Speak to a homeowner who is building a new home or remodeling an existing one and you will not find much enthusiasm for using recycled furnishings or recycled building materials. However, new building materials like wood and hardware not only need a lot of energy to be made, some of it comes from fast depleting natural resources. By just adjusting our attitudes a little and taking just that extra effort, homeowners can find recycled building materials that will fit their every need and suit every taste.

If you are considering remodeling your house or building a new one, you can find many ways in which you can incorporate smart recycling practices as you go. You can of course, use recycled materials in your new structure. For example, when older buildings are demolished, building materials such as wood and stone are undamaged and can be reused. Similarly, there are many parts that stay untouched like windows, doors, mantels and hardware. The kind of materials that are available will vary a great deal depending on the local rules and local environmental conditions but you should be able to find most the materials that you need within feasible reach. Look for reclaimed or salvaged home buildings before you start looking for new building materials.

Here are a few places where you can find free and salvaged building materials and furnishings.

* You could start by looking in flea markets, junk shops, garage sales and antique shops, where hardware is often found at a fraction of the cost of new ones. In fact, you might find yourself amazed at the quality and handiwork of some of the old hardware.

* You could go through the classified ads and see if anyone is offering reused building materials. Else you could take out an ad, requesting people with salvaged building materials to contact you.

* You could visit building sites where construction work is in progress and speak to the contractor in person. Request them to allow you to use any salvaged building materials that they are not using.

* Pay a visit to salvage yards that serve demolition contractors in particular. These have a wide variety of salvaged building materials and you are bound to find many interesting materials there for your use.

* You could get in touch with home-improvement centers or lumber companies. Most of these large companies market building material in a large amount and almost always have some mismatches, cutoffs or culls. You may get more building materials than you would have anticipated at some of these places.

* Similarly, speak to tree-removal firms, landscapers and lot-clearing contractors about taking some materials off their hands. Many of the smaller firms do not have enough refuse that they can market for mulch and are more than happy to sell them to someone who can use the materials. You may be surprised at the quality of the hardwoods you may get here.

* Finally, you could always see how you can use natural materials while constructing your new home. Some examples of natural building materials are rocks, mud and sticks. You can find them almost everywhere on your building site as well as in your backyard. You may be surprised at the kind of versatility these materials provide when used with some of the more modern materials.