Results 1 to 10 of 10

Whole house scrapping

| Misc. Metal Recycling
  1. #1
    wrightm987 started this thread.
    wrightm987's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Sep 2013
    Location
    new kensington pa.
    Posts
    3
    Thanks
    9
    Thanked 3 Times in 1 Post

    Whole house scrapping

    I'm in the process of scrapping a whole house, the house was a apartment at one time so it has two of everything.
    I got the water heaters out the copper tubing and wires, the furnace. Still have some black pipe and one furnace to
    tear apart along with ductwork to take out. Getting back to the first furnace after I tore it all apart took the motor out
    I was left with a heavy cast iron heat exchanger, what to do? Well I broke it down into three parts only held together by
    small nuts and bolts, each piece still heavy but manageable with the use of a dolly. Anybody have any ideas about the
    lumber? It has the clapboard siding, any ideas would be appreciated. I'm having fun while making some money!



  2. #2
    Ecycle Atlanta's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Outside Atlanta
    Posts
    734
    Thanks
    291
    Thanked 692 Times in 326 Posts
    Salvaging of old houses is becoming a new cottage industry. With the "green" movement towards sustainability and reuse of anything still working, you should look at places in your area that may buy stuff you tear out. Good lumber, especially hardwood flooring, staircases, trim, mantels, etc. seem to do well. You may also want to carefully remove light and plumbing fixtures for reuse/resale. A lot of stuff in older homes (pre 1970 or so) have a "vintage" appeal that is popular today. In your area you might want to look for people that use wood burning furnaces (a relatively new trend...they put them outside and run lines to their house)...sell them the scrap lumber. Indoor fireplaces are not good for pine, as you probably know. Windows, doors, etc....anything you think is still in good condition and can be removed fairly easily, might be worth some money. I would find an outlet for all these things first before I waste a lot of energy though.

  3. The Following 4 Users say Thank You for This Post by Ecycle Atlanta:


  4. #3
    NHscrapman's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jan 2013
    Location
    new hampshire
    Posts
    1,582
    Thanks
    4,076
    Thanked 2,175 Times in 941 Posts
    Some of these guys will buy some material if you have what they want.
    How
    and for anybody else who searches this topic here is a nation wide directory
    http://www.bmra.org/directory/pennsylvania
    A lot of newer building materials could also be donated to habitat for humanity.
    Last edited by NHscrapman; 09-29-2013 at 07:18 AM.
    There ain't nothing wrong with an honest days work. Anyone who says otherwise is a fool.- Old Man

  5. The Following 3 Users say Thank You for This Post by NHscrapman:


  6. #4
    SMF Badges of Honor



    Member since
    Feb 2012
    Location
    OK
    Posts
    5,728
    Thanks
    6,814
    Thanked 3,464 Times in 1,989 Posts
    There's generally more to taking that stuff apart without tearing it up, than there was in putting it together in the first place. If I was in your place I'd be looking for folks who want it, and who come get it. They'd get more, you'd get more, and have to do less ; )

  7. The Following 3 Users say Thank You for This Post by Bear:


  8. #5
    scrapping's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Aug 2013
    Location
    NE Ohio
    Posts
    117
    Thanks
    57
    Thanked 82 Times in 42 Posts
    I read an article about this some years back. Apparently this guy would re purpose something like 60% of the material. Interesting considering most of the time they will just tear it down and take it to the landfill. I would think stained glass windows, old door knobs even ones that have been painted,

  9. #6
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jun 2013
    Location
    Toledo, Ohio
    Posts
    550
    Thanks
    551
    Thanked 323 Times in 200 Posts
    One time I was out in the counry and this house has a sign that says "free house you move"

