Habitat Re-Store

So Bill Brundige, our wonderful general contractor, used to work with Habitat for Humanity. This was one of our main reasons for going with the T/I Guys. Bill recommended that we go to the Re-Store in San Diego (http://www.habitat.org/env/restores.aspx) and see what sorts of things they have. This place it pretty much a thrift store equivalent to Home Depot. Often they have perfectly good re-newed products that still have many years of good life in them, or they get surplus new supplies from excess building projects. Especially now in the new build market downturn where builders overbuilt track homes, there are tons of excess supplies available here at sometime more than 50% off new prices, even though they are still in the factory sealed box.
We rationalized that anything we purchase from this store has a much smaller environmental impact than anything new, because most of the footprint has already occurred before if ever reached this store. We have encouraged Bill to obtain as many materials for the remodel project as possible from any of the Re-Store's in the so cal area that he is familiar with.
So we are stopping by this store about once a week and grabbing what useful supplies we can find (tiles, wires, nails, tools, light fixtures, faucets) that might have a use in our house. Plus all the proceeds from the purchases go to funding Habitat in their social action programs.