* Salvage recovers the highest percentage of the "embodied" resources in the

 materials or subsystems. The energy and raw materials consumed in the original

 manufacture of the materials or systems are not lost to landfill disposal (NAHB

 2003).

Disadvantages

* Building disposal may be more management-intensive for the building owner if

 multiple contracts are needed for the various types of abatement and disposal.

* Deconstruction takes twice as long as demolition.

* Demolition is more machine-intensive, while deconstruction is more labor-

 intensive. Because of the increased number of workers on the deconstruction site,

 there is an increase in the emphasis on site safety and coordination.

* The markets for nonvirgin building materials are very unstable. The acceptance of

 salvaged material is still in transition from local markets to national and

 international markets. Therefore, the value of the recovered materials is still

 difficult to predict (Falk and Lantz 1996).

* Salvaged materials are harder to sell. As yet, they do not have a standard grading

 system. So it is hard to tell for what application each board can be used.

* Before the deconstruction process, a determination of whether the materials and/or

 assemblies can be removed in a cost-effective and safe manner must be made. This

 is vital information in assessing the economic feasibility of the project.

* Even when markets for the material exist, deconstruction may not be financially

 justifiable if there is not enough material.