SUCCESS WITH DEMOLITION AND SALVAGE

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There's good money to be made in tearing down old buildings and selling reusable materials.

by Phillip Foster

A few years ago—acting pretty much on impulse—I made a deal with the owner of a small condemned house, offering to clear his lot if I could keep the materials to use in a home remodeling project. However, as I tore the old place apart, a number of people stopped and asked to buy the various boards and fixtures. Soon all the salvage from that structure was sold . .. and I decided to try to find another demolition job. After all, I still needed materials myself . . . I enjoyed the work . . . and I saw an opportunity to bring in additional cash.

It soon became apparent that many landowners and construction companies were delighted at the chance to pay me to dismantle their buildings, in order to avoid the usually high prices charged by conventional demolition crews. In fact, on the fourth house I took down, I cleared $325 plus the profit from salvage sales . . . and I knew I wanted to stay in the business. Maybe you'd like to try it too.

PRELIMINARY PREPARATIONS

Before I could call myself a professional dismantler, though, I had to rent a storage yard and garage . . . the upstairs of which I converted into a small apartment. (Since a young operation will usually be small, and because the inventory sells so quickly, a 30' X 30' storage area is plenty large. However, you will need room to clean and sort your wares, so the more interior space you have, the better.)

I did my hauling with a small pickup truck and trailer for my first two jobs, but soon bought an old (1941) 2-1/2-ton vehicle with a 14-foot flatbed. My tool inventory consists of a couple of crowbars, a steelshanked hammer, assorted screwdrivers, wire and tin cutters, a small bow saw, a pipe wrench, a magnet (to pick up nails), and a couple of brushes and scraping tools. It's best not to rely on heavy equipment, but rather to work with small tools in order to remove old boards and dismantle fixtures with a minimum of damage.

I discovered at once that good, sturdy work clothes were necessary, too. Before you do any demolition work, be sure to buy some strong, steel-toed shoes with thick soles . . . since you'll often be walking around (and on) nails and shattered glass. Likewise, heavy leather gloves and a helmet will shield your hands and head, and coveralls will both protect your clothing and provide lots of pocket space.

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