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Posted November 29, 2018

If You Plan to Renovate, Don't Forget This Super Important Step

What are you doing with all the stuff you're ripping out on a demo day?
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Photo: Getty Images / Illustration: Wesley Johnson
One fact in Houzz's new 2018 U.S. Bathroom Trends Study really got us thinking: "Compared with previous years, today’s master bathroom renovations are less likely to be motivated by pent-up demand and are more likely to be the result of a recent home purchase," says the study. "This probably explains why homeowners are increasingly more likely to tackle “newer” bathrooms (i.e., those updated within the past 10 years) compared with 2016 (15 percent versus 11percent, respectively)." Essentially, in two years, there's been a sizable four percent jump in renovations of bathrooms that we'd guess are in fine working order but aren't up to the new owners' style standards. We're starting to remodeling more because we want to, not just because we need to.
This is a totally understandable, perfectly fine course of action. Life is short; you shouldn't stare at a bathroom (or any other room, for that matter) every day that you hate. By all means, renovate! But when demo day rolls around, there is one thing you should do: donate all the usable-but-just-not-you fixtures and finishes to Habitat for Humanityor your local salvage store. "Donating your renovation materials keeps functional—and often desirable—items out of the landfill," writes Habitat for Humanity's website. "Other renovators get the materials they need for their projects, and you get to help others while getting rid of your trash."
For the specifics of what you can give away, turn to Habitat for Humanity's handy list. Major components like appliances and bathtubs are on there, of course, but don't overlook old tile, lumber, lighting, and even doorknobs and handles either. (What is donate-able will depend on the item's quality and the needs of the store.)
Admittedly, reducing our ecological footprint is an overwhelming task, especially after the United Nations panel reported climate change is worse than we thought. This is how we choose to look at it: Donating the stuff you don't want during your renovation is a very small step in the right direction, but it's still a step. Why not take it?


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