Habitat for Humanity ReStore?

[Steve]

Has anyone had any experiences purchasing building materials from a Habitat For Humanity ReStore? Specifically, how do their prices compare to retail?

Thanks!

--Steve

[bridgerfafc]

prices are good- about like going to a thrift store. some things are ridiculously low, some are ridiculously high, most are a solid savings for either used or surplus stuff.

[Steve]

The store in our area is about 30 miles away, and they won't give out prices over the phone, which is why I posted this - didn't want to drive all the way down there ($12 to $15 worth of gas!) without knowing it's gonna be worth my while...

What about selection? I need studs, OSB panels, and roofing materials to build a shed to serve as paint booth and/or wood storage.

--Steve

[bridgerfafc]

again, it's like a thrift store. stock is gonna be a complete crapshoot. at the store near me (Tucson) they have a pretty steady supply of used doors, cabinetry and lighting fixtures. they get some interesting hardware sometimes. as far as using them as a lumberyard, it might be worthwhile if you could lurk there on a semi-regular basis, but on a one time walk in basis you'd probably be disappointed. I don't know what store is local to you so your mileage may vary.

[Bonehenge (B A R R Y)]

Instead of a 60 mile round trip, why not fax your materials list to local "real" lumber yards and see how they do?

I have a local guy who beats BORGS by as much as 30%, including free, usually next day, delivery.

[nailshooter41]

l "real" lumber yards and see how >they do?

I don't have much of anything good to say about our local store. They are almost the same price as retail, except they off no return policy and a lot of the material is beat to hell and back. Basically, a lot of contractors drop their leftovers there because their vendors won't take it back.

They come up with some goodies every once in a while, but since they are so inconsistent in quality, quantity and price I have stopped wasting my time to "shop" there. I like to order, pickup (or have it delivered) and go on down the road.

Robert

[Steve]

" [e-mail]" wrote on 28 Dec 2007 in group rec.woodworking:

ReStore isn't trying to be a supply center for serious DIYers and contractors. They're goal is to raise money for Habitat for Humanity to build houses by getting some surplus materials out of the trash stream.

The ReStore in my area (Fort Worth) always has lots of used stuff with a little new surplus thrown in. The last time I demoed a bathroom, they took the tub but wouldn't take the cabinet and countertop. They had changed their policy to only accept new cabinets, because no one was buying the used ones.

It's a crap shoot whether they'll have what I need, so I only go there to look for used items. ReStore is staffed by volunteers, mostly homeowners working their required hours to buy a house, so I don't expect them to even know what's in stock. If you get hold of the manager, you might have better luck.

If I need new, but don't want to pay full price, I go to an outlet near my house. They look just like ReStore inside, but all the stuff is surplus and seconds, and the prices are higher than ReStore.

[Una]

They operate like thrift shops. They have whatever has been donated and not yet sold or recycled / sent to the landfill. The only control they have over what comes into the store is to decline a donation, so you would be smart to have no expectations re selection.

Do you know others who shop there? Ask them to look out for you and let you know when the store has a new load of stuff you want. Do the same for them.

Una

[Brian Elfert]

I'm pretty sure I've never seen studs at my local ReStore. I don't think I've seen OSB or plywood either. The local store I think has shingles, but I don't recall if they were especially low priced.

Demand is high for basic building materials while few people will donate that kind of stuff.

The ReStore here in Minneapolis was originally a building materials outlet operated by a local lumber company that also does home improvements. Prices were sky high for a so-called outlet.

The local lumber company was hit hard by the new home turndown and donated the entire store with the $1 million inventory to Habitat for a new ReStore. The lumber company is also offering the use of the building rent-free.

[mwbrown42]

Steve,

I volunteer every other Saturday at the ReStore here in Paso Robles, California. I'm not a Habitat homeowner and I'm not there as part of a court settlement... :^) I'm just a guy doing what's right for my community. I worked on two Habitat builds back when I lived in Austin and will participate in the upcoming build in Atascadero in the spring. I do log my volunteer hours with my employer and can get cash or computer equipment donations when I hit certain targets.

Our store policy is to price new items at 50% of retail and used items at 25% of retail. Some items are sold by the foot (like trim), by the pound (like nails), or by the square foot (like windows and mirrors). We have a binder with standard pricing on common items so if you do call us, we should be able to give you what the price would be and we can do a quick check to see if we have something in stock. We have an internet connection to do a price check for something we can't make a reasonable guess for.

Our selection is driven by our donations. We almost never have studs and the OSB tends to be odd-size sheets removed after a remodel or teardown. We currently aren't taking doors or ceiling fans because we have so many we can't store any more.

Think of the ReStore like an organized flea market of building materials - some days you can find a great buy, other days nothing catches your eye. I've personally bought two huge double-pane windows, two metal cabinets, a door lock set and various other bits and pieces for the woodworking shop building I'm renovating, but most of the time I have to go retail to get what I need when I need it.

I hope this helps.

Mike Brown

[Robatoy]

As my business also retrofits countertops, quite a few 'tear-outs' are perfectly fine. I many cases the customer just wants to change colour or upgrade in quality. The local HfH ReStore gets all my sinks and taps (I pretty much know what to throw out, lol) and many straight, perfectly fine laminate countertops. The same goes for cabinets, and perfectly fine bath tubs. The last couple of years, there has been less and less retrofits because the old was just shot. Just an upgrade to a Jacuzzi or a colour change. The outfeed table on my table saw was somebody's kitchen island.

It has been said before, many times, but you'd be surprised what people will throw out....and, conversely, what they should throw out but won't. They will come to pick them up when I ask them to.