by Brian Birk

Created on: December 05, 2008

Habitat for Humanity: Restores

Habitat for Humanity Restores are retail stores that are owned and operated by local Habitat for Humanity affiliates. They mainly sell new and used building materials to the general public. The vast majority of the items that are sold are items that have been donated to the store. The income generated by the store is used by the local affiliate to build simple, decent homes in partnership with homeowner families.

Restores are great places to purchase cabinets, light fixtures, doors or windows. They generally have an ample supply on hand and prices are low. People with limited incomes can complete some remodeling projects that they could not afford if new, full priced, materials were the only option.

Restores also lower the amount of building materials that are disposed of in landfills.

Restore donations come from a variety of sources. Local building supply stores sometimes donate materials that they have decided to no longer stock. Sometimes they donate items that people have returned to the store. Sometimes they donate seasonal items once the prime season for those items has past.

Some donations come from individuals who have decided to remodel their homes. They may donate the kitchen cabinets they are replacing. They may donate a sink, bathtub or toilet. They may donate doors, windows, siding or wooden flooring. They may have purchased one box of tile more than they needed, and rather than try to return them they simply donate them to the Restore.

Some donations come from contractors. They donate things to the Restore for many of the same reasons that individual homeowners donate their items.

Most restores have volunteer deconstruction crews. These folks are called in to salvage the old materials from remodeling projects or from complete home demolition projects. They become proficient in removing usable building materials from homes without damaging the merchandise. They are sometimes called by the homeowners and sometimes called by contractors.

Some of the materials are used in creative ways. People sometimes purchase a hanging light fixture and recycle it into an outdoor plant hanger. The legs from a donated table might end up being remodeled into indoor plant stands. A toilet may end up in someone's yard holding a "potted plant." An old bed frame may end up in the yard as well serving as a "flower bed."

Without restores, used or surplus building material often ends up in landfills. Many restores estimate how many pounds of material

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