Judy Moore sits in her “recycled” house in Cummington, Massachusetts’ Potash Hill Art Community. The home was designed and built by her son, Jonathan Moore, using recycled materials whenever possible. During construction, he made weekly pilgrimages to ReStore Home Improvement Center in Springfield to find pre-used items that would fit into Judy’s eclectic home. The result: an ecologically sensitive home with the sleeping quarters covered by earth and an airy living area with 26-foot-high ceilings and a sunny bank of reused windows.
Resale and architectural salvage stores are cropping up across the country. They sell quality, unwanted home improvement materials—doors, light fixtures, cabinets, remnant tiles, sinks and more—at low prices. Inventory includes used and salvaged materials and surplus stock from the building industry. Items are accepted from homeowners, contractors, manufacturers, retailers and municipal collection centers.