Trying to find upcycling materials was a hard lesson for me to learn building our skoolie. I thought it would be easy to track down salvaged wood, flooring and appliances. In reality, it was a timesuck. For example, if I would have paid myself $10 an hour instead of searching online postings and calling leads, I could have went to Home Depot and purchased new goods!
However, some people are able to pull it off. Like this innovative Alaskan builder. His secret, he worked in the trades and new all of the big construction jobs. Not only did he know where they were happening, he was working the jobs. So when people were looking to get of of materials, he was there with open arms.
This is a trend that I have noticed. Those who are already privy to recycled materials are always killing it when it comes time to grab said goods. If you have the in I would certainly try and use recycled materials. If you do not, maybe it would be better to purchase new!