The City of Toronto took an unconventional approach to prepare a site for an affordable housing project in Trinity-Bellwoods. Instead of a standard demolition, they opted for deconstruction – carefully dismantling a house by hand. While costing $40,000 more and taking five weeks longer, this method diverted over 90% of the building materials from landfills.
CreateTO CEO Vic Gupta emphasizes that this decision aligns with the city’s climate, housing, and economic development goals. The salvaged materials were catalogued for reuse, with bricks re-cladding a Victorian house and other items sold or recycled. Ouroboros, the company behind the deconstruction, hopes this project will encourage the city to consider deconstruction options for older homes. The city is considering this option for future builds.
Read the full story on [thestar.com](https://www.thestar.com/real-estate/tearing-down-this-trinity-bellwoods-house-by-hand-cost-40-000-more-than-bulldozing-it/article_8cc96e34-3ae7-4bea-a76e-4765f53905e1.html) to learn more about Toronto’s commitment to sustainable development.
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