Four Brothers is a proud member of the U.S. Green Building Council (http://www.usgbc.org/), and we emphasize sustainable green building practices during all our remodeling projects.  A component in green building involves salvaging reusable and/or recyclable materials before actual demolition begins, and practicing “deconstruction” whenever possible.  (Think of deconstruction as “reverse construction”, where structures are dismantled carefully, with the goal of reusing materials later in the project.  For instance, at 753, old framing lumber will be de-nailed, and used in new framing or to build furniture.)

We began the salvaging process by removing the working kitchen appliances, interior doors, and windows; all of which were either saved for reuse, or donated to Goodwill Industries.  Next, we removed all the interior trim, including baseboard, door casing, and moldings, which will be stripped, refinished and reinstalled near the end of the project.  This will allow us to preserve original trim profiles (which otherwise could only be replicated by a custom millworker at a considerable expense) and reduce materials cost and waste.

The 22 old cast iron radiators scattered throughout the house and three fireplaces posed more of a problem.  Hence, we called The Brass Knob; a company that specializes in architectural antiques and salvage for restorations and renovations, as well as new construction. Their knowledgeable technicians removed the radiators (which will be refinished and reused), and harvested the original slate off the fireplace mantels; also for future reuse.  To learn more about the Brass Knob, visit: http://www.thebrassknob.com/index.html.

Of course there are many other aspects involved in sustainable and green remodeling.  We intend to discuss many of these in depth as the project progresses, and in the interim, feel free to visit our Growing Green page: http://fourbrotherscarpentry.com/Green.aspx.

Original Slate Fireplace Mantel	Slate Salvaged for Reuse
Original Doors Saved for Refurbishing & Reuse	Original Door Trim Removed for Refurbishing & Reuse
Rosettes and Plinths Removed for Refurbishing & Reuse	Radiators Salvaged for Reuse