Sources for free or nearly free building materials

[youngins]

As spring approaches, lumber postings on craigslist has diminished and I am looking at other avenues of obtaining building materials cheaply.

Just as they say one persons trash may be another person's treasure, is leftover construction scrap generally available for the "taking"?

What are some other creative ways to obtain materials without going to the local home improvement center / mega-mart?

Thanks

[glenn-k]

Sometimes it is available.  Large construction sites many times have a dumpster and they throw away tons of stuff.  Many times it is easy for contractors and their men on the job to get salvage from them but harder for outsides due to insurance concerns, etc.  Ask the foreman in charge.  Watch for hard hat requirements on the job and be prepared to wear one if required.

Sometimes it is allowed as it is that much less they have to pay to dispose of.

[glenn-k]

Glass shops sometimes have take out dual pane windows that are leaking - you can split them with a razor blade and clean them or make 2 singles or make your own double pane per Charlie Wing.

I have been given 4 large - say 1500 lbs or more each -- truckloads of glass free.  See my greenhouse and uphill patio photos for a look at some of it.

[optionguru]

I own a small garbage company and I do a decent amount of construction and demo clean-up projects.  I frequently get nice dimensional lumber, windows and doors that I just throw away due to lack of storage space.  I usually save the higher end stuff and blow it out a few times a year at garage sale prices.

You may want to contact a few local small and mid size garbage contractors and see if they do anything similar.
Peter

[youngins]

I own a small garbage company and I do a decent amount of construction and demo clean-up projects.

Whereabouts?

[optionguru]

Northern New Hampshire.

[JRR]

Do you have a local land-fill?  Might try it.

[desdawg]

I have an auction that I attend sometimes and they usually have a plentiful supply of building materials. Who knows where it all comes from? Sometimes the buyers go nuts and other times you can get some really good deals. It is an auction and it depends on the mood of the crowd that day. This auction is held once a month in Phoenix but I would think any metropolitan area would have something similar.

[Amanda_931]

Logs from your site?  Use as logs or lumber.

Making use of the Privet Desert up the hill? (I think I mind privet the most of the invasive exotics) Use for things like plaster lath.  Maybe get rid of enough that something else can grow up there.

Rocks from your site? Rock walls.  Probably find it easier to just buy gravel from the gravel pit, not break your rocks into gravel

Sawdust from the local sawmill?  Sometimes they charge for loading.  Works in clay/sand mixes for floors or even walls.  Adds insulation.

Clay--or sand--from your site (not mine--that's easily gotten anyway--got lots of silt, bleah!   )

In addition to the local freecycle.  

The Re-Use stores do charge, but bargains can be had.

I know of someone who has built at least a garage out of fairly short pieces of 2x4.  Laid, IIRC, long ways to form the wall.  Didn't find his website the last time I looked, though.

[n74tg]

I have been out driving before and found myself behind a pickup truck pulling a trailer full of construction site waste material.  It isn't far to the dump, so I followed the truck, and upon arrival at the dump, asked if they would let me scrounge in return for helping them unload the trailer.  They were more than happy to have the help and the dump workers had no problem with it.  So, I'd just throw my stuff off to the side as we unloaded the trailer.  On completion, loaded up my pickup bed and got quite a lot of usable stuff.  Got probably 6-8 full size 2x up to 14 foot long and lots of 4 and 6 footers, not bad for 20-30 minutes work.  I'm retired, so I can change my plans on a moments notice to profit from opportunities like this.

Granted the 4 footers have limited use, but I always have at least a dozen little things I want to build, like extra saw horses, etc.  Those offcuts come in handy for projects like that.  Best of all, when I'm ready to start the project; all the material is already in the workshop.  

[youngins]

How about the local sawmill?

[desdawg]

There is a sawmill near my mountain property. They allow "firewood" hauling from their waste piles. There is some pretty good material there sometimes. Some of that stuff can get pretty heavy and you may need some help to load. If I go there I take a trailer.

[MikeT]

Where I live (Portland, OR) the deconstruction industry is booming.  Many developers are now not demolishing homes to make way for new construction--rather they are contracting with a place called the Rebuilding Center to come in a deconstruct it piece  by piece.  The materials are then resold to the general public at a fraction of new construction costs.  When I go there, I have to race the contractors who are sifting through the lumber for fairly large quantities of dimensional and sheet framing lumber, beams, etc.

mt

PS: A few years ago I posted the incident where my inspector on my garage project did not approve of the re-use of the wood unless it was regraded and stamped.

[onegreynight]

[size=14]I wonder if I would have an eye for recognizing the good quality stuff from the not-so-good-quality stuff.  Obviously, I know a rotten piece of wood from an unrotten one--well at least I think   , But do you worry about the structural integrity of some of these cast-offs?  I would be worried I would use something that just isn't strong enough for what I want it to do.   However, I am all for scrounging and landfill diving.  Does anyone have suggestions on how to go about judging the structural value of found or auction procurred scraps?  
KELLY KELLY KELLY KELLY[/size]

[glenn-k]

One thing to keep in mind is whether the inspector will let you use recycled or not or if you will have to use it for other good projects.  I can't remember if you were in an inspected area or not,  KELLY KELLY KELLY KELLY, but I do remember you calling the pigs.

I take everything I can get and the bad stuff becomes fire wood.  Most building departments require graded wood -- Have to keep the corporations making their cut, and I have actually heard of one honest official saying that they did not allow the use of recycled stuff because it did not increase the tax base.  Ken Kern mentioned that for a simple residence, even a simple 4" stud wall was overbuilt as far as strength goes.  Bigger structures and hurricane areas -earthquake areas of course have other considerations but most of that is bracing and tie downs.

Much of the old wood is better than the currently available new wood.  While not generally allowed by the public servants because most of them have not seen it, "common sense" will dictate what is good and what is not for many applications.

So find yourself a good storage area and start scrounging stuff that may be usable for one thing or another in the near or distant future.