Note: I've made a couple of additions to the list since originally publishing it. Thanks to Jessica Reeder of Charles and Hudson, and Artemis of City Homestead.Do-it-yourself blog
Charles & Hudson covers a variety of topics. One nice feature they've got is
DIY city guides for various locales. Oakland and the SF East Bay aren't yet covered, so I've created one for Oakland. Some people are into DIY to save money and some into it to have control of how 'green' their project is. A great way to do both those things are the 3 R's of green: reduce, reuse, recycle.
So without further ado, here's my guide to do-it-yourself resources in the East Bay, centered in Oakland. This is by no means an exhaustive list; if you've got a favorite DIY resource in or around Oakland, let me know and I'll add it.
Tool LibrariesOakland Tool Lending Library 510.597.5089
5205 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609The Oakland Public Library system has a great tool lending library in the ground floor of the Temescal branch. There are a wide variety of tools you can borrow for free. Open to Oakland, Piedmont and Emeryville residents.
Berkeley Tool Lending Library 510.981.6101
1901 Russell St., Berkeley, CA 94703The Berkeley Public Library system's tool lending library at the South Branch. Open to Berkeley residents and property owners.
Salvage StoresHabitat ReStore 510.777.1447
9235 San Leandro St., Oakland, CAThe Habitat ReStore is a great resource. You can buy new and used building supplies for less, and your purchases support Habitat's mission of eliminating poverty housing worldwide, and useful items that might otherwise be discarded are made available.
ReUse People 510.383.1983
9235 San Leandro Blvd., Oakland, CA 94603The ReUse People specialize in deconstructing buildings so the materials can be used again. Not only do they have doors, windows, cabinets, etc., but they've got reclaimed lumber and some one-of-a-kind architectural elements, too. If all that wasn't enough, they're next door to the Habitat ReStore, so you can check both places with one stop.
Urban Ore 510.841.7283
900 Murray St., Berkeley, CA 94710 510.841.7283
Urban Ore is not just a source of salvaged building materials like windows, doors and sinks, it's a treasure trove of all sorts of things that can be salvaged or repurposed. It's all part of their goal of "ending the age of waste."
East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse 510.547.6470
4695 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609
The East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse is an ecological treasure trove of art & craft materials, educational supplies, vintage furniture, home decor, paper goods, fabric and more. The mission of the East Bay Depot is to divert waste materials from landfills by collecting and redistributing discarded goods as low-cost supplies for art, education, and social services.
Ohmega Salvage 510.204.0767
2407 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley, CA 94702Just up San Pablo from EcoHome Improvement and the Ecology Center is another nice salvage store, Ohmega Salvage. They specialize in architectural salvage, unique doors, windows and other fixtures that are often one-of-a-kind items.
Green StoresEcoHome Improvement 510.644.3500
2617-2619 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley, CA 94702EcoHome Improvement has a wide variety of green building materials, including cabinets, countertops, paint and flooring. EcoHome Improvement has a friendly and knowledgeable staff, who are always looking to add more items to sell. They consider not just the manufacture of materials but the transportation of them and other factors, as well. While many of their items are expensive, realize they're also high-end items, so don't compare, for example,
Vetrazzo countertops (which are made here in the Bay Area in Richmond) with laminate countertops from a home improvement chain.
Learning DIYBuilding Education Center 510.525.7610
812 Page St., Berkeley, CA 94710The Building Education Center teaches a wide range of courses, from
Landscape Watering Systems to
Installing Windows, Doors and Skylights, plus hands-on workshops like
Electrical Wiring and
Stucco Repair. Or take it all in with the
Homeowners Essential Course, a 2 month, 17 session course that covers just about everything about building, repairing and maintaining a home.
Habitat for Humanity East Bay 510.251.6304
2619 Broadway Oakland, CA 94612You may be asking yourself, "why is Habitat on this list?" Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit dedicated to eliminating poverty housing worldwide, building houses with mostly volunteer labor. They don't just hand you a hammer and let you loose, though. Habitat East Bay instructs volunteers with what they need to know to build safely and correctly. It's also one of the greenest Habitat affiliates in the country, so there are opportunities to learn about green techniques and technologies, too. I've volunteered with Habitat for more than 13 years, and largely with what I learned there, I designed and built the addition to our house that's chronicled here on
DIY Insanity.
Ecology Center 510.548.2220
2530 San Pablo Avenue, Suite H, Berkeley, CA 94702The Ecology Center was founded back in 1969 to promote environmentally and socially responsible practices through programs that educate, demonstrate, and provide direct services. They teach a variety of courses, including organic gardening, urban chicken raising, and greywater and rainwater systems.
Hardware StoresMarkus Supply Ace Hardware 510.832.6532
625 3rd St., Oakland, CA 94607When you just need some basics, your nearest hardware store is your best bet. But if you need a wider selection of items but don't want to go to the box stores, Markus Hardware may have what you need.
Ace Ellis Hardware 510.653.4365
5424 MLK Way, Oakland, CA 94609If you're looking to browse the aisles, head somewhere else. Ellis Hardware has most of what they sell on huge shelves behind the counter. Describe what you need, and they'll get it for you, or tell you where you can if they don't carry it.
Lumber YardsPiedmont Lumber 510.658.1826
351 40th St. Oakland, CA 94609Piedmont Lumber is a full-service lumberyard, with lumber, drywall and and other building supplies. And they've got
a classic sign.
Economy Lumber 510.261.6100
750 High St., Oakland, CA 94601Economy Lumber is another full-service lumberyard. Besides all the basic building materials, they've got a window and door showroom where you can order windows and doors of all sorts.
Plumbing SupplyMoran Plumbing Supply 510.652.7437
415 40th St., Oakland, CA 94609Just up 40th from Piedmont Lumber, Moran Plumbing Supply carries everything for plumbing, from pipes of all sorts to sinks and toilets. They've got a helpful, knowledgeable staff.
Rubenstein Plumbing Supply 510.444.6614
2800 San Pablo Ave., Oakland, CA 94608Rubenstein Plumbing Supply is another good plumbing supply place. I bought our
dual-flush Toto toilet there.
