Salvage your own hardwood lumber and save big bucks

Brake for remodeling sites

Don't pass a remodel or demolition site like the one shown without putting the car in reverse. In all likelihood, that material in the construction dumpster will go straight to the landfill unless you intervene. Seek out the head contractor or the property owner and politely request to take some of it off their hands. The older the building being remodeled or demolished, the better the chance for desirable old-growth timber with tight growth rings.

Great finds:Hardwood floors, wide trim, solid doors from residential sites; timber beams from commercial sites.
Steer clear of: Post-Depression-era homes. Standardized construction materials were great for the housing boom, not so much for hardwood projects.