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Salvaged building materials

A shortage of new land in Australia's cities, and the development of low-cost project homes, means it is now often cheaper to knock down and rebuild a home rather than renovate it. This has lead to a housing demolition boom - but most of the materials from demolished homes end up in landfill.

In fact, something like 40 per cent of landfill waste is made up of building materials, much of it still perfectly usable. Sometimes thousands of dollars of high-quality material is dumped simply because it saves the labour cost of reclaiming it.

But some demolishers do salvage building material to resell it. So if you are building or renovating and willing to hunt around a little, you can find high-quality materials and fittings at great prices - typically you can expect to save about a third to a half of the price of buying similar items new.

Often the quality and craftsmanship of salvaged materials is better than you'll find in most new homes, too. And salvaged materials can give your home a touch of character that will set it apart from the crowd.

You'll also be helping the environment in two ways; by reducing landfill, which can leach toxins into the soil, and by recycling to save the resources, energy and environmental damage used to make new building products.

For instance, recycled steel saves more than 70 per cent of the energy used in manufacturing new steel from primary ore. And using recycled timber reduces the demand for new timber and thus the pressure to log old-growth forests. In many cases, it's just about the only sustainable way to get hold of some beautiful hardwoods.

What salvaged materials are available?

There isn't much in a building that can't be salvaged, right down to concrete and the steel frame. But some materials are easier to recycle than others. Perhaps the most common recycled material is timber, such as beams, posts, weatherboards, joists and floorboards. Recycled timber can even be better than new wood because it will have already shrunk and weathered.

Doors, fireplaces and window frames are quite common too, but you may also find light fittings, bricks, tiles, pavers, ironwork, fencing, toilets, baths, sinks, stoves and kitchen units - in fact almost anything from staircases to stained glass.

Some salvage yards specialise in reclaiming vintage items from older houses, but otherwise it simply depends what has come out of recent demolitions.

Where can you get them

Visit your local salvage yard or keep an eye on local newspaper classified, as demolishers often advertise what they have available. Most can organise delivery. If you can catch the demolisher just before he goes into a house, and you can take things away, you'll get some real bargains because you'll be saving the demolisher's tip and transport costs.

Tips for buying salvaged materials

Don't expect to walk into a recycling yard and find everything you want just sitting there. Availability depends on what has turned up in recent demolitions, so be prepared to be patient and hunt around. For some people this is all part of the appeal of using salvaged materials, not knowing exactly what you are going to turn up.

Make sure you know the sizes you need, and be ready to bargain when you find something you like. As always, you'll get the best prices for cash, and the more you buy.

Salvage firms are unlikely to guarantee second-hand materials, but ask them whether they will refund your money if something turns out to be damaged or faulty - many will.

Recycling building materials

If you are demolishing or renovating, find a demolisher who will recycle as much as possible, rather than one who will simply bulldoze everything and take it to landfill. And talk to your builder or architect about making the materials in your home easier to recycle. For instance, timber, copper and aluminium are easy to recycle; composite materials such as laminates are not. Setting bricks in weaker mortar makes them easier to recycle than using hard mortar. And bolted or screwed joining methods make frames easier to dismantle and recycle than welded joints.

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