Buurman Utrecht

From construction waste to DIY materials and workshops

Buurman Utrecht rescues used building materials, especially wood, from Utrecht and gives them a second life. In their reuse-store and open workshop, both curious beginners and experienced makers can find, build, repair, or experiment with circular materials. Besides offering rescued resources, Buurman also hosts workshops and courses that help people create with their own hands and waste less.

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Discarded construction wood transformed into new furniture and building projects at Buurman Utrecht | Waste Alchemists

The slider reveals how leftover wood and building materials gain new value through reuse and craftsmanship. Not polished end products, but materials ready for a second life in people’s hands.

About the alchemists

In 2019, Buurman Utrecht opened its doors at the circular hotspot Het Hof van Cartesius, following the earlier launch of Buurman Rotterdam in 2015. Bianca, Charlotte, and Simone where the ones saying “We have to create a place where people can buy second hand building material and learn how to work with these leftover resources”. Nowadays, the franchise already expanded to a total of 6 locations and is aiming for many more to make use of valuable “waste” material more accessible and fun.

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About the waste

Every day, construction sites, demolition projects, and DIY renovations in the city generate enormous amounts of usable leftover material: solid beams, plywood, doors, fittings, tiles, insulation, hardware, you name it! Most of it would normally be burned as mixed waste. Buurman Utrecht intercepts these local “waste” flows, giving materials that still have decades of potential another opportunity.

About the process

Their team collects leftover materials directly from projects around the city. Everything is sorted, de-nailed, measured, cleaned, and made ready for reuse in their warehouse. From there, materials go into the shop, or straight into their circular workshop, where people learn woodworking, repair damaged items, or create entirely new designs from what the city leaves behind.

About their creations

While Buurman doesn’t produce mass-made objects, they empower thousands of makers to create their own: tables, cabinets, toys, planters, benches, stage sets, store interiors that are all built from rescued materials. Their real product is potential: affordable, characterful, circular resources that make it easy to become a waste alchemist yourself.

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“Selling second-hand wood is just a tool. The real impact happens in someone’s mind when they realise all of the material commonly seen as worthless is still so incredibly valuable. That’s the little revolution we’re starting” – Simone