Tool Hero – Kurt Buss, Deconstruction Contractor

Did you know that 1/3 of all garbage 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 the things from the rich because they are the people who can benefit from the tax deduction and sell them cheaply or donate them to the people who cannot afford to buy new goods to improve their lives. economy. households “.

Kurt started his deconstruction career working for Eco-Cycle, Resource 2000. He managed the sales / recycling yard for 6 years and helped Resource 2000 become the company it is now. ReUse People of America reflects where Resource used to be 7-8 years ago. When asked if TRP is now a competitor to Resource 2000, Kurt explained: “We are both non-profit organizations, we can benefit each other and share resources. We compete for customers, yes, but even more so, we both try to work together with City of Boulder for more deconstruction work Resource 2000 is geared toward providing a drop-off location for homeowners.

TRP works specifically with whole house deconstruction contractors with the goal of holding parts of the house, door sets, 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 of both nonprofits is the excavator and the landfill. Until the tax deduction involved is taken into account, it is cheaper to demolish and dump the waste into a landfill than it is to deconstruct and recycle. The deduction Tax is what helps to equalize the costs 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 that will be donated to the recycling center. Everything would be accurately inventoried from the demo sites that use the tax deduction. TRP recommends a certified contractor to perform the deconstruction. Much of the cost is the labor hired for the disassembly of the house. The work hours themselves are not tax deductible, but are largely offset by the savings from the tax deduction. Kurt personally goes to the demo site for the first few days to make sure the most valuable materials are properly reclaimed 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 that will be donated to the recycling center. Everything would be accurately inventoried from the demo sites that use the tax deduction. TRP recommends a certified contractor to perform the deconstruction. Much of the cost is the labor hired for the disassembly of the house. The work hours themselves are not tax deductible, but are largely offset by the savings from the tax deduction. Kurt personally visits the demo site for the first few days to make sure the most valuable materials are properly reclaimed for reuse.

From TheReusePeople.org:

The example is a composite based on real work and is used here to make an economic comparison between deconstruction and demolition. This compound is a single story home, 2200 square feet plus garage, with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, raised foundation, composite shingles, single pane windows, carpet, hardwood floors, and a 12 x 40 wood deck. The costs do not include the removal of concrete slabs, sidewalks, foundations, or asphalt, but do include the site being left in a clean rake condition (no 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 with a sum of $ 14,802 ($ 4,702 received in tax benefits versus paying $ 10,100 in demolition costs). Now for the disclaimers. Figures vary based on the location, age and condition of the home and materials, topography, type of siding and interior walls, distance to TRP, landfill rates, etc. Still, the economy almost always favors TRP deconstruction over demolition.

** Total materials (lumber, plywood, cabinets, plumbing and electrical fixtures, doors, windows, etc.) would generally be valued at between $ 77,000 and $ 112,000 in good use condition. Assuming a 33% tax bracket (federal only; this will be higher in states with an additional income tax), the after-tax cash value, based on a typical appraised value of $ 88,000, is $ 29,040.

Reuse People of America began in April 1993 with a building materials campaign to help victims of the floods 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 Gas and Electric 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 manages Boulder operations with a phone, fax, credit card machine, no Internet, no running water, and his own personal laptop. “It’s like Home Depot in the rough,” says Kurt, “but you have to start somewhere.” They are currently looking for a new space to lease in the greater Denver area. Your reason for moving is simply to be closer to a larger population that will be coming to buy your supplies. There is a lot of deconstruction work going on, but most people opt for the ‘quick and easy’ demolition / removal process over deconstruction, which requires more effort.

Kurt and his staff work hard to keep the products organized so that people can see all the merchandise available. The Lafayette warehouse is open Thursday through Saturday. some days are busier than others, depending on the weather and the day of the week. Most of the customers are DIYers and bring their handmade drawings of what they need. The staff’s job is to help the customer find what they need. I found this highly organized luxury junkyard to be the perfect place to find something like a retro 1950s table, for just $ 30!

On the days that the warehouse is not open, Kurt is busy bidding for Deconstruction jobs. To keep the company running, they need 30 deconstructions / year. Once a job is hired, Kurt is on the job for the first day or two to show the crew what can be saved and how it must be saved. Kurt likes to deconstruct the most delicate materials himself, to make sure they are preserved for resale. Crews are hired by a certified deconstruction contractor trained in the process to better salvage merchandise for reuse.

“The most frustrating thing about the industry, says Kurt, is getting people to do something new, an alternative to the way they’ve been doing things. Younger 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 educating the public: the more people know there are options, the more the industry will grow. Due to the non-profit budget they operate with, they have found that word of mouth has been their best form of advertising. Kurt’s regional office is a member of the 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 an aid 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 deconstruction, shoots nails.

2. Milwaukee Reciprocating Saws: Reliable

3. Dewalt 18V Cordless Drills

4. Demo saws for cutting the foundation

5. Makita circular saw

* Most of the time, battery-operated tools are necessary because the power to the house is cut off. It is important to disconnect the power before deconstruction so that you do not cut live wires.

8 pieces of important safety equipment for deconstruction:

1. Safety glasses: there are always things flying

2. Helmets

3. Steel inserts for shoes.

4. Sturdy work boots

5. Particle Masks / Cartridge Filter Masks

6. Electrical cable tester for testing live cables

7. First aid kit

8. Common sense

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