Seattle’s Salvage Lumber Warehouse is Now Open

On the first day of May at a warehouse in SODO, Mayor Katie Wilson cut the wood ribbon with a chainsaw to celebrate the opening of the Salvage Lumber Warehouse. The new business is supported by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded to Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). SPU contracted with Earthwise Architectural Salvage to set up the warehouse and run day-to-day operations.

Historically, houses across the region were built with old growth lumber and as housing demand increases, this lumber proves irreplaceable. The Salvage Lumber Warehouse bridges the gap between recovering these materials from older homes and reusing them in new construction by collecting, cleaning, and preparing this valuable, local resource. “We’ve seen firsthand how powerful reuse can be. This warehouse makes wood salvage easier, more accessible, and more affordable, helping builders, homeowners, and craftspeople participate in Seattle’s vision of zero waste,” Earthwise’s Director of Acquisitions, Paul Petrauskas said.

SDCI created policy to support endeavors like the Salvage Lumber Warehouse in Director’s Rules for the Green Building Standard. Builders can use salvaged lumber or deconstruct buildings as an option to address embodied carbon in new construction. The warehouse provides another opportunity to source lumber and, as a market, to buy salvaged lumber from deconstruction. 

You can find more information about SPU’s Construction Reuse and Sustainability initiatives in the construction sector on their Construction and Demolition Waste Management webpage. If you want to visit the Salvage Lumber Warehouse yourself, it’s open Monday-Saturday at 4747 1st Ave S. You can also view their inventory online.