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Free Deconstruction What is Benefits of Permits Deconstruction? Deconstruction On November 8, 2007, the Los Altos Hills Deconstruction is the dismantling of a struc- When a building is demolished, the structure City Council passed a resolution to waive ture in order to salvage, reuse, and recycle as is reduced to rubble, and tons of waste are demolition permit fees for deconstruction of much building materials as possible. carted away to landfills and incinerators. De- buildings for recycling purposes. construction provides an alternative. It is a In order to qualify for a free demolition per- Deconstruction often does not cost more than way to remove buildings while preserving mit, the applicant must submit a demolition regular demolition. In fact, most older build- natural resources. permit application along with: ings can be deconstructed at a savings to the owner, both financially and environmentally. Benefits of deconstruction include: 1. A signed deconstruction contract with a The demolition of a typical 2,000 square foot licensed contractor specifying the scope home can be expected to produce 127 tons of REDUCE construction waste sent to of work. debris. While disposal fees can vary widely landfills 2. A "J Number" from the Bay Area Quality depending upon local conditions, disposal cost Management District. The J Number for a typical residential demolition would be in i the range of $2,000 to $4,000. The diversion RECYCLE building materials suitable process i designed to ensure that no of construction waste could result in savings of for resale asbestos s released into the air when buildings are demolished. thousands of dollars in disposal fees. PRESERVE natural resources by reusing 3. Confirmation from PG&E that gas and In addition, the deconstruction of a typical salvaged materials electric facilities have been removed or 2,000 square foot wood frame home can yield abandoned on the property. up to 6,000 board feet of reusable lumber. This is equivalent to 33 mature trees, or the yearly output of 10 acres of planted pine trees. Fast Tracked Permits Additional incentives for deconstruction in- cludes a fast track permit process that allows - deconstruction prior to building permit ap- proval. Since deconstruction consumes more time than conventional building demolition, early building removal is allowed after site Additional Resources: development approval for a new residence. This could potentially save the homeowner Building Material Salvage/Recycling Facilities weeks of construction time. = www.builditgreen.org/guide For more information, please contact the Builders'Guide to Reuse and Recycling Building Department at (650) 941-7222. Will http://www.stopwaste.org/docs/builde rsguide-05.pdf