Succeeding in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business: Techniques and Ideas - Old School and New School

Posted: 07 Jun 2011 01:38 AM PDT

Recently a fellow contacted me and said that my eBook on salvage and recycling was a great autobiography but was not relevant. His example for me to follow was to check Craigslist and type in "junk" and "scrap" and I would see that everyone is in the salvage and recycling business. I responded telling him that the techniques I used for obtaining, working with, reusing and selling salvage are very relevant and that I use them most everyday. I also told him that I would appreciate any tips he could offer in the way of relevant ideas. Once I hear, I'll pass them on to you all.





Here's an example. Recently I blogged about a house that I am in the midst of deconstructing. I didn't get it by watching the craigslist listings and hoping that I was the first one to respond and then hoping that if I was, it would still be there when I got there. I have tried this method a few times and in my experience using craigslist and other online tools works at times, but also can be a real time waster.





In this case, I had done what I always do - hand out business cards, put flyers on bulletin boards and small ads in local papers. Several months ago I purchased some oak flooring from a fellow - he had seen my flyer at the local market. Later he told a friend about me, we connected and I am now tearing down this great old cabin. He said that he had been trying for months to find someone to give it to. Did he list on craigslist? No - he doesn't use a computer. I find that there are a whole lot of people out there that are still "old school" and depend on what they read and who they talk to for the information they need - they don't even think much about the internet. Also, some just don't want the hassle of strangers calling them, coming to their place...





I do think that craigslist can be a good way to sell material and I've done some of that successfully, but more often, word of mouth has worked for me and folks tell other folks about me and before long the material is sold - sometimes before I even have it torn down and available for sale.

I've included some photos of this project that I began on May 4, 2011. I only work it 10 or 12 hours per week. Early on I removed the aluminum roofing, wiring, brass... and found other recyclables around the property. I shopped this around at scrap metal yards and was able to sell the scrap for $409. More than enough to pay for a couple of runs to the dumps, gas, lunches etc.





Over time I'll go into the scrap metal part of it in more detail telling how I deal with dealers, find honest ones, sort my metals for the best price.

Also, in time, I'll discuss the tools and techniques I use in deconstruction, how I store my wood, how to price it and more.





This building is 20x25 feet. The inside walls, outside walls, roof and ceiling are all old growth ship lap lumber - much is premium 1/4 sawn. I figure, even at today's low prices for lumber, I'll net out at about $4,000 in what the same amount of wood would cost me at retail. If I were to sell, some of this would bring more than retail, some less. More about this later.

For now, enjoy the photos and remember to check out my eBook, How to Make Money in the Home Based Salvage and Recycling Business. It's full of tips and ideas that I use all the time to succeed in this business. Just one good idea is worth more than the price of the eBook.