2 minute read
Renovate, recycle, repurpose
recycle & repurpose RENOVATE,
A lot of people have spent more time in and around the home this year than they would have expected and they have had more time to take a good look around and decide if they still like what they see.
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In some cases, they have discovered by necessity that certain things are lacking in the home… like somewhere to work… somewhere to exercise.
And add to this, for some, the removal of big travel expenditure in 2020 or even beyond. What has become a focus of many households? Renovation.
The trouble with renovating is that you end up with an awful lot of things that you think need to be discarded.
If you keep an open mind, there may be opportunity to recycle as you renovate, and even help to make your renovating dollars go a little further.
One of the most obvious materials to recycle is timber.
Timber floors are hard to beat for beauty and character. Timber – be it Blackbutt, Tasmanian oak, Victorian ash, Merbau, Kauri, Matai or Rimu – is very popular in open-plan living areas because it adds a sense of spaciousness and is easy to clean. Consider reusing it within your own project or pass it to someone who can make use of it.
What do you do with the old materials when you have to replace all or part of your roof? You might re-purpose old gutters in a myriad of ways, like in creating a vertical gutter garden or an ‘ice tray’ in a picnic table by substituting one slat for a piece of guttering.
COLORBOND® roofing might be used to create an accent wall, make a headboard, build an outdoor shower or a garden feature.
Old roof tiles might be repurposed into garden walkways or edging. If you bury the tiles vertically in the soil so that they stand up firmly, you can create a raised bed that will drain water easily.
Many renovators scour web sites, salvage yards and recycling companies for second-hand windows and doors, so think about whether you can reuse or repurpose yours before you let go of them.
Did you know that building an average three – bedroom home generates six tonnes of construction waste, of which up to 85 per cent could be reduced, reused or recycled?
SCREENTIME Proximity to the ocean meant these expensive security screens looked a little sorry after a decade, though they were as strong as ever. They will be repurposed as planting benches, chicken coops, pergola roofing… and a security door.
STARGATE Here an old trampoline has been repurposed into a stunning garden feature. The rest of the trampoline is being used elsewhere – the mat as a trailer cover and the safety sides as netting around the vegie patch. Only base poles and metal hooks were discarded.
