Bend ReStore Making Old Shower Doors into Greenhouses

The Bend ReStore, operated by Bend Area Habitat for Humanity, salvages over two and a half million pounds of home improvement materials annually. Despite their acceptance of a wide range of materials, a few common remodel cast are reluctantly refused because they are too difficult to resell.

Shower doors, coming in a wide variety of sizes and usually missing at least one piece of installation hardware, are in this category. With the goal of once again accepting shower doors, ReStore volunteers have begun constructing greenhouses and garden cold frames glazed with the well-suited tempered and light diffusing shower door glass.  One will be kept on-site at the ReStore to inspire customer DIY projects; others will be displayed and sold at spring events, including an Earth Day raffle at the ReStore.

During the first three days of their Spring Break, 10 Summit High School students assisted in the construction of the first two greenhouses and six cold frames. Plans were adapted from user-friendly instructions sold for $15 by Heartwood Resources, another non-profit building material resale located in Roseburg.

Materials that weren’t found at the store or donated by Parr Lumber, Pak-it Liquidators and Chazz Muffin LLC were purchased using funds recently awarded by a local grant from the Clabough Foundation. The $2,500 grant supports ReStore’s free reclamation service and “upcycling” efforts.

Perhaps next year, someone will come up with a great new use for used dishwashers and those “Hollywood” style bar bathroom vanity lights seen throughout the past several decades, and the ReStore can bring that salvage tally up a few thousand pounds.