Habitat for Humanity marks milestone with 1000th deconstruction project

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Have you ever walked into a Habitat for Humanity ReStore and wondered where they get all that stuff?

We got an up-close look at where some of it comes from Wednesday.

Habitat is famous for building new, low-cost homes to help struggling families, but along with construction, Habