Tool Hero – Kurt Buss, Deconstruction Contractor
Did you know that 1/3 of all trash in our landfills comes from construction waste, much of which can be reused/recycled? Kurt Buss does and has decided to do something to reduce that number. Kurt Buss is a deconstruction contractor. He compares himself to Robin Hood: “I get things from the rich because they are the people who can benefit from the tax deduction and I sell it cheaply or donate it to people who can’t afford to buy new products to improve their situation”. mens.”
Kurt began his deconstruction career working for Eco-Cycle, Resource 2000. He managed the recycling/sales yard for 6 years and helped build Resource 2000 into the company it is today. ReUse People of America reflects where Resource used to be 7 or 8 years ago. When asked if TRP is now a competitor to Resource 2000, Kurt explained: “We are both non-profit organizations, we can benefit from each other and share resources. We compete for customers, yes, but even more so, we both try to work together. with the City of Boulder to accomplish further deconstruction work.Resource 2000 is geared toward providing a drop-off site for homeowners.
TRP specifically works with whole house deconstruction contractors to keep parts of the house, sets of doors, etc. together. This process helps maintain a more profitable inventory. We also donate material to Habitat for Humanity and places like that.” The biggest competitor for both nonprofits is the bulldozer and the landfill. Until you account for the tax deduction involved, it’s cheaper to demolish and dump the waste. waste that is to deconstruct and recycle.The tax deduction is what helps level out the expenses for the owner.
Of course, this requires additional planning on the part of the owner. TRP uses an independent third-party appraiser to first assess the value of the materials to be donated to the recycling center. Everything is accurately inventoried from the demo sites using the tax deduction. TRP recommends a certified contractor to perform the deconstruction. A large part of the cost is the labor hired to disassemble the house. The work hours themselves are not tax deductible, but are largely offset by tax deduction savings. Kurt personally goes to the demo site the first few days to make sure the most valuable materials are properly recovered for reuse.
Of course, this requires additional planning on the part of the owner. TRP uses an independent third-party appraiser to first assess the value of the materials to be donated to the recycling center. Everything is accurately inventoried from the demo sites using the tax deduction. TRP recommends a certified contractor to perform the deconstruction. A large part of the cost is the labor hired to disassemble the house. The work hours themselves are not tax deductible, but are largely offset by tax deduction savings. Kurt personally goes to the demo site the first few days to make sure the most valuable materials are properly recovered for reuse.
From TheReusePeople.org:
The example is a composite based on actual jobs and is used here to make an economic comparison between deconstruction and demolition. This compound is a single story home, 2200 sf plus garage, with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, raised foundation, composite shingles, single pane windows, carpet, hardwood floors, and a 12 x 40 wood deck. Costs do not include removal of concrete slabs, sidewalks, foundations, or asphalt, but do include leaving the site clean (free of debris).
In the machine demolition scenario, the owner pays $10,100, but in the TRP deconstruction scenario, the owner receives $4,702 in after-tax benefits. In other words, the owner would be financially better off to the tune of $14,802 ($4,702 received in tax benefits vs. paying $10,100 in demolition costs). Now for the disclaimers. Figures vary based on location, age and condition of home and materials, topography, type of interior siding and walls, distance to TRP, landfill rates, etc. Still, the economics almost always favor TRP deconstruction over demolition.
**Total materials (wood, plywood, cabinets, electrical and plumbing fixtures, doors, windows, etc.) would generally value between $77,000 and $112,000 in good used condition. Assuming a 33% tax bracket (federal only; will be higher in states with an additional income tax), the after-tax cash value, based on a typical assessed value of $88,000, is $29,040.
Reuse People of America began in April 1993 with a drive for building materials to help victims of the flooding in Tijuana, Mexico. The campaign, Proyecto Valle Verde, was planned and coordinated with the mayors of Tijuana and San Diego, the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, the County Board of Supervisors, the San Diego Electric and Gas Company, Waste Management, and the Association of the Construction Industry. The success of the Valle Verde Project demonstrated the need for used construction materials and the impact of this need on our already overused and compromised landfills.
Today, The Reuse People of America has offices and facilities in San Diego, Orange/Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Washington, and Boulder, Colorado. Kurt Buss runs Boulder operations with a phone, fax machine, credit card machine, no Internet, no running water, and his own personal laptop. “It’s like raw Home Depot,” says Kurt, “but you have to start somewhere.” They are currently looking for a new space to lease in the Denver metro area. Your reason for moving is simply to be closer to a larger population that will come to buy your materials. There is a lot of deconstruction work going on, but most people go for the ‘quick and easy’ demolition/removal process rather than deconstruction, which requires more effort.
Kurt and his staff work hard to keep products organized so people can see all the merchandise available. The Lafayette store is open Thursday through Saturday. with some days busier than others, depending on the weather and the day of the week. Most customers are do-it-yourselfers and bring hand-drawn drawings of what they need. The staff’s job is to help the customer find what he needs. I found this very organized and unique junkyard to be the perfect place to find something like a 1950’s retro table for only $30!
On the days the warehouse isn’t open, Kurt is busy bidding on Deconstruction jobs. To keep the company running, they need to have 30 deconstructions/year. Once a job is booked, Kurt is on the job for the first day or two to show the team what can be saved and how it should be saved. Kurt likes to deconstruct the more delicate materials himself, to ensure they are preserved for resale. Crews are hired by a certified deconstruction contractor and trained in the process to better recover assets for reuse.
“The most frustrating thing about the industry, Kurt says, is getting people to do something new, an alternative to the way they’ve been doing things. Young people are more interested in recycling and reusing than older entrepreneurs. But every year there are more and more people who are interested”. The key is to educate the public: the more people know that there are options, the more the industry will grow. Due to the non-profit budget they operate on, they have found that word of mouth has been their best form of advertising. Kurt’s regional office is a member of BGBG, The Boulder Green Builders Guild, a group of green-minded architects, builders, fabricators, realtors, and other professionals. This group has been a good source of referrals for TRP, as well as helpful in the educational process.
The bottom line is that deconstruction creates jobs, saves money, and will contribute to the health of our planet. Provide cheap materials to people who need them. The most important part of the process is planning. If you are interested in deconstruction, please contact someone like Kurt in your area who is a deconstruction contractor.
Kurt’s Five Favorite Tools
1. DeNailer by ReConnx, Inc – Made specifically for deconstructing, it shoots nails.
2. Milwaukee Reciprocating Saws – Reliable
3. Dewalt 18V Cordless Drills
4. Demonstration Saws for Cutting Foundations
5. Makita circular saw
*Most of the time, battery-operated tools are necessary because there is no electricity in the house. It’s important to turn off power before deconstruction so you don’t cut live wires.
8 pieces of important safety equipment to deconstruct:
1. Safety glasses: things are always flying
2. Helmets
3. Steel inserts for shoes.
4. Heavy duty work boots
5. Particulate Respirators/Cartridge Filter Respirators
6. Electrical wire tester for testing live wires
7.First aid kit
8. Common sense