Just One Green House: Deconstruction of Existing Cottage Underway!

A good deal of the former porch, north siding, and all of the windows, doors, and flooring are gone

Last week, Paul Fowler (a.k.a the builder) entered into an agreement with the Concerned Citizens Action Program (C-CAP) based in Syracuse's Southside to undertake the deconstruction of the 700 square foot cottage that is on the site (see earlier post). The workers are members of C-CAPs Green Collar Job Training Program, and for many, this project is their chance to hone skills that they can use to begin a new career in the nascent deconstruction market.

Deconstruction is important, because it reduces the amount of waste that ends up in a landfill. According to the United States Green Building Council, construction and demolition waste account for about 40% of the total solid waste stream in this country. The process can be slow, and challenging, as removal of materials needs to be done carefully in order to minimize damage to items that can be reused. Sorting of materials for recycling takes time too. On this job, the focus is on saving as many of the 2x4" and 2x6" boards, pine flooring, cedar siding and windows and doors as possible. Once they are done, the bulldozer doing the final site work will knock the block foundation into the cellar to fill the hole that will become part of the driveway.

The upper level, as seen through the former back door.

It is C-CAPs first solo project, having worked previously with the Ithaca-based not for profit Finger Lakes Re-Use in order to gain experience. Like many re-use groups, C-CAP is currently setting up a warehouse where they will store materials, either for use in additional job training, or for sale to the general public. They hope to use this project as a launch pad for securing deconstruction work from the City of Syracuse.

I really want to thank Paul for giving work to this group, as it would have been much easier for him to hire a bulldozer and get two dumpsters to fill. It also would have been done in a day, rather than many. It was definitely a leap of faith (like the reclaimed flooring!) and I appreciate his willingness to try new methods with our project. I also want to thank Erich Kruger, a deconstruction consultant, for providing guidance on the project.