# What gets reclaimed from a high end home remodel? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 5, 2024, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765 "2024-07-05T08:21:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2024, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765/21 "2024-07-07T02:21:15Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Oh, it could be so much worse. The year my mom retired from teaching was also the last year for that school building. The district posted guards at the building, to ensure that no teachers could take any supplies out of the building before it was torn down. The school library was demolished with all of the books still in it. … When my sister remodeled her kitchen, the contractor used a lot of recycled materials from an old remodeled school, including a large blackboard which became a countertop. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2024, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765/22 "2024-07-09T15:30:21Z")
I just had the opportunity to be in a ~~house~~ mansion last night that is being demolished. A lot of the interior doors had a big rough square/rectangle rough cutout where the handle would have been. No idea why someone decided to saw them out on scene rather than cut them out to remove later but it absolutely looked like they were saving whatever the door hardware was - handles & hinges. We were also told not even to _look_ in the one bathroom; heard an estimate that the tub will _resell_ for $15,000 - it’s marble. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2024, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765/23 "2024-07-09T16:24:46Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > No idea why someone decided to saw them out on scene rather than cut them out to remove later but it absolutely looked like they were saving whatever the door hardware was - handles & hinges. They didn’t want to store the entire door when all they could resell quickly was the hardware. By cutting out the wood around the hardware they can keep track of the hardware without losing pieces and it makes storage much easier and less expensive. Doors in mansions are often custom sizes anyway, so good chance a door would sit unsold for a long time unless there was also nice glass in it. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2024, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765/24 "2024-07-09T23:47:57Z")
I bet it was something like P.E. Guerin hardware. Price that stuff sometimes. Amazing. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765/25 "2024-07-10T14:24:39Z")
I am horrified by the amount of waste in our society. People smashing granite as if it was a limitless resource, and trowing away perfectly functional appliances because they don’t match the desired decor. We are updating an older house, and since we don’t have boundless resources ourselves, we are re-using all the cabinets. They are in pretty good shape, and my wife figured out how to get the kitchen design she wanted simply by re-arranging them. We are going to have a custom Formica countertop made, which should update the look. Since I don’t have my truck up here, I have been saving every scrap of wood and piece of drywall, since it’s hard for me to carry new ones from the hardware store. Also, I like the idea of re-using them where I can. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765/26 "2024-07-10T15:44:02Z")
I’ve been noticing lately that the design/DIY/fixer upper shows have been installing concrete countertops, i.e., they make a form and pour the concrete and when it dries, countertop. Two questions: isn’t concrete too porous for that usage? How can you get it smooth enough to use like a granite CT? Why concrete? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765/27 "2024-07-10T15:55:39Z")
Concrete can be poured into the shape of the counter on the spot. It gets smoothed when it’s poured and then further with abrasives while setting, then more so after it dries if necessary. Concrete is not porous but is still usually sealed with a food safe material anyway to help prevent chipping and cracking. It can cost much less than some counter top materials, but I’m sure it doesn’t always turn out as well as expected. Concrete countertops are also featured on home shows so that makes it popular and as we learned in our school days nothing is more important than popularity. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765/28 "2024-07-10T15:55:45Z")
Concrete is an almost perfect material for countertops. We considered doing it for this project. First of all, it’s “rustic,” so if it gets a bit stained, that just adds to the appeal. If you want to keep it pristine, it needs to be sealed. It can be very smooth just by floating with a magnesium float, but if you want it with a mirror-finish, it can be polished with a diamond sander. The reason we didn’t do it is - it’s kind of expensive, even if you do the labor. The cast-in-place technique uses special break-away edge forms, and even thought they are just a piece of extruded plastic, it would have cost over $300 for them. Then there’s the special high-strength concrete, necessary for a thin countertop (for a thick one, you can use normal concrete mix). The total material cost was more that 2x what a simple laminate countertop cost. And a lot of skilled labor. My labor. And, I would only be skilled after it was all done. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765/29 "2024-07-11T14:40:48Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > as we learned in our school days nothing is more important than popularity. I don’t know why I keep forgetting that. **beowulff** , thanks for the info. Magnesium float sounds delicious 🤪. We should probably thank our stars they haven’t figured out how to polish horse turds (a la **Mythbusters** ) into countertops. I guess I’m just not thrilled with the sidewalk being the kitchen surface I prepare food on. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765/30 "2024-07-11T14:48:33Z")
A cousin of mine got a job to replace the carpeting in a brand new house, the buyers wanted tan carpet, not the gray that was installed. I helped him pull out the over 4000 square feet of gray carpet, we used it to carpet our grandmother’s house and the living and dining room of my mother’s house. We still threw away around 750 square feet of new carpet. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765/31 "2024-07-11T15:23:15Z")
The statute of limitations has expired, so here’s what a friend did. A very old church was going to be demolished. A friend was building a house and was always looking for things. The shell of the house was a “kit”, with scheduled delivery of various components. The interior was up to him. He was in this old church and the hardwood floors were spectacular. He hunted down the responsible party and asked how much they wanted for the flooring. For some reason they did not want to sell it, everything would be bulldozed and hauled away. My friend got two other friends with trucks and several other guys, about a dozen of us altogether. The church was in the middle of nowhere. The flooring was removed and hauled away by lantern light, two days before they bulldozed the site.My friends floors are incredible! ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765/32 "2024-07-11T15:53:29Z")
Sometimes extremism in defense of fabulous floors is no vice. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765/33 "2024-07-11T16:05:53Z")
Back when I was living in Chicago one of the more affluent suburbs once or twice a year had a big-item trash day. Over a two-week period the town would send out big trucks to collect stuff that didn’t qualify for the weekly trash pickup. They published a schedule of what streets the trucks would be going down, and when. It soon became a thing for people to go there the day before the trucks and see what they could salvage. My friends and I scored such things as bookcases, shelving, and a portable dishwashers. The town didn’t mind because it meant less for them to collect, and the residents took to putting signs on things like appliances about whether they worked. Forty years and two moves later, I still have one or two of the bookcases. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765/34 "2024-07-15T17:49:28Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > We should probably thank our stars they haven’t figured out how to polish horse turds (a la **Mythbusters** ) into countertops. You know, if someone was offering a coprolite countertop, I’d be tempted. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765/35 "2024-07-15T21:50:17Z")
Please, Mildred, not in front of the children! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765/36 "2024-07-15T21:54:32Z")
[How about a table](https://www.lymeregismuseum.co.uk/related-article/bucklands-coprolite-table/)? [![](https://www.lymeregismuseum.co.uk/lrm/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/bucklands_table.jpg) ](https://www.lymeregismuseum.co.uk/lrm/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/bucklands_table.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765/37 "2024-07-15T22:17:01Z")
That’s ugly. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765/38 "2024-07-15T22:21:04Z")
Oh, yeah. Thanks, **TriPolar**. > [@chela](#): > > That’s ugly. The wood part of the table isn’t great, but the insert is fine. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2024, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765/39 "2024-07-15T22:42:58Z")
Yes no doubt the whole table is special. The Cross sections look like agates or amoebas. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gets-reclaimed-from-a-high-end-home-remodel/1003765.md?page=1)