Luxury realtor Jennifer Rosdail is well known for her love of the great city of San Francisco. On her blog, Living415, she recently featured Renovation Angel as a tool for San Francisco locals looking to renovate in a cost-effective and eco-friendly way. Read on for the full blog post!
Thanks for the recommendation Jennifer!
From the blog of Jennifer Rosdail…
I remember seeing a kitchen in a $17 million dollar home in the Gold Coast area (last two blocks of Broadway – across the street from the Getty’s and Larry Ellison). I was really quite obsessed with it. Among the home’s features are the view, a car spinner (like a cake plate for cars so you don’t have to turn around) and the center kitchen island, which was custom fabricated of a kind of french ceramic called Enameled Lava Stone.
Just a patio table can be $10,000. I estimated the cost of the island must have been $40,000-50,000. The colors was so vivid and striking and I remember hoping that whoever was buying the house was very lucky and I hoped they appreciated this feature.
They didn’t.
I heard through the grapevine that they immediately tore it out. I was upset and horrified at the waste (and, of course, that I missed this dumpster diving opportunity).
Today I learned about a company that is giving luxury kitchen parts a second life. Considering that many of the counters and tiles are made of natural stone that takes millions of years to be formed, recycling these materials is important work. Read on and if you know anyone doing a kitchen remodel, pass on this info to them!
Renovation Angel Gives Luxury Kitchens A Second Life
Renovating a luxury kitchen to better suit the homeowner’s needs and identity has historically been an outlandishly expensive endeavor. For owners of a high-end home, a kitchen update can cost anywhere from $50,000 to well over $100,000. These renovations, however, imply another hidden cost: the loss of the existing luxury kitchen, which in many cases includes valuable appliances from high-end brand names, perfectly good stone counters, high-quality wood cabinetry, and stainless steel sinks with plenty of life left in them. Not only is this bad for the homeowner who is dumping their valuable property, but it’s also an unsustainable building practice that is bad for the environment.
Since 2005, however, a New Jersey-based non-profit has been working to reduce the high financial and environmental costs of luxury kitchen renovation. Steve Feldman founded Recovery Unlimited, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, after happening upon the renovation of a luxury mansion. Feldman explains, “The trucks, the piles of rubble, the ‘Demolition in Progress’ sign in the driveway all sparked an unexpected thought: Why did all this have to go to waste? Why couldn’t at least some of these luxury goods go to a worthy cause?”
Thus began Renovation Angel, Feldman’s answer to the luxury renovation problem. Since 2005, Renovation Angel has recycled over 3,300 luxury kitchens and awarded over $1.9 million in proceeds to non-profit projects and charities. To date, Renovation Angel’s kitchen recycling program has diverted over 20 million pounds of waste from landfills.
How To Donate And Buy Pre-Owned Luxury Kitchens
For anyone considering a kitchen makeover, Renovation Angel makes it easy to donate an existing kitchen or purchase a pre-owned, recycled luxury kitchen. Homeowners wishing to donate a kitchen can begin the process by visiting the Renovation Angel website. The homeowner or representative submits information and photos of the existing kitchen, which are then reviewed and appraised by Renovation Angel specialists.
If the items meet Renovation Angel’s benchmarks of quality and condition, the organization offers free, insured, and professional “white glove” removal. When all is said and done, the homeowner incurs no cost for removing the old kitchen, receives a full tax deduction, and the premises are left clean and ready for renovation work to begin.
Renovation Angel accepts high-value, good-condition luxury brands and furnishings, including some items from outside the kitchen.
- Kitchens: cabinetry, appliances, countertops, light fixtures, sinks, faucets.
- Bathrooms: vanities, free-standing tubs, fixtures, mirrors, pedestal sinks.
- Interiors: high-end and antique furniture, fine art, pianos.
- Exteriors: generators, outdoor bars and kitchens, statues and fountains.
- Showroom displays and inventory.
To update their space without emptying their wallets, luxury homeowners can shop for a pre-owned, high-quality kitchen at Green Demolitions, which serves as Renovation Angel’s online marketplace. Kitchen Trader, the for-profit branch of Feldman’s pre-owned luxury business, offers homeowners a way to shop for and sell their own high-end kitchens. This service boasts savings of up to 80% on high-end appliances and top-quality constructions, and even allows individuals to buy or sell luxury kitchens before they’ve been removed.
Much To Gain Through Luxury Kitchen Recycling
For luxury homeowners who are willing to do a bit of digging in order to find the perfect kitchen at an incredible price, Renovation Angel, Green Demolitions, and Kitchen Trader have revolutionized the renovation process. Even for those ultra-high-end clients who aren’t concerned by price tags or tax rebates, these organizations offer an opportunity to make home renovation and construction a more sustainable practice. There’s nothing to lose through donation and, for the charities who are partnered with Renovation Angel, a lot to gain.
Renovation Angel is expanding quickly, although they are currently only available to appraise and remove luxury kitchens in New York, Chicago, Beverly Hills, Naples, East Hampton, Greenwich, Boston, San Francisco, West Palm Beach, and Aspen.
NOTE: Renovation Angel handles luxury recycling projects nationwide and in every city across the nation. Fill out our easy to use form HERE and a member of our team will get back to you soon!
