Neyer has partnered with Building Value to carefully deconstruct a vacant residential structure on Reading Road in Uptown, carefully salvaging the historic elements for reuse.
Building Value is a social enterprise of Easterseals serving Greater Cincinnati. Building Value provides a workforce development program, which focuses on helping women and people of color overcome obstacles to employment and gain placement in construction career positions within the local construction industry. It also features a retail store where salvaged materials are sold and most recently launched a hardscaping installation service line. However, the core component of this workforce development program is the deconstruction of single-family homes where up to 75% of the house is salvaged for re-sale.
“Building Value is as efficient and timely as other demolition companies, but we work to salvage everything we can to resell at our retail store, diverting that material from the landfill,” said David Rich, Director of Building Value.
Additionally, Building Value shows people how to do the work. “Our on-the-job training gives individuals an opportunity to prepare them for a rewarding career. We provide them intensive, “work hardening” training for three to six months ensuring they are vetted and prepared for our construction partners to invest in.”
Building Value has focused on using workers from the Uptown area since it’s inception in 2004. The organization’s geographic reach for workers has since expanded, but the focus is still on the Avondale and surrounding Uptown areas. Rich anticipates that at least four workers at the deconstruction house on Reading Road will be from the Avondale area.
After years of conversions and renovations, the interior of Neyer’s property, has been stripped of most of its salvageable material. However, the exterior still features a plethora of items worth saving. “The 100+ year wood floor joists, decorative spindles and porch, as well as the limestone block, brick, fire escapes, and stonework are the real jewels on this house,” said Rich. “Cutting out the structural elements at this project to salvage the beams and rafters provides the best training for our workers.”
Not all projects involve interior work. Building Value’s workers become accustomed to working outside, and in the various elements, to prepare them for careers in the construction trades. This is the case for the house Building Value is deconstructing for Neyer.
The crew size is based on the size and scale of the project.
Neyer Properties is a full-service commercial real estate developer specializing in sustainable land development, construction management, investment, and redevelopment. Neyer seeks opportunities to partner with organizations like Building Value, who are using talent from and invest in the communities they work. The company currently owns over 5 million square feet of office, industrial, and retail space and has over 200 acres ready for development in the tristate area.