Habititat for Humanity Restore

Started by builderboy, April 13, 2007, 07:02:10 AM

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builderboy

Just found a source for used materials. The Habitat for Humanity Restore. I'm sure some know about this but I didn't so.... They accept used materials (windows,doors cabinets - anything easy to reuse) as donations and sell it to help fund their building program. They seem to be widespread near major centers. A google should find a location near you (if you're not in the middle of nowhere.)

mark_chenail

We have one here in our town and I visit a couple of times a week.  The quality of what they have and its price really depends on the management.  Unfortunately our local store is run by a woman who wouldnt know a hawk from a handsaw and the pricing is just wildly off.   She recently priced a solid wood 36" new french door with beveled true divided lights with a working lockset for 36.00 dollars. (Yeah you bet I bought it.  I may have to add on a room to the house to use it, but worth every penny). On the same day, she was trying to palm off a cheap Grand Rapids dresser circa 1930 that was in such poor shape that it was nothing but firewood for 150.00.  (Trust me Ive been dealing in antiques and furniture since boyhood. this was junk.)  However you can get some wildly good bargains, if you get there early and can nab the stuff, but she is costing them money in the long run.  Every hardware and lighting shop in town is dumping their old inventory on her and its not selling.  The people at Habitat are building small houses with 8-9 foot ceilings and shes trying to peddle these giant 1980s chandeliers.  Its absurd.  A local drapery company just stuck her with a literal truckload of cheap lining fabric that was nothing but a fire hazard in their warehouse.  Totally useless even at 1.00 a roll unless your decorating scheme is thrift store arabian nights shiek.  
But the Homestore concept is a great one and if you have one close, be sure to check it out.  If your lucky, its run well and you can get some fine bargains.  Im not too proud to say, Ive taken advantage of the low prices.... ;)  It just pains me that our local one is soooo badly managed.


MountainDon

I guess it's like a lot of chains; management styles/competence vary.

It helps if your plans or needs have some flex built into them as well. I've yet to find windows that would suit my plans.

As long as you've done your homework and know your pricing, it's a grear place if you can find what you need.

jimgranite

We went to one in Indiana.  We got a steel kitchen sink with faucet and hose for $5, and  a porcelain double bathroom sink for $10.  Good Deals.

ChrisH

The one local to me in North Carolina is also hit or miss, but it does have some very good deals. I got 8 pounds of 16d framing nails for $4.00. They also take requests if you are looking for something in particular. We also got some screen doors and several double pane windows for $15 each. Not so much in the lumber department, just random leftovers. The local one also lets you haggle, so that may be worth a try if something is priced irrationally. It can be annoying if any of the employees are building a new house, as they comb over everything the second it hits the floor. Check it out if you haven't yet, you may save a ton!

Chris H.


glenn kangiser

Welcome to the forum, ChrisH.  I have a friend in NC I buy truck parts from.

Nice to be able to find the occasional house part at the HFH store - ours are quite a ways away.
"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

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