Deconstruction & Roderick Cooper (Founder of ReBuild Green)
in the Wall Street Journal
When undertaking a home deconstruction and demolition project, various parts of the house may need to be dismantled or demolished, depending on the project's scope and goals. Here is a list of common home components that may be involved in a deconstruction and demolition project
Videos
All my favorite cast of characters appeared in a Wall Street Journal video and article about one of my favorite topics today. The WSJ's talented reporter-editor-camerawoman-in-one, Monika Vosough, does an impressive job explaining the benefits of deconstructing a home vs. demolition. As a bonus, you can also see some shots of our house and a cameo by our general contractor, Jeff, pretending to review building plans with me.
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In my opinion, the hero in this story is Roderick Cooper, founder of ReBuild Green a Bay Area deconstruction company. Roderick is one of the most impressive entrepreneurs I've ever met. He grew up in East Palo Alto and pulled himself up by his bootstraps. He saw a market need for deconstruction services and has built a thriving business around it. He keeps thousands of tons of potential waste out of our landfills and diverts the usable materials to non-profits. He also employs dozens of workers, one of whom described Roderick as "the best boss I've ever had." How often do you hear that about 27-year-old?
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We hired Roderick and ReBuild Green to do the deconstruction of our house and it was one of the best decisions I've made throughout our building process. Roderick, keep up the great work. You're nailing it! (Pardon the pun).
P.S. The accompanying WSJ article, The Demolition Discount, by Pui Wing Tam includes an awesome slideshow. Here's an example of a beam made from reclaimed redwood. We plan to do something similar in our house.