For many typical remodeling projects, homeowners hire a contractor to remove the old and bring in the new. But at a time when supply challenges surround certain building products, what if some of the materials used in new-home builds or remodeling projects weren’t brand new?
In the past couple of decades, people have come to see how disposable society can be and many have started to favor reusing items because it’s environmentally conscious, is more affordable, and can offer different design styles. Companies like Craigslist, Goodwill, Facebook Marketplace, and local consignment shops are examples of where to buy used household items, such as furniture, appliances, or decor, but Baltimore-based nonprofit Second Chance takes the concept further by salvaging unwanted building materials from single-family homes.
Second’s Start
Founded in 2001, Second Chance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that “provides people, materials, and the environment with a second chance.” The social enterprise deconstructs old buildings and homes, salvages usable materials and additional donated items, and uses the revenue generated to provide job training and workforce development for people with various employment obstacles in the Baltimore region.
Founder and president Mark Foster began with a team of four employees that specialized in deconstruction and has quickly grown to a company that employs 250 people in deconstruction, salvage, retail, operations, transportation, and customer service.
“We started off with architectural salvage and preserving historical elements, ensuring they don’t go away,” says Foster. “Fortunately, over a period of time, it diversified. Now, when you come in to our store, you see the full gamut of things that would be part of building and furnishing a house—that could be artwork, furniture, floors, doors, windows, appliances, pretty much the whole spectrum.”
On average, the organization deconstructs roughly 250 homes—with an average size of 2,500 square feet—each year stretching from Maine to Florida, with many requests from home builders that are clearing away an existing property to make room for a new structure. Second Chance employees also take apart partial projects, including interior guts or remodels, where they will strip everything but leave the framing and foundations. Plus, the organization picks up more than 1,000 donations of materials and furniture from small remodeling projects by professionals and DIYers.
All of the items gathered are displayed in the company’s 250,000-square-foot retail location in downtown Baltimore, which sells the wide selection of donated and reclaimed items to builders, designers, collectors, and the general public.
In the store, the organization designs small vignettes to showcase how several items with various histories can be grouped together to create a new space, but Foster wanted to produce a larger-scale project that could tell the whole story of what Second Chance is able to accomplish.
Complete Concept
To fulfill his dream, Foster bought a 1,600- square-foot home north of Baltimore in Towson, Maryland, in 2013 with the intent to deconstruct the existing property, rebuild with materials collected from other deconstruction projects, and utilize the home as a Second Chance concept house.
Although the project took over six years to complete, the team started by stripping the property to its studs. They were able to leave the foundation wall in the front and two chimneys and build 6,000 square feet on the back to bring the new home close to roughly 8,200 square feet.
“It’s been a labor of love, but we wanted to do it thoughtfully,” says Foster. “We did it all internally within our organization—none of whom are designers or architects—to show others they can do this, too.”
The organization sourced a large percentage of the building and design materials—such as the floors, doors, windows, cabinetry, countertops, mantels, and railings—from previous homes.
For example, there are 10 different kinds of flooring in the house, each with a different history. The flooring in the office was sourced from an old Baltimore basilica and the cherry flooring in one of the secondary bedrooms was from the former home of actress Anne Bancroft in Queenstown, Maryland.
More obvious design details, such as the marble mantel in the library, also have unique stories. The architectural piece, signed and dated by the artist in the 1930s, was taken out of a Philadelphia–based project.
“It’s those kind of things that drive us to continue to save items from the landfill and teach people the value of those materials that have come before us, because we may never see that kind of work again,” continues Foster.
All of the windows were sourced as well, except one. The team purchased the half round one in the barrel ceiling hallway, due to the specific curvature of that space.
Drywall, molding and millwork, and updated technology also were purchased to supplement the reused materials. The home has additional environmental elements, including geothermal and solar features and electric car charging in the garage, to continue the organization’s commitment to environment beyond reuse.
Going forward, Foster plans to develop a Matterport to showcase the home to people across the country. Anyone will be able to tour the home virtually, click on the materials to get the story behind a particular item, and possibly click further to Second Chance’s inventory where designers could purchase similar materials for their projects.
“Hopefully, this creates a venue that we can bring people in to see, but at the same time they also get to hear about who got the materials from where and why this has been an important element of their pathway on to a better future,” he concludes. “It’s really a second chance for people and a second chance for materials.”
