Remodel for less with junkyard gems

Finding what you want could take time

When shopping for reclaimed materials, give yourself plenty of time to hunt. Chances are you won't find all the doors or tile needed for remodeling your home in the first visit to the salvage store.

"Come with your measurements, come with some creativity and come with a truck," says Leslie Kirkland, executive director of The Loading Dock, a Baltimore nonprofit that sells reclaimed building supplies. "You might have to go back to find what you're looking for."

Kirkland says consumers save an average of two-thirds off the retail price for materials, which typically include new and old items.

Slide show:  Amazing ways trash can be used to build homes

• Video: Couple uses old car parts to build dream home

• MSN Living: 15 ways to redo your kitchen

Everything and the kitchen sink

Salvage stores across the country have materials recovered from the demolition of homes, buildings and schools and from homeowner donations.

For example, Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit based in Americus, Ga., aimed at increasing affordable housing, runs salvage stores across the country under the name ReStore.

"It's like a secondhand Home Depot," Kirkland says.

While interior and exterior doors are common finds at salvage stores, consumers also can buy light fixtures, sinks, cabinets, molding, tiles and many other things needed for remodeling. Many salvage stores' inventories are updated regularly.

Perusing salvage stores isn't the only way to find reusable materials. Online marketplaces such as Craigslist have building merchandise as well as a free section where people give things away. Second Use also operates an online salvage store.

As an alternative, visit the local dump or salvage yard. Although messy, they can be a great place to find materials.

Slide show:  9 inspiring kitchen makeovers

• MSN Money: How remodeling costs spin out of control

Design center Get ideas for your home with our inspirational rooms and direct access to real products. Click here to begin exploring.

Beware of hazardous materials

Consumers should use caution when remodeling with reclaimed materials because some are old and may include hazardous materials. While salvage stores don't sell anything with asbestos in it, an old door or bathtub may have been painted with lead paint. If Second Use suspects the item has lead paint, it will put a sticker on it, Ferrence says.

Most stores will test the items, especially appliances, before putting them on sale. Even so, it's usually up to the buyer to beware of the potential for hazardous materials.

• MSN Money: How remodeling costs spin out of control

• Video: Tips for saving money on your next remodeling project

• Facebook users: Become a fan of MSN Real Estate

Distinctive design, but does it fit?

Sometimes using reclaimed materials ends up costing you more, especially if it's more labor-intensive to get the materials to fit into the existing home.

Take doors, for example. In one case, a homeowner bought salvaged doors, but the installation labor canceled out the savings, says Paul "Paolo" Scardina, owner of Paolo Design Group, a design company in Portland, Ore.

"The doors were a good bargain, but when the contractor installed them, he had to trim them and retrofit each door," Scardina says. "So, the cost of labor to install the doors increased the construction side (of the budget)."

If the parts fit and the reclaimed materials blend in, homeowners' rewards often include a distinctive remodeling design and cost savings.

"When you're working with salvaged materials, you get really interesting designs," Scardina says. "Whether (the cost-saving) washes out depends on a case-by-case basis."

• Video: Should you buy or remodel?

• Need to rent a truck? Start your search here

Design center Get ideas for your home with our inspirational rooms and direct access to real products. Click here to begin exploring.

A greener way to save

If a remodeling bargain isn't what you are after, using reclaimed materials has another benefit: It helps protect the environment.

According to the Building Materials Reuse Association, a Beaverton, Ore., industry association, using reclaimed materials reduces the consumption of new resources, cuts down on landfill use and cuts pollution.

"If you go the salvage route, you're reducing the amount of waste in the landfills, saving money and are able to build something that's different than what everyone else is building," Ferrence says.

Slide show:  Amazing ways trash can be used to build homes

• Video: Couple uses old car parts to build dream home

• MSN Living: 15 ways to redo your kitchen