Looking for a place where you can improve your home without breaking the bank? Building Materials Exchange is a Philadelphia organization that helps eligible consumers make minor modifications and repairs to their home without spending their life’s savings.
According to the organization’s own website, “BME, a division of Impact Services, is a non-profit clearinghouse for surplus and salvaged building materials”. You can find refurbished items like windows, doors, paint and a variety of styles in décor. Contractors and community members donate goods to Building Materials Exchange, which refurbishes items for sale to families that qualify and/or other nonprofit organizations at a low price.
Lucy DeJesus says she has saved thousands of dollars over the past several years. “You go to stores and it’s expensive, and you go there [and] everything’s cheap.”
Owner John Macdonald has been behind this venture for twenty years. “You know, we can help [people] make it a little better and as long as they have the opportunity that creates hope for themselves with an improved housing situation that’s what we’re trying to do”. If you would like to make some home improvements and want to see if you qualify, contact 215-423-3613 or stop by the warehouse. In order to qualify customers must be a home owner in Philadelphia, show proof of home ownership, proof of income and a valid photo I.D. For a one person household, income should not exceed 43,600 dollars annually. They are open Monday through Friday 9am-4pm and located at 111 West Erie Ave. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140.
