2015, Year of Licensed Deconstruction In Connecticut!
Please go to our Gofundme page and contribute. Get a membership for $100.00 or more and get 10% off every in store item for an entire year !
GOfundme Campaign
We are transitioning to full time building deconstruction and need your help. Since receiving our demolition license in November ( Ct. # 2013), we have been lining up full building deconstructions. This means getting bigger and saving more materials. We need to restructure ourselves. Anyone shopping in our store knows we need an overhaul there.
With more resources and management capacity we will be able to handle the ever increasing volumes of building materials we are recovering. Right now we are engaged in the partial deconstruction of two houses, we've completed a barn this past spring, and we are now starting a full house deconstruction next week. (See below). Meanwhile we have a backlog of sheds to build out of used materials and have more full house deconstructions on the way !
While we have been working on saving truckloads of materials , we have also been doing so with limited resources. We need to pay back some loans now. We are exploring becoming a benefit corporation,recently allowed by Connecticut law, in order to better serve the community.
But there are costs associated with this transition. By donating now and helping us become a public community based organization,we will be able to better fulfill our mission of saving building materials and selling them at reasonable prices to the local community.
A benefit corporation is designed to prioritize the social and environmental mission instead of just the "bottom line", so that we can base our actions on long term social, economic and environmental benefits, instead of externalizing the real costs of throwing away buildings as we all have been doing.
Keeping the materials generated from thousands of demolitions and renovations every year and reusing them will have such an enormous positive impact -creating jobs while reducing waste, that we have to start doing this now ! And so we are. But it requires more organized effort than we can muster within our current company structure. So we are now looking at changing that, finding excellent directors, encouraging our already enthusiastic customers to participate more and developing a system that will eventually help develop a company that can divert all reusable building materials ( and lots of other stuff) from the landfill throughout the region.
Donate any amount that you can to keep an improved Urbanmining experience alive.
And thank you to all that support us everyday.
Joe DeRisi, owner
How to Save More Stuff
We have been getting more and more calls from folks that have materials they want to see reused. We are at the point where we cannot possibly pick up everything and bring it to our shop to resell it. ( And pardon us if we are so backed up we do not get back to you right away,feel free to send us a reminder).
Even though our staff: Robin, Kraig, Stephen, Noah and Nicole work really hard at this, there is always still more to do ! This is not even about the dozens of buildings we see coming down every month. Just the materials coming from households and commercial sources on a daily basis can be overwhelming. However, we do want to facilitate reuse and suggest the following:
1) Send us photos and descriptions via e-mail at
[email protected]. Include how much time there is before the items need to be moved.
2) We will advertise your items to find a potential buyer. If we cannot find one soon enough, then we may be able to just pick up the stuff or have you drop it off. Always call before bringing us things !
There is more supply then demand so we cannot always take everything nor do we purchase items.
4) If you want us to provide a service,such as removing all of the materials in a garage or house, that is a chargeable service,but we will give you a discount based on the value of the materials. If you are removing an entire structure ,call us BEFORE you get a demolition contractor, as we have a license and may be able to remove the building for less AND save all the materials.
Union - Full house deconstruction starting Monday August 3rd ! We will be posting materials for sale soon. Buy in advance and help us get the job done!
This entire 1890 beach house will be deconstructed. Owners will keep all flooring for use in a new building on site. Remaining materials to be sold including original windows, siding, cabinets, framing, doors, sheathing and more.
Now that the removal is confirmed, we will be getting more details posted on the materials that will be coming so you can start buying in advance.
