What's the difference between deconstruction and demolition?
Demolition is the process of using heavy machinery to 'crunch' a house into debris in what is often the quickest and least expensive method for building removal. Deconstruction is the primarily manual and systematic dismantling of a house or component of a house, reversing the steps of construction and allowing harvest and recovery of many materials which can be diverted for reuse or recycling. On smaller scale remodels, the craft of deconstruction allows us to use more finesse in the removal of materials rather than a “sledgehammer'“ approach.
The manual nature of deconstruction also allows for more thorough environmental stewardship in the discovery and treatment of hazardous materials.
What do you do with salvaged materials?
Salvaged materials can be retained on site for reuse (one of our favorites); cabinetry and fixtures are donated to our friends at The Rebuilding Center or Habitat for Humanity; lumber, sheathing and select items are saved and transported to our new Lovett Salvage Shop for resale.
What materials do you recycle?
We recycle brick and metal, as well as wood, tile, and roofing from select projects. We are exploring options to recycle wallboard. Unfortunately, the nature of many construction materials and the logistics of many projects prevents us from recycling more from our job sites.
Why test for asbestos?
Asbestos testing is an essential element of worker and site protection. Lovett tests for asbestos because we are committed to our family of employees and clients and want to protect their health and well being first and foremost. In addition, there are city, state and federal regulations in place that require possible asbestos-containing materials to be tested before they can be handled and disposed of. Lovett goes the extra mile and also tests all painted surfaces for lead paint and treats those accordingly to city, state and federal regulations as well.
What makes Lovett different from any other demo crew?
Lovett is professional from start to finish. Our specialty includes installation of dust, floor and ground protection as well as finishing touches like denailing all necessary surfaces and a vacuum clean finish. This approach often allows homeowners the comfort of staying in their house during their remodeling project and leaves our general contractor clients with an exceptionally clean slate to start their work, setting a professional tone for the duration of their project.