In a remodeling some items can be salvaged easily while others would just be a waste of time and effort. Whether or not to save an item is a matter of judgment. The typical reasons for saving existing materials or fixtures are for use on the present job, for use in the future, for resale, or for the aesthetic value. As far as aesthetic value is concerned it may not make financial sense to save items or materials, but if it is something you really like and can't replace it may be worth the time and effort to have it saved.
As far as the other reasons you may want to consider the following.
You may want to use materials to make patches or repairs in parts of the house that you are leaving as is. For instance if you are only tearing out part of a wood floor you may need to save some of the torn out material to use if the remaining floor is damaged or if materials are needed to mate the old section with the new. Also, you may get started on the project and then decide to change midway through. Having matching materials may give you some flexibility when you run into unexpected problems or difficulties.
You may decide to salvage some materials for later use to be determined in the future. In this case it is a good idea to have a safe, dry, out of the way place ready to store the materials before you start the demolition.
Also take into consideration the resale value of the fixtures or materials you are tearing out. For example when I was tearing out a partial wall in an older home I found that the 2x4's were beautiful clear vertical grain fir. It was such beautiful clear wood I could have easily sold it. As it was I saved it and used it on another project.
Besides older sinks and claw foot tubs there may be other fixtures that an antique dealer would be interested in. If the house is older and has the old windows with wavy glass you may find art suppliers that have an interest. Salvage dealers may be interested in any large timber beams, hardwood flooring or expensive wood paneling. Heavy metal fixtures and pipe may also have some salvage value.
In some cases, of course, salvaging just isn't practical. You will have to spend too much time cleaning up the old material to make it useable. If you are using a contractor they may not want to deal with the added labor or dealing with old materials. Even if you are doing it yourself your time has value that must be taken into account. When new materials of similar quality are available for a reasonable cost it's probably a better idea to completely replace the old with the new. Investigate the costs involved and estimate the extra time when deciding what to save and what to get rid of.
This brings us to dealing with the debris. Before you start swinging the hammer you need to have a plan for the disposal of the debris. When doing demolition work a square foot of wall can end up being a cubic foot of debris that is heavy and difficult to manage. You will usually have too much to put in the garbage and most cities will not allow remodeling debris anyway. If you have access to a truck you may want to look into renting a trailer. If you have a larger project you may want to rent a dumpster where you pay for rental and a charge for each pickup. When comparing these two options remember to take into account the time, cost of gas and dumping fees associated with hauling it off yourself.
Learn more about home improvement projects by visiting http://easyhouseremodeling.com, a popular house remodeling website that offers information, tips and free house remodeling resources and home improvement advice.
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