Joe Dobbs admits being a cheapskate.

He’d like to say his intentions were nobler when, instead of hiring a demolition crew, he decided to tear down the blighted property next to his Enos Park home piece by piece and reuse the materials.

But the real reason Dobbs started his “deconstruction” project wasn’t to save space in a landfill. It was money. Hiring someone to tear down the dilapidated, 2,600-square-foot home and throw the remnants in trash bins would have cost $15,000 to $20,000. Dobbs knew he could do it for less.

Across the country, deconstruction has emerged as an alternative to the wrecking ball for businesses, cities and individuals.

See the entire article via Some turn to deconstruction, not demolition, for dilapidated buildings – Springfield, IL – The State Journal-Register.