Building with Secondhand Stuff: How to Re-Claim, Re-Vamp, Re-Purpose & Re-Use Salvaged & Leftover Building Materials

Completing home remodeling projects on a budget is tough. Building with Secondhand Stuff is loaded with all the green construction and money saving techniques you’ll need!

From deconstruction methods and salvaging tips, to plotting efficient cutting plans and devising creative new uses for everyday items, Building with Secondhand Stuff is packed with clever ways to obtain low-cost (or no cost!) materials and keep debris out of landfills in the process.

Building with Secondhand Stuff answers questions most of us have wondered at some point: Is that pile of used maple flooring on Craigslist worth taking? Can I do anything with those window panes by the dumpster? Can I take a pick up load of bricks from that building they knocked down?

From plywood to hardwood flooring, to windows, doors, carpeting and more, salvaging building materials can save you thousands of dollars (and is about as green as you can get). Building with Secondhand Stuff is a hands-on, do-it-yourselfer's guide that shows you how to identify materials that can be salvaged efficiently and then gives you step-by-step instructions on how to go about doing it.

Plus, it provides over one dozen complete plans featuring clever ideas for putting salvaged materials to good use as useful home furnishings.

Chris Peterson has written extensively in the home improvement, cooking, and general reference categories. Included among the 40 books to his credit are Barndominiums, 5-Gallon Bucket Book, The Blue Bloods Cookbook, and The Wes Anderson Cookbook. Chris lives and works in the Pacific Northwest, where he indulges his love of hiking and baking.