Local News
Before ripping out your kitchen cabinets and appliances, consider donating them to be recycled in someone else’s home
Shutterstock
Many of our clients have sustainability and energy efficiency at the forefront of their remodel, whether it be energy-efficient doors and windows, lights, appliances, and/or insulation that drive the remodel. Or, it could be sustainable and responsibly sourced materials that are key. That could range from recycled products to sustainably harvested woods to no volatile organic compounds or off-gassing materials.
There is, however, another element to a sustainable remodel that happens before anything is even installed. That is to donate or sell what you can before the demolition crews even show up. There are many options in today’s social media world that allow people to repurpose items rather than throw them away where they will end up in already overflowing landfills — or worse, somewhere in the environment.
What people may not realize is that prior to a remodel, there are organizations that will take away things like kitchen cabinets (and sometimes countertops), appliances if they are relatively new, and kitchen sinks and faucets. They will also take vanities bath fixtures, and lighting that is in in good shape. Not only will these items stay out of a landfill, but they will go into remodels for people of more modest means.
Two organizations we use are Boston Building Resources for things like cabinets and fixtures, and Habitat for Humanity ReStores for furniture and some appliances.
We contact them well before the remodel, send pictures, and typically do a walk-through to make sure the donations are viable for another home. They do charge a fee, but we have found that it is equal to or less than the cost to have our demolition company remove the items and take them to a landfill. Our clients are happy that so much of what we would remove for a remodel can be repurposed in this way. It does take a bit of coordination, but it’s well worth the effort.
Reader response:
The Asa Gray House in Cambridge was built in 1810. Charlie Allen renovated the exterior by adding and restoring windows and doing work to the roof. – Charlie Allen Renovations
A recent column talked about renovating the historic Asa Gray House in Cambridge. As it happens, one of our readers is a Harvard professor emeritus, who specializes in Asa Gray. He took the time to write us back and add additional details and history about this important home. We love reader feedback, so thank you for the thoughtful response that we have included here:
To the Editor,
Having witnessed several renovations of the Garden House (Asa Gray House) in Cambridge, I welcomed a glimpse at what it has taken in this recent renovation to upgrade and protect this important house.
Although as you point out, it was not originally inhabited by Asa Gray (the first occupant was William Dandrige Peck who supervised the Botanic Garden), it was traditionally known as the Garden House. It sat in the Botanic Garden which was located at the corner of Garden and Linnaean Street in Cambridge. The Garden is now the site of Harvard University’s Botanic Garden Apartments. Jane Loring Gray, Gray’s wife, lived in the house until her death in 1909; Gray died in 1888. The house was then sold by Harvard and moved across the street to its current location.
Just to set the record straight, those cabinets that are mentioned are not mahogany, I believe, but rather camphor wood. They were used to store dried plant specimens that were the subject of Gray’s studies. Those specimens came from explorations of the western United States and from around the world, particularly Asia. Camphor wood, with its distinctive chemical make-up and odor, would have been used to protect these precious plants from insect pests. The plants are still available for study at the Gray Herbarium at Harvard where they continue to be used to document the flora of the world. Germination of seeds would not have taken place in these cabinets but rather in the conservatory which was adjacent to the Garden House in the Botanic Garden. The Garden boasted many exotic plants, some of which were the first of their species grown in New England.
Gray, the cabinets, and the house represent a particular period in the development of science in North America. The Grays welcomed botanists from around the world with warm hospitality and botanical treasures, making the Garden House an essential stop for any visiting botanist.
Yours truly,
Donald H. Pfister
Asa Gray Professor, Emeritus
Harvard University Herbaria
Mark Philben is the project development manager at Charlie Allen Renovations in Cambridge. Send your questions to [email protected]. Questions are subject to editing. Subscribe to the Globe’s free real estate newsletter — our weekly digest on buying, selling, and design — at Boston.com/address-newsletter.
-
Ask the Remodeler: Building a screened-in porch is easier than you might think
-
No walls, no problem? Should you buy a partially finished house?
Address Newsletter
Our weekly digest on buying, selling, and design, with expert advice and insider neighborhood knowledge.
