Reclaim Detroit Workshop Offers Classes On DIY Deconstructed Furniture

Why demolish an abandoned house when you can turn it into a perfectly good piece piece of custom furniture?

That's the logic behind a DIY workshop being put together by Reclaim Detroit this Saturday. The three-hour workshop will teach participants how to make a their own benches using items taken from deconstructed homes in Detroit. Those who take the course will be able to bring their creations home with them.

The city of Detroit demolished 3,000 vacant buildings between 2010 and 2011, and Mayor Dave Bing has called for up to 10,000 abandoned homes to be torn down.

WARM Training Center launched Reclaim Detroit with the assistance of Detroit GreenWorks Solutions last year to encourage the reuse of materials from some of these vacant structures.

The social enterprise salvages materials that might otherwise end up in landfills. It claims to offer deconstruction services at prices that are comparable to the cost of demolition and also sells reclaimed materials to the public.

The event takes place Saturday, May 19 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Focus: Hope (Building C), located at 1200 Oakman Boulevard in Detroit. There is a registration fee for participating in the workshop. For more about Reclaim Detroit visit reclaimingdetroit.org or click here for registration information.