Builder2builder.com is the brainchild of Doug Hayes, a contractor in the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado. He knew there had to be a better way to reduce waste from job sites and to gain the opportunity to gain the cash value for useable C&D waste. He developed the site in 2006 but was too busy to develop and market it properly. He now has some help and together we are trying to get the word out and to make the site as user-friendly as possible. Here’s a little more information about what we’re trying to create.

Mission

Builder2builder.com’s mission is to be the premier online resource for finding and listing used building materials by providing a free and user-friendly online classified advertising venue for residential and commercial used building materials. Builders, do-it-yourselfers and designers, who are looking to sell or buy materials, post their items for sale or conversely search the site for their needs. Eventually, the site also will have paid store fronts (where salvage retail stores can also post all or any of their inventory), paid help wanted ads and relevant content for the building community.
The site facilitates the building industry’s rising efforts to be “green” by reducing waste and reusing materials. It also offers the industry the benefit and incentive of capturing the cash value of their useable waste.
As the site aggregates the building community, it becomes a valuable advertising medium for businesses that need to reach this audience. Once a critical mass is reached, builder2builder will offer paid display advertising.
Based out of Glenwood Springs Colorado, the website will service primarily the North American market on a regional basis, similar to the Craig’s List model.
Commitment
To make this site a value to users we will strive to:

• Educate the building community about the benefits and ease of using the internet to buy, sell and advertise for their building needs.
• Make the site easy-to-use, intuitive and approachable.
• Create a marketplace for used building materials by populating the site with quality used materials listings and driving quality traffic.
• Create an efficient and easy ad creation process.
• Gain appropriate and quality affiliations and alliances.

Users

Builder2builder.com will have four primary user groups:  

1. Buyers and sellers of used building materials (Builders, homeowners, do-it-yourselfers, developers, architects, and designers) who will place and shop classified ads.
2. Retail stores looking to post their inventory online (Architectural antiques and salvage stores) as a storefront on Builder2builder.com rather than constructing and marketing their own.
3. Building industry related professionals looking for inexpensive target marketing (Construction-related service businesses, tradesmen, and retail businesses) through display advertising.
4. People seeking employment in the construction industry and those seeking employees.

Because the site will also have construction-relevant and “green” content and links, it will become a resource for the entire construction industry.

Services Offered

Builder2Builder.com offers free services and will eventually offer additional paid services as well.

Free Services

Classified Listings

Users looking to sell or buy used building materials, architectural antiques or fill dirt, etc. may place a free classified listing. For items for sale, listings include item name, location, description, photograph, asking price, date posted and contact information. Classifieds are in the database by category and can be searched by category, description or by zip code.

The categories will be modified to best reflect users' needs. Examples of current categories include: appliances, architectural antiques, building materials, heavy equipment, tools, "no words to describe it, landscaping, and fill dirt. The largest category being building materials has multiple subcategories.

The site functionality allows users to place their listings themselves. The site allows listings to be live for 45 days at which time they expire and are removed from the site.
Buyers can also post listings describing what they are looking to buy. These listings will contain as much information from the above list as the buyer chooses to include.

The site will be monitored to keep the listings pure to our mission of concentrating on the used building materials market. This will keep the audience defined and therefore make the advertising offered effectively targeted. Currently, the site is monitored by Builder2builder. In the future, users will monitor the site.

Users of this service on both the listing and buying side of the would include but not be limited to contractors, builders, do it yourselfers, used materials shop owners, architectural antique shop owners, homeowners, renovators, developers, architects, designers, etc.
Future services will include:

1. The ability to search by identified regions as opposed to by zip code (Craig's List model)
2. Notifications when items on your search list appear in the classifieds
3. The ability for users to monitor the site and flag classifieds to be removed.
4. Ratings on sellers.

Deconstruction Notices
Users seeking or planning deconstructions or demolitions can post their information.

Related Content
The site will contain content related to the building materials reuse industry. This content will be solicited from strategic alliances such as Government organizations, building magazines, and industry and green organizations.

Paid Services

Business Display Ads
Any business that wants to target the classified ad user audience may pay for a small space advertisement selling their services/product. Advertisers may select their desired page by category and/or by region. For example, a door manufacturer may want to advertise on the “doors” page in the building materials category. This can be done regionally or nationally.

The cost of the display ad will eventually relate directly to the site statistics' record of page traffic.  Higher visited pages will cost more than lesser visited pages. To start, prices will be fixed and charged on a monthly basis. The cost of display ads will be priced to be less expensive than print or broadcast advertising to make Builder2builder.com the most cost effective, targeted marketing available to this industry.
Advertisers may include tradesmen (plumbers, tile layers, electricians, carpenters, etc.) contractors, builders, used materials shop owners, architectural antique shop owners, architects, designers, porta potty companies, waste management companies, landscapers, materials manufactures, hardware stores, etc.

Help Wanted Ads
Users looking for help may place Help Wanted ads similar to standard newspaper help wanted ads. These ads will be audience appropriate attracting ads seeking tradesmen (plumbers, tile layers, electricians, carpenters, etc.) contractors, builders, architects, designers, etc.
Ad costs will be a standard fee (less than newspaper costs) making them more appealing than newspaper ads where advertisers are charged by size.  These will be free to start.

Storefronts
For retail stores that do not have the desire or wherewithal to build, maintain and market their own website, Builder2builder.com will act as their site to showcase their items for sale. These items will show in the classifieds by category and region as well as in a special section called "Storefronts." Storefronts will be listed in a category called “shop our stores.” Users will be able to click on a store and see the store’s particular offering exclusively. Links from company display ads will take users directly to the company’s storefront.
Storefront fees will be standardized.

Benefits

Benefits to classified advertisers

• Membership is free and allows sellers and buyers can place their ads for free and reach a targeted market on an easy-to-use site.
• Ads include photographs and easy email contact information.
• Sellers and buyers have both local and world access to find buyers and sellers.
• Sellers can capture the retail cash value of their goods.

Benefits to the display advertisers

1. Affordability. A large part of the construction industry, particularly smaller businesses, finds advertising cost prohibitive. The Site provides an effective venue at a value with media costs far less than traditional print and broadcast.
2. Increased effectiveness. Builder2builder.com provides direct access for construction-related businesses to a very specific audience. Examples: A window installer can advertise on the used windows classified ad page.
3. Low cost ad creation. Unlike in print, internet ads can be produced quickly and inexpensively. They can be customized and updated frequently.

Benefits to retail stores

1. Retail stores don’t have to take on the cost or bother of building, maintaining and marketing their own site.
2. Their inventory shows in their storefronts as well as in the categorized classified listings giving them double exposure.

Environmental benefit

1. By creating a world access market for salvageable building materials we can help reduce the waste generated by the construction industry. The Site to promotes green building techniques, by linking builders and homeowners to the resources and websites dedicated to the promotion of conservation and energy efficient building.

How you can help

Please let us know how we’re doing and give us any ideas on how we can make this site better and more useful for you. Email us at info@builder2builder.com.
Thank you for being patient as we continue to develop the site.