For our green show house we are using as much salvaged materials as possible, and since we are in the USA you can simply walk out your front door and be in a land of abundance.

Provided you aren’t too proud to go through other peoples’ dumpsters.

The condos on President St in Carroll Gardens are being sold by Corcoran and so in true trickle down theory economics their dumpsters are also “a la Corcoran.”

I found 1000 sq. ft. of perfectly good once used wide plank maple flooring. About $5,000 worth if you figure $5/sq.ft.

I met the builder while I was salvaging it and he said he had to throw it away because it was buckling.

It looks like the wrong nails were used to hold it down and they probably weren’t acclimatised correctly. They were only installed this summer.

So instead of exposed cement floors on the parlor we now have soon to be wide plank maple 100% salvaged from the landfill. We will sand them down to get the warp out and stain them with white stain.

Thanks to Corcoran!

Gennaro Brooks-Church
ecobrooklyn.com


Comments

  1. RE: “I really don’t get what the real estate agency has to do with the dumpster or problems in construction. ”

    It was an artistic stretch on my part since there is a big sign on it by Corcoran. But there is a connection. The properties are owned and being sold by a couple. The gentleman who I met is the designer and builder and the woman is a Corcoran agent. From the little I know. But the wood might be from another of their properties. Who cares, I’m just grateful they didn’t want the wood.