  10. The Following User Says Thank You to scrapping4ever for This Post:


  11. #7
    beardo's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor



    Member since
    Mar 2013
    Location
    NE South Dakota
    Posts
    220
    Thanks
    56
    Thanked 386 Times in 147 Posts
    Doors and windows are easy to move, last week the cheapest window in mernards was 37$. You can move them all day long at 10-30$. The only wood I take are any 2x4s or 2x6s I need for current projects. Like what was said above, by the time you pull something out, remove nails and staples you have a lot of time invested. I don't have the knowledge to tell what old floor or molding is worth my time. The exception to this is any timber or piece of wood that is wide/ long. I'm meaning 6x6 or 8x8 solid beams are used by craftsman or can be sold because they are lots of bucks new. Paneling or boards that are wide, where you can see the grain and can tell it came from a large wide tree. The old growth trees are disappearing so cabinetmakers and wood workers are always looking for that stuff. It's hard to explain but maybe someone else can explain it better.
    "And if your train's on time, You can get to work by nine, and start your slaving job to get your pay. If you ever get annoyed, Look at me I'm self-employed
    I love to work at nothing all day" -BTO

  12. The Following User Says Thank You to beardo for This Post:


  13. #8
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Feb 2013
    Location
    pa
    Posts
    140
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 106 Times in 57 Posts

    Whole house scrapping

    do you have any Amish out where you live. bet theyd remove the lumber free in exchange for it

  14. The Following User Says Thank You to Trot for This Post:


  15. #9
    sledge's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Central Indiana
    Posts
    2,717
    Thanks
    4,534
    Thanked 4,240 Times in 1,609 Posts
    I once got about 300 linear feet of 1920's pine trim out of a house that the guy was going to raze. I also got the front door, as well as 6 vinyl windows I thought I was going to use on a project. He posted and ad on CL and I came a running, I uninstalled all of it myself- trim cost me $75 bucks, front door cost me $20. If I were to go to an architectural salvage place- the door would have run me $300-$400 and the trim easily at $600-$700. He was glad to see it "up-cycled" and not into a pile of splinters, as well as making a few dollars off of it.. And I personally trimmed out my entire office, many windows and doors in my home and used the front door as my office door. It was a true "win-win"
    I'm so into scrapping.. When my Steel Toe Boots Wear out, I cut the Steel out of them and recycle the Toe!

  16. The Following 2 Users say Thank You for This Post by sledge:


  17. #10
    newattitude's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Hinckley Ohio, home of the buzzards
    Posts
    2,163
    Thanks
    1,431
    Thanked 2,497 Times in 904 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by shendog View Post
    Salvaging of old houses is becoming a new cottage industry. With the "green" movement towards sustainability and reuse of anything still working, you should look at places in your area that may buy stuff you tear out. Good lumber, especially hardwood flooring, staircases, trim, mantels, etc. seem to do well. You may also want to carefully remove light and plumbing fixtures for reuse/resale. A lot of stuff in older homes (pre 1970 or so) have a "vintage" appeal that is popular today. In your area you might want to look for people that use wood burning furnaces (a relatively new trend...they put them outside and run lines to their house)...sell them the scrap lumber. Indoor fireplaces are not good for pine, as you probably know. Windows, doors, etc....anything you think is still in good condition and can be removed fairly easily, might be worth some money. I would find an outlet for all these things first before I waste a lot of energy though.
    As long as the scrap lumber isn't treated - it contains arsenic which is toxic.
    Scrapper, Scrap Yard Worker, Horse farm worker, Cooler Puller and just plain ''tired''


  18. Similar threads on the Scrap Metal Forum

    1. Replies: 8
      Last Post: 09-18-2014, 11:31 AM
    2. New house
      By VERYOLDGUY in forum A Day in the Life of a Scrapper
      Replies: 11
      Last Post: 07-23-2013, 09:16 PM
    3. Scrapping out a house!
      By Scrap man in forum A Day in the Life of a Scrapper
      Replies: 41
      Last Post: 01-28-2012, 02:43 PM
    4. Cleaning out a house
      By Insanity in forum General - Let's talk business
      Replies: 5
      Last Post: 02-02-2011, 02:10 PM

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

 
Browse the Most Recent Threads
On SMF In THIS CATEGORY.





OR

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

The Scrap Metal Forum

    The Scrap Metal Forum is the #1 scrap metal recycling community in the world. Here we talk about the scrap metal business, making money, where we connect with other scrappers, scrap yards and more.

SMF on Facebook and Twitter

Twitter Facebook