The Department of Planning and Development has created a new permitting option for contractors and developers to promote green building, decrease the amount of materials that are sent to landfills and speed up the deconstruction and reconstruction of houses in Seattle.

The voluntary permitting option will give the critical time contractors and developers need to salvage reusable building materials from housing that is being removed.

When housing was taken down in the previous code one would have to get a demolition permit at the same time they obtained a building or associated permit for new housing, said Sandra Mallory with the Planning and Development. Through Seattle’s legislation this ensures the city will have replacement housing, she said.

Previously, a demolition permit for housing could be issued only when an associated permit for new housing had also been issued.

Now, if housing is to be deconstructed and materials salvaged for reuse, the planning department may issue a demolition permit prior to issuing the associated new construction permit.

This is how developers are given ample time to deconstruct rather than demolish a building, increasing the amount of salvageable and reusable building materials.

“Being in the reuse industry we’ve had a hard time getting into some houses to salvage before demolition because the builder, homeowner or contractor does not get their demolition permits before they get access into the building,” Pat Finn of RE Store in Ballard said.

With locations in Ballard and Bellingham, RE Store serves sells building materials and provides mobile removal services.

“They’ll be in a hurry to take the house down and to move things forward because that’s the way things work in Seattle; you can’t take a house down unless you put another one in its place," said Finn.

Finn explained that most contractors or builders choose to demolish over deconstructing a house because demolishing only takes about two days while it can take an average of two and a half weeks to deconstruct a building.

“Time is money in the construction industry so by not having site access it’s easier to come in with big machines and tools and just demolish a building,” Mallory said.

Mallory said the new permit came from two directions. There have been many requests by builders to create a process to give more time on site to do salvage work and reducing construction waste especially in landfills.

“We have a minimum percentage of materials that need to be salvaged and reused or recycled with the goal that we’re diverting materials from the landfill and encouraging the use of the materials,” Mallory said.

It's not mandatory, but if applicants submit plans for review they can get a demolition permit earlier in the process if they will be deconstructing the buildings and salvaging materials for reuse, said Mallory.

“We’re pretty excited that the city is looking for ways to lessen the waste and allow opportunity for more salvageable waste,” Finn said.