Technological upgrade of construction salvage

Technological upgrade of construction salvage

An enterprising couple from Stanford, Connecticut found a way to use online auction software to recycle and sell fixtures, millwork, architectural elements, plumbing, and even landscaping and hardscape from a home that was about to be demolished.

We met Maria and Greg Stanton last week at a large colonial home on Dolma Road in Scarsdale. The owners had previously received the green light from the Historic Preservation Board to demolish the home. Before it was razed, the Stantons, who run Green Circle Auctions, searched the house for anything they could salvage. They documented and photographed the interior of the home with doors, windows, sinks, vanities, lighting, railings, mantles, kitchen and bedroom cabinets, wood paneling, radiator covers and more, all of which can be sold in online auctions.

Outside, Belgian blocks, flagstone walkways, stone retaining walls, statues and even a Japanese maple tree were photographed and offered to the highest bidder.

All of these items are posted in a limited-time auction on the Auction Ninja website, where buyers can bid on them.

The day we arrived, the auction had ended and the winning bidders were invited to come and have their goods rescued from their homes and taken away. We saw a team tearing down kitchen cabinets, taking down lights and removing anything that could be laid on the wall.

Outside, flagstone walkways, garden statues and even trees have been dug up and carried away.

Greg Stanton thinks it’s a very green solution to house demolition, because the more stuff that is hauled away for Giant, the less stuff ends up in bins and landfills. For homes that cannot be renovated, homeowners and contractors can squeeze some extra value out of elements that were previously bulldozed and carried away.

Regarding the auction – there is no minimum bid – so each item starts at $1. Green Circle shares the proceeds with the homeowner, but an 18% fee from Auction Ninja goes to the homeowner. Green Circle doesn’t accept any projects that yield less than $10,000, Stanton said, so real money can be made from leftovers around the home and fireside. Stanton sees what Green Circle is doing as a win-win for homeowners and the planet.

Check out Green Circles’ next auction for this 2 acre “Idletime” estate in New Rochelle here.