UPCYCLE, RECYCLE, AND SAVE ON HOME IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS

Looking for ways to cut costs on basic home improvements? Or trying to make environmentally conscious remodel decisions?

The DC area is home to several great resources for finding salvaged, surplus, and reusable building materials.

Georgia Builders Surplus Store – Located at 4132 Georgia Ave NW Washington DC 20011. Offering wholesale prices on limited inventory or discontinued building materials ranging from flooring to cabinets and appliances.

Just outside of the district in Hyattsville MD is Community Forklift a full home improvement center that accepts donations as well as selling a 40 categories of building materials. Community Forklift is part of the Sustainable Community Initiative which works to prevent useable building materials from entering landfills while also creating economic partnerships.

ReStore is a division of Habitat for Humanity which operates retail outlets that sell new and used furniture, building materials, and appliances. They also accept donations and some locations will pick up free of charge. ReStore has several area locations including one inGaithersburg and Alexandria.

The Rebuild Warehouse located in Springfield VA offers low cost building materials that are donated to the warehouse as well as free workshops and classes to provide project ideas and information. Rebuild Warehouse also encourages customers to share their project ideas so that others may be able to tackle a similar project.

Another great online resource for finding free materials that your neighbors may be looking to get rid of isFreecycle. There are different list serves for MD, DC, and VA as well as a few smaller more localized options, where anyone can join to either post what they are in search of or what they are looking to pass along.

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