RESOURCES
Construction & Demolition,
Deconstruction & Salvage
Very helpful FAQs about the differences between deconstruction and demolition by the ReBuilding Exchange in Chicago.
Use this calculator to get the amount of energy "embodied" (i.e. the total energy spent in the production of a building, from the manufacture of materials to their delivery to construction) in your building. Also calculate the amount of energy needed to raze, load, and haul away construction materials for a demolition.
Delta’s Deconstruction and Reuse Guide
The purpose of this guide is to help policymakers, architects and designers, homeowners, contractors, salvage retailers and economic development professionals work in concert to help create a thriving, sustainable deconstruction and reuse industry.
Quick overview by the EPA about reclaiming used building materials.
Determining the Value of Donated Property
A helpful resource for anyone who has donated materials to the Salvage Barn.
15 successful reuse projects within different sectors explored in-depth.
Building Materials Resource Association
The Building Materials Reuse Association is a non-profit educational and research organization whose mission is to advance the recovery, reuse and recycling of building materials.
Waste Reduction, Demolition and Construction Debris
A guide for building, construction and environmental professionals.
The IWE is designed to keep waste out of the landfills and in production. Many industry, business and even local governments dispose of items others can use.
Books
19th Century Home Architecture of Iowa City by Margaret Keyes
Historic Preservation by Norman Tyler
A Field Guide to American Houses by Virginia & Lee McAlester
The Economics of Historic Preservation: A Community Leader’s Guide by Donovan Rypkema
Place, Race, and Story by Ned Kaufman
Historic Preservation Technology: A Primer by Robert A. Young
Old Houses by Susan Daley
Buildings, Landscapes, and Memory by Daniel Bluestone
Paint in America: The Colors of Historic Buildings by Rover W. Moss
Invitation to Vernacular Architecture: A Guide to the Study of Ordinary Buildings and Landscapes by Thomas Carter and Elizabeth C. Cromley
Guides & Tutorials
These 47 briefs, published by the National Park Service, provide guidance on preserving, rehabilitating, and restoring historic buildings and help historic building owners recognize and resolve common problems prior to work. They cover anything from mothballing a historic home to repairing wooden shingle roofs.
Provides owners of existing and newly constructed homes with information and
resources to assist them in efficiently operating and maintaining their homes. Emphasis on best practices for Iowa.
Dealing with asbestos in your home
Installing a Pre-Hung Interior Door
Installing a Pre-Hung Exterior Door
Building a Salvaged Garden Gate
Removing and Installing Windows
Improving Energy Efficiency in Older Homes
Energy Efficiency Guide for Older Homes by the EPA
Qualities of Different Kinds of Wood
Buying and Installing Used Flooring
How to paint the outside of your vintage clawfoot tub
How to fix a loose clawfoot tub
How to install plaster ceiling medallions
Historic Preservation
National Trust for Historic Preservation
NTHP works to save America’s historic places.
State Historical Society of Iowa
SHSI in Iowa City has resources that can provide information about historic properties in the area.
This is the standard form used by the State Historic Preservation Office to record information on an architectural or historical property.
State Historic Preservation Office
SHPO's mission is to identify, preserve, and protect Iowa’s historic resources. Find information about nominating a building to the National Register here, as well as information about tax credits.
Statewide Historic Preservation Plan
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
National Historic Preservation Act
The National Main Street Center works with a nationwide network of communities to encourage preservation-based economic revitalization, and has participated in the renewal of more than 2,000 older commercial districts during its 30-year history.
Donovan Rypkema is principal of PlaceEconomics, a Washington, D.C.-based real estate and economic development consulting firm. The firm specializes in services to public and non-profit sector clients who are dealing with downtown and neighborhood commercial district revitalization and the reuse of historic structures.
Quick Facts
Repairing existing residential buildings produces about 50% more jobs than building new ones. Nationally, about 41% of the cost of residential repair goes to labor. For new construction, that number is just 28%, meaning considerably more than half of any investment in a new home goes not to construction jobs, but to materials, equipment and things like trucking services. [The Atlantic]
Environmentally, deconstruction reduces construction and demolition (C&D) waste, reduces air pollution, reduces carbon dioxide emissions, abates the need for new landfills and incinerators, preserves resources and saves energy by decreasing the extraction and processing of raw materials, and supports sustainable building practices. [Delta]
Building-related construction and demolition (C&D) debris totals more than 136 million tons per year, or nearly 40% of the municipal solid wastestream. [EPA]
According to Environmental Building News, building construction accounts for nearly 30% of all raw material consumption [Design for Reuse Primer]
It is estimated that over 25% of the buildings existing in 2000 will be replaced by 2030. [Design for Reuse Primer]
According to the Deconstruction Institute, every ton of reused wood avoids the emission of 60 pounds of greenhouse gases created when new lumber is harvested and milled. [Design for Reuse Primer]
Savings from reuse are between 4 and 46 percent over new construction when comparing buildings with the same energy performance level. [The Greenest Building]
The Brookings Institution projects that some 82 billion square feet of existing space will be demolished and replaced between 2005 and 2030 – roughly one-quarter of today’s existing building stock. Each year, approximately 1 billion square feet of buildings are demolished and replaced with new construction. [The Greenest Building]
On average, materials are trucked 497 miles to a building site. Demolished/replaced materials travel 45 miles on average to their respective disposal or processing (e.g., recycling, incineration) destinations. In actuality, distances can vary widely, as some building materials are transported from the other side of the world. [The Greenest Building]
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance estimates deconstruction could divert up to 24 million tons of demolition waste each year for reuse. [Institute for Local Self-Reliance]
