It’s no secret: renovating a luxury kitchen has historically been an outlandishly expensive endeavor. For owners of a high-end home, a kitchen update can cost anywhere from $50,000 to well over $100,000. These renovations, however, imply another hidden cost: the loss of the existing luxury kitchen, which in many cases includes valuable appliances, cabinets, and fixtures with plenty of life left in them. Not only is this bad for the homeowner who is dumping their valuable property, but it’s also an unsustainable building practice that is bad for the environment. Since 2005, however, a New Jersey-based non-profit has been working to reduce the high financial and environmental costs of luxury kitchen renovation.

 

Recycling Luxury Kitchens

 

Steve Feldman founded Recovery Unlimited, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, after happening upon the renovation of a luxury mansion. Feldman explains, “The trucks, the piles of rubble, the ‘Demolition in Progress’ sign in the driveway all sparked an unexpected thought: Why did all this have to go to waste? Why couldn’t at least some of these luxury goods go to a worthy cause?” Thus began Renovation Angel, Feldman’s answer to the luxury renovation problem. Since 2005, Renovation Angel has recycled over 3,300 luxury kitchens and awarded over $1.9 million in proceeds to non-profit projects and charities. To date, Renovation Angel’s kitchen recycling program has diverted over 20 million pounds of waste from landfills.

It’s a great deal for homeowners, too: the individual incurs no cost for removing the old kitchen, receives a full tax deduction, and the premises are left clean and ready for renovation work to begin.

How Does It Work?

Luxury homeowners need only visit the Renovation Angel website to submit information and begin the appraisal process. If Renovation Angel specialists confirm that the items meet their benchmarks for quality and condition, the company offers free, insured, and professional “white glove” removal of all donated items. The organization accepts luxury items that are of high value and in good condition.

 

  • Kitchens: cabinetry, appliances, countertops, light fixtures, sinks, faucets.
  • Bathrooms: vanities, free-standing tubs, fixtures, mirrors, pedestal sinks.
  • Interiors: high-end and antique furniture, fine art, pianos.
  • Exteriors: generators, outdoor bars and kitchens, statues and fountains.
  • Showroom displays and inventory.

 

Renovation Angel is expanding quickly, although they are currently only available to appraise and remove luxury kitchens in New York, Chicago, Beverly Hills, Naples, East Hampton, Greenwich, Boston, San Francisco, West Palm Beach, and Aspen.