Vacationland

What is the future of the classic Maine camp?

Tucked into a wooded lot on one of the many small ponds in Greenwood, stood a classic three-season camp. You know the type… pine boards on every surface, beadboard cabinets, a faint scent of pine pitch, mothballs and mouse droppings. A romantic relic of the Maine we know and love. The camp was cherished and passed on through families. Like many camps, the maintenance slowed and the visits grew more infrequent as generations passed. Eventually, the camp was sold to a new family who enthusiastically embraced the way life should be and were excited to breathe new life into the lakefront community.

In the past few years we have been approached by a number of people interested in renovations, conversions from three-season to year-round residencies, and tear down/rebuilds on existing lakefront properties. In one such camp, we completed a basement renovation to add more play space for grandchildren. In another, we lifted the entire camp to install a new foundation, upgraded mechanical systems and electrical, and will embark on the next phase of upgrading energy performance when the windows and siding need replacement.

Last year, a couple approached us about a tear down, with a plan to revitalize the property for a home to enjoy their retirement. They had purchased the camp ten years ago, but it was time to decide between extensive repairs and renovations or new construction. These clients expressed an interest in minimizing their impact on carbon emissions, energy consumption, waste, and extraction with all elements of their construction process. Demolishing a structure results in construction and demolition debris (CDD) – metal scrap, concrete and wood that goes straight in the landfill. Unfortunately, there are some disappointing CDD statistics, especially in Maine.

demolition of an average-sized single-family home in the United States is the equivalent of what a typical American disposes of in their lifetime.

Construction and demolition debris is the largest waste stream in not only the US, but the world.  Roughly 350,000 structures are demolished in the US annually.  In Maine, 52% of landfills are comprised of construction and demolition debris. Almost none of the waste is salvaged, reused, or recycled.

In 2019, Maine recycled 2.55% of the produced construction and demolition debris. In 2021 and 2022, the average dropped to 1.15%. Until 2022, some private corporations would even import their CDD into Maine from across New England. As a company rooted deeply in our community and our impact on the environment, we felt a tear down without proper concern for the waste being produced in demolition would be irresponsible. One solution: deconstruction.

DECONSTRUCTION

What is deconstruction?  Deconstruction is dismantling or disassembling a structure in a systematic way to reuse, recycle, and often sell various components like siding, windows, flooring, and doors, leaving only the items that can’t be reused or recycled. This concept was born in the 1990s as people began questioning the impact of the construction industry. Many people are familiar with the concept of the Re-Stores run by Habitat for Humanity. These stores carry usable building materials that have been diverted from the waste stream. Purchases from the Re-Store fund the important work that Habitat does providing affordable housing across the country. 

In addition to the environmental impact, there are economical benefits from deconstruction like increased jobs, lower disposal costs and tax deductions. Any items that are deemed fit for resale from the deconstruction process are considered charitable donations to a non-profit organization. The fee for hiring a deconstruction company is also considered a donation, and can be deducted from the homeowner’s taxes, as well. The process of sorting and cataloguing materials that would otherwise be thrown into a dumpster creates a job market for people that previously did not exist. Green Donation Consultants out of Virginia indicated that while the initial costs may be slightly higher with deconstruction over demolition, the tax benefits come out ahead in the end.

Our clients were excited to engage with this process. We explored a number of options for deconstruction companies and naturally, it was challenging to find companies with availability and connections to make a trip to rural Maine for these services. Often these deconstruction companies will work hard within the local communities to find buyers that are nearby to minimize shipping demands. We worked with greenGoat on this project. They sent two people up who stayed for a week. One person was responsible for coordinating material resale and finding local buyers. Another did the bulk of the deconstruction work on the camp.

Towards the end of the week, the local buyers began to dry up, greenGoat brought up a couple more people for the final push on consolidating usable materials. They loaded a trailer up to haul back to their warehouse in Massachusetts to be distributed from there.

There is much left to do to revitalize this property for our clients. Our crew will be arriving on site this fall to begin framing. The new structure will include locally milled wood siding, an innovative air to water radiant floor system, hot water recirculation and waste water heat recovery, a green roof, a super-insulated and air tight Passive House envelope, and Glavel. We are excited to share more about the future these clients envisioned for this waterfront property as the project progresses.

Our experience with the deconstruction process was satisfying and challenging. There still aren’t any deconstruction companies in Maine. It was quite difficult for a company based in Massachusetts to make the local connections they needed in a short period of time to find local buyers for these materials. Since Maine has the oldest housing stock in the country, there is ample opportunity for deconstruction to grow. This process was a very important mind shift for us, as well. Instead of viewing the demolition of this beautiful old camp as a checkbox in our sitework process, it became a source of salvageable, quirky, and antique resources. There were reusable items on every surface.

We are part of an industry that is intensely responsible for producing waste and carbon emissions. As we consider our impact, we must also look at supporting the efforts of deconstruction companies and other opportunities to divert materials from the waste stream. The classic Maine camp is a treasure. These camps deserve another century of love and care. Whether it's shoring up a lopsided stone foundation, adding insulation and upgrading systems for four season use, or taking them apart to be given new life in other building projects. This is the way life should be.