The good deal: building salvage

Bet this owner got a great deal on those windows...

Have you ever walked in to a friend’s house that they just finished remodeling and nothing matches? Your friend will then proceed to tell you about the “good deal” they got on everything.

Most of what you will find in your typical "building salvage" stores falls in to this category, quality tile but not enough for the entire bathroom. High end light fixtures but just one of them. Individually, these items might indeed be a good deal, the problem is that they will look chaotic and uncoordinated.

Building salvage stores often have lots of items that “just need a little work”. The door with the damaged casing, the cabinets with the miss-matched hardware. While individually these all seem like a good deal, the problem is they inevitably turn into a time suck tracing down replacement pieces and hardware that has a corrosive effect on your schedule.

While there are many products that lend themselves to E commerce, books, music, electronics, building materials do not fall into this category.

Case in point, plumbing fixtures, especially high-end brands like Grohe are notoriously confusing to order.  The chances of getting this wrong are high, and then you’ll have delays, re-orders and an aggravated plumber.

When an owner supplies materials to the contractor, the contractor will not warrantee them and if there is a defect or you ordered the wrong thing, then it’s the owner’s problem to resolve.

BuildSmart take away: Building salvage isn't always the "good deal" it seems. With BuildSmart, we can turn you into an informed buyer when it comes to your remodeling project. Contact us today.