Identify Building Materials You Want To Donate

• 1). Identify the type of building materials you will be donating. Certain companies and organizations may only accept specific materials such as lumber, bricks or windows.
  
  
• 2). Determine the quality of the building materials you wish to donate. Due to a high volume of donations for many of these organizations, demolition crews must be selective for quality. Some are more selective than others. If you assess the quality of your donations beforehand, it will make the donation process much easier. Any wood you donate should show no signs of rot, water or termite damage. Windows should have full panes of glass, though some places may accept paneless windows. It may help to write down a description of your materials to submit to various places.
  
  
• 3). Consult the Building Materials Reuse Association Directory. This is a comprehensive list of non-profits and private salvage companies in Pennsylvania. Each listing has a brief description of the entity, contact information and a website, where applicable. Identify several places to contact. Be patient but persistent, you may not find someone who will accept your building materials on the first try. If you have a variety of materials to donate, you may send some to one group and the rest to another. Remember, ask if there is a free pick-up or demolition service available.
  
  

Places To Donate Used Building Materials

• 1). Consider non-profits as your first choice. If you are located near the Pittsburgh area, Construction Junction is one of the largest. This non-profit specializes in reusing building materials and is capable of accepting a high volume of materials. They offer free pick-up as well. Visit their website for a detailed description of what they'll accept and how to go about donating to them. Also, the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Lancaster is always looking for usable home building materials.
  
  
• 2). Contact specialty salvage companies for specific materials. Aged Woods in York accepts wooden floor boards. Bambi Used Brick in Norristown accepts brick. These kinds of companies will be helpful if you have a large quantity of one kind of building material.
  
  
• 3). If you have antique fixtures, molding, lumber or other elements from a historic home, consider donating to specialty antique stores. Olde Good Things in Scranton is a store specializing in antique fixtures. Antique stores can be the most selective when it comes to accepting donated materials. A store manager or buyer will usually be able to let you know if your materials are able to be resold.