Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Help humanity, the environment, AND your pocketbook...

Years ago, I worked with an incredibly skilled investor who continuously turned out GORGEOUS rehabs in South City. That being said, for the life of me, I couldn't figure out HOW he was able to do the QUALITY of renovation that he was completing while still turning a profit?!

He went above and beyond, even replacing the missing original architectural features of the home that had been stripped over the years, including stained glass windows and glass knobs. NOT CHEAP. That is when I learned about the resource for the bulk of his reno materials: Habitat for Humanity's ReStore. Ever since, I have been a huge, HUGE fan. A totally green way to shop for materials for the home and all profits go towards an AMAZING cause!!

It's all about reduce, reuse, recycle, and restore. Win/win for everyone. Love it.

Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization founded on the conviction that every man, woman and child should have a decent, safe and affordable place to live . With the help of thousands of volunteers and the donations of SEVERAL charitable construction companies, Habitat for Humanity builds thousands of homes every year around the world.

To help aid in the FUNDING of these projects, the organization has Habitat ReStores all over the country. Habitat ReStores are basically outlets that accept donated goods for resale from local retailers, contractors, and individuals in the community. While every ReStore is a little different, most focus on home improvement goods—furniture, home accessories, building materials and appliances.

These donated goods are sold to the general public at a fraction of the retail price to help local affiliates fund the construction of Habitat homes within their communities. ReStores provide an environmentally and socially responsible way to keep good, reusable materials out of the waste stream and simultaneously provide funding for all of Habitat’s community improvement work.

Steve and I are known for hitting the ReStore when contemplating a project in our fixer-upper. Though we have always gone to the one in the city... we decided to trek out to the one in St. Peters last week, as we had never visited that store. We were on the lookout for 3 specific sized replacement closet doors, and figured it was was worth a shot. Not only were we able to find the 3 doors we were looking for, in AMAZING Condition, for a TOTAL of $20.00... we found the door hardware, as well. A few pics from our journey...

So many unbelievable deals!! Though I must say that I prefer the city store, as it seems to have a better variety of goods... I was extremely pleased with the selection in St. Peter's as well. I urge you to check them out...