Marty Brennan knew he needed his own home when his Fremont apartment became too small for the salvaged building materials--including light fixtures, a kitchen cabinet set and a pedestal sink--that he'd squirreled away inside.

Brennan is Outreach Manager at the RE Store, one of several local salvage businesses that bring a second life to items like wood flooring, tiles and church pews by selling them to homeowners and businesses. They also harvest used materials from homes and construction sites.

Salvage operations are a force for environmental good, since construction materials account for as much as 1/3 of the municipal waste stream. The RE Store alone diverts more than 2.5 million pounds of materials from landfills annually.

Salvage offers an alternative to buying new, and makes unique design more accessible. Reclaimed materials generally cost half the price of new (but if you're not particularly handy, budget another 20% for labor).

Finally, as Brennan's new home proves, re-use preserves local history. His remodel boasts dozens of storied items, including a kitchen floor that was once a high school basketball court, slate countertops made from a West Seattle school's chalkboards, and a dining table crafted from a slab of Leilani Lanes bowling alley.

"What you can't buy new is the patina," he says. 

Ready to join the salvage movement? Start here:

• Before buying new, check the salvage circuit. You'll find a wide range of reclaimed building materials, fixtures and furnishings at the RE Store, Second Use and Earthwise. Specific needs? Check the stores' online databases, or call.

• When building or remodeling, find a contractor willing to work with salvage. Two local pros are Jim Barger at Greenleaf Construction and Jon Aleander at Sunshine Construction.

• De-constructing? Consult salvage operations first. Stripping interiors of cabinets and fixtures is salvage, and the service is free, with no dumping fees. During deconstruction-- in which an entire house is taken apart--the client still pays, but much of the cost is reclaimed with a tax receipt for the donation of reusable materials. Try these links: Deconstruction Consultant Dave Bennick, Deconstruction Institute, and the Northwest Building Salvage Network.

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