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In many ways, building a house is like a relationship; it starts on a high note with grand expectations of a magnificent home. For some, as the house-building project winds down, they are eager to clear the site of all debris in order to have a pristine space.

However, before you embark on cleaning the site, stop and think: do I really have to? Isn’t there something I can salvage from the rubble? You may eventually find that the rubble is gold.

As Joshua Twinomurunzi, a landscaper, advises, there are usually five materials on a site that can be repurposed, saving the homeowner from spending money and making the rubble functional in a home. The five materials are lake sand, stones, bricks or rock, timber cut-offs and iron sheet cut-offs.

There are usually five materials on a site that can be repurposed, saving the homeowner from spending money and making the rubble functional in a home. (Courtesy photo)

Lake sand

He suggests that homeowners should not shove the sand away, but rather, make a sandpit for children to enjoy in their play area. Twinomurunzi, however, advises homeowners to consider the type of sand they will use to make sandpits because not all sand is good for children. “Lwera sand, which is lake sand, is good for a sandpit. The other sand is rough and can hurt them,” he says.

Stones

Twinomurunzi says some homeowners opt to pour the stones in a flowerbed, making it look beautiful with the contrast of texture and colour of the flowers and stones.

“And if you have not paved the site yet, you can use the stones as walkways so that you do not have to step in the mud,” he says. He adds that homeowners can also choose to make a rock garden with the stone debris, which will give the home an added visual appeal.

Bricks or rocks

If the site has leftover bricks or rocks, such as hard core, Twinomurunzi says they can be placed around trees for protection and beauty. “Some people put bricks around trees to protect the bark from getting slashed in case the gardener is slashing grass. But even after slashing, the bricks remain to beautify the space at the bottom of the tree,” he says.

Timber cut-offs

Timber cut-offs used in scaffolding can get a new lease of life, so do not be too hasty to throw them away. “You can reuse them to make a kennel for the dogs or even a chicken pen, and a storage space for tools,” he says. According to Twinomurunzi, the iron sheet cut-offs can be used to roof small projects such as a chicken pen, a kennel and a storage space for tools.

Iron sheet cut-offs

If you have plans for small projects at home, do not be quick to get rid of the iron sheet cut-offs because they will come in handy.