps and most importantly every little bit can save money and navigate environmentally friendly changes in your home.