Wednesday, April 2, 2008

(Re) Build

We here at BEST are no strangers to rehabbing old houses. More than a couple of our members have brought geriatric homes back their dignity while embracing their history, quirks, flaws and all. Rehabilitation is no small task. Of course, going into it, everyone truly believes they'll be finished in a month or two. And if we didn't believe that, if our judgment wasn't clouded by crazy, we would never ever have even tried.


Fortunately for Baltimore residents, we have one amazing resource to aid us in our home improvement journey. The Loading Dock is a nonprofit organization devoted to bringing reusable building materials to our community. "You could build a house with what people throw away." Yes. Yes, you can.

The benefits to supporting and utilizing everything the Loading Dock has to offer are not only financial (we tiled our kitchen and bathroom with slate we found here for about $1/ square foot), but oh so environmentally responsible. I can remember waiting in line at their location on the West side, before they moved to their new warehouse, and staring at a poster that was tacked high up on the wall. It was of a toilet. I can't remember what it said exactly, but it was something like, "imagine how many years it would take for this to break down."

They also offer workshops on cabinet refinishing, tile and linoleum installation, masonry, and more. If you are renovating or rehabbing, go here first. You will be amazed by what you will find.

4 comments:

ColesCloset said...

The Loading Dock is one of my favorite places to get lost for an afternoon. And its such a great mission. Second Chance is also pretty neat....all recycled building materials. A bit more expensive but also very cool. Check out http://www.secondchanceinc.org

Happy rehabbing!

ColesCloset said...

OOps....I was signed in as Aunt C for my favorite nephew...the little BrokenPlate. My apologies.

Sweet Pepita said...

Yes! We got our gorgeous fireplace mantel from Second Chance! They can even hook you up with furniture stripping.

Yummy & Company said...

we should plan a field trip!