How to dispose of old bricks ? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Angel · #1 12-29-2006, 10:56 PM

Previous owner of my house had a fireplace in the basement, not a real fireplace, just a plastic log that glows orange and has a piece of tinsel that rubs against a plastic sheet so it makes "crackle-y" noises. No chimney, no provisions for such, to put one in would not be worth the money nor what Mrs. Angel and I want for the house.

So I have a few hundred bricks to get rid of.

I'm solving the problem of how to get them out of the basement (suXor), but once they are up and on my workhorse 4x8 trailer what can I do with them ?

I'd rather not just throw them away, but the wife doesnt like the color so they probably won't see use at htis house in landscaping - and thats assuming that they retain their rectangular shape after demolition.

on a side note - it does make me feel kinda manly swinging a big sledgehammer and making bits of brick go flying, kinda MTV jackass-like =)

Some of them are a different color, the bricks on the inside look like they might be "fire brick", but I don't have the experience to tell. Would fire brick (these broke easily and I was careful to save them from breakage) be of any use to someone ?

I'm gonna have a trailerful of brick in a bit and I need to get rid of it. Any ideas here ?

(mercedes content - Yes, my 240D WILL be used to tow a load of bricks =)

-John

TheDon · #2 12-29-2006, 11:00 PM

landfill?

Eskimo · #3 12-29-2006, 11:08 PM

Craigslist? (if you want to sell or give them away)

Freecycle? (if you just want to give them away)

Chas H · #4 12-29-2006, 11:09 PM

Used brick has value. Put an add in your local paper/sell-it/Craigslist.

t walgamuth · #5 12-29-2006, 11:24 PM

yeah, i would try to sell them.

tom w

cmac2012 · #6 12-30-2006, 04:10 AM

Me and a buddy remodeled a duplex a few years back and we had to dismantle two old chimneys that were obsolete and a serious earthquake hazard.

I called up another friend, a really savvy contractor who was remodeling his own house and after a couple of questions he said, "I'll pick them up first thing in the morning."

Unless they're ugly as hell, someone will want them. Check the yellow pages for building materials, used. Some cities have outfits like that. Or perhaps under salvage.

Larry Delor · #7 12-30-2006, 08:45 AM

I would love to get a load of bricks for nothing - Instead, I'll probably go to the local Depot and end up buying those fake ones.

79-240d-project · #8 12-30-2006, 11:13 AM

My neighbor demolished an old shed and his chimney in the house during a remodel of house. The stack on the left is from the chimney, these are in very good shape. The stack on the right is from the old fireplace in the shed, these are in moderate condition.

The good ones will be incorporated into some concrete walkways I will pour this summer. The ugly ones will most likely be used as pads for the garbage and recycle containers.

I passed on the fire brick from the fireplace, big mistake! That stuff is fairly expensive.

Too bad you live so far away, I am always looking for free building materials. Look at what I did with recycled fencing!

420SEL · #9 12-30-2006, 02:09 PM

donate them to your local karate school

Angel · #10 12-30-2006, 02:59 PM

I have about 50 or so fire bricks. - those are 90% good - I have no idea why someone would make a "fake" fireplace and put real fire brick in there - but then again, I have no idea why someone would make a fake fireplace out of real brick in the first place.

Of the red/regular bricks

1) about half of them are broken in half or in tiny pieces. Some are still mortared together - remember I just took a sledgehammer to the fireplace, they didnt come out looking pretty.
All of these have some kind of white coating/paint/patina(???) on them - this makes them ugly to the wife. I briefly tried wire brushing some but the white didnt come off.
Also, they all have some remnants of mortar on them.

I'd gladly trade all of it for a running 300D turbo engine donor car =) AND I'd help you move them.

You guys SURE these are worth money ? even if broken and mortared ?
-John

Tomguy · #11 12-30-2006, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Angel

You guys SURE these are worth money ? even if broken and mortared ?
-John

Ever see signs saying "Clean fill wanted"? Call those places. They'll usually pick up that stuff AND pay for it.

79-240d-project · #12 12-30-2006, 04:28 PM

The bricks need to be 99% intact to be worth anything. Broken bricks are landfill.

t walgamuth · #13 12-30-2006, 10:45 PM

to be worth anything as noted above, they have to be free of mortar and mostly whole. only full halves are worth saving and only in a ratio of 20 to one to the whole bricks.

tom w

cmac2012 · #14 12-31-2006, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomguy

Ever see signs saying "Clean fill wanted"? Call those places. They'll usually pick up that stuff AND pay for it.

I've seen those signs but never when I had some rocks or rock-like debris I wanted to get rid of. One of the landfills here will take them at a reduced rate but that's the best I've been able to find.