Bringin' down the house

Click to Enlarge Photo by Josh Miller/Sierra Sun Jose LaCruz and Jason Hughes of the ReUse People help load recycled lumber into Tom Tornga's vehicle on Tuesday at Northstar. Browse and Buy Sierra Sun Photos

Josh Miller
May 13, 2004

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The old adage that "one man's trash is another man's treasure" is playing out at Northstar-at-Tahoe.

The ReUse People, a San Francisco-based company, is currently "deconstructing" Northstar Village and selling the recycled lumber to anyone interested in buying.

The work is paving the way for East West Partners' new alpine, pedestrian village that will feature 213 residential units, lodge, ice rink, shops and restaurants.

But before that work can happen, the five-week deconstruction has to take place. That's why Tom Tornga from Cave Rock was at Northstar on Tuesday.

"It's nice to recycle the lumber. It saves the trees," Tornga said. "I'm using this for the underside of a deck I'm building."

He said he will use his lumber purchase - a load of 20-foot long 6-by-12s - for a home construction project. The recycled lumber cost Tornga $325.

He said the same amount of new lumber would have cost him $500, and it would have been of a lower quality than the recycled lumber.

By the end of 2005 East West Partners plans to have the first phase of the village complete, including the ice rink, lodge and 100 residential units.