Published: Sunday, October 5, 2008
Savings can pile up for home recycling
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Elizabeth Armstrong / The Herald
Jamie Bushman (left) and Dustin Sorenson, workers from Nickel Bros., remove bricks from the chimney on the back of the house as they prepare to move it.
Nickel Bros. is not the only company that moves Herculean cargo, but it does something unusual: It buys homes destined for the dump, moves them on its own dime and resells them.
The Canada-based company opened an office in Everett and recently oversaw the job of moving a one-story cottage from north Everett to a lot on Hat Island.
The process can save a builder thousands in demolition costs and keep tons of material from ending up in the landfill, said Jeff McCord, a sales representative.
The house on Alverson Boulevard weighs 55 tons; moving it not only reduces waste, it saves the wood, materials and energy required to build another home, McCord said.
The people who buy the recycled homes usually pay about half as much as building new, even with the cost of the move and site preparation, he said. The buyers of the Alverson house said they paid about a third less than they would have for new construction.
Nickel Bros. has about 40 homes listed for sale on its Web site, www.nickelbros.com/sales.html. The company stores some at Dagmar's Marina in Everett, including a 1933 white Cape Cod-style home visible from I-5.
Homes range in price from $40,000 to $335,000 for a dated but sturdy 5,000-square-foot home that used to reside in a posh neighborhood in Medina. The price includes the house, the move, a sales fee and lowering the house onto a new foundation. The company carries insurance against any damage that might occur during the move. And the new owners get a house with personality and quality materials, he said.
Buyers also sometimes get homes with dated interiors and cosmetic flaws.
There are limits. Some houses aren't in good enough shape to save. Others are inaccessible. Larger homes can be moved only by barge so buyers of these homes need a lot near the water.
Logistics prevent even smaller homes from moving long distances by truck. Sometimes, the permits can't be secured fast enough to beat the wrecking ball.
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.
The Canada-based company opened an office in Everett and recently oversaw the job of moving a one-story cottage from north Everett to a lot on Hat Island.
The process can save a builder thousands in demolition costs and keep tons of material from ending up in the landfill, said Jeff McCord, a sales representative.
The house on Alverson Boulevard weighs 55 tons; moving it not only reduces waste, it saves the wood, materials and energy required to build another home, McCord said.
The people who buy the recycled homes usually pay about half as much as building new, even with the cost of the move and site preparation, he said. The buyers of the Alverson house said they paid about a third less than they would have for new construction.
Nickel Bros. has about 40 homes listed for sale on its Web site, www.nickelbros.com/sales.html. The company stores some at Dagmar's Marina in Everett, including a 1933 white Cape Cod-style home visible from I-5.
Homes range in price from $40,000 to $335,000 for a dated but sturdy 5,000-square-foot home that used to reside in a posh neighborhood in Medina. The price includes the house, the move, a sales fee and lowering the house onto a new foundation. The company carries insurance against any damage that might occur during the move. And the new owners get a house with personality and quality materials, he said.
Buyers also sometimes get homes with dated interiors and cosmetic flaws.
There are limits. Some houses aren't in good enough shape to save. Others are inaccessible. Larger homes can be moved only by barge so buyers of these homes need a lot near the water.
Logistics prevent even smaller homes from moving long distances by truck. Sometimes, the permits can't be secured fast enough to beat the wrecking ball.
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.
Nickel Bros.
Riverside Business Park
505 E. Marine View Drive
Everett 98201
425-257-2067
www.nickelbros.com
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