[MassHistPres] Demo review TANGENT

[Amy Bauman]

Hi All - 

I'd like to interject that if historic preservation departments are drafting
demo delay laws that they work with the environmental team to include
language that would encourage homeowners of ALL homes to *at minimum* offer
select building materials back to the community.  This does not have to be a
free for all.  Other homes doing their own renovations could send licensed
contractors (or anyone with appropriate insurance) over to the prospective
demo site to uninstall certain elements once services have been shut off,
depending on the item.

It sounds like a lot of work, but with the prices of materials, you'd be
surprised how easily it happens (and with what benefits).  In a recent
project (large home, ca. 1987) greenGoat had in Concord, we estimate that we
diverted a total of 8.7 tons out of landfill: 3.01 wood, 1.55 metal, .43
plastic, 1.45 glass, .3 stone, and .18 in ceramic.  We gave a lot of it
away, sold some, and in the process spared the planet 197 million BTUs and
10 tons of CO2.

Whether a company like us nudges the process along or the homeowner just
runs ads on Craigslist / Freecycle, it really doesn't matter.  Historic or
not, a big part of preservation is the recognition that an item is worth
saving.  Particularly for communities where the price of the lot has risen
dramatically over recent years, those ranch houses are coming down in
droves.  It would be easy for the historic preservation community to
overlook a modern home as "out of scope", but with the time spent in
drafting these regulations, it's worth collaborating with other departments.

Thanks


Amy Bauman, LEED AP
greenGoat
www.greengoat.org
617-666-5253

... resource management for any building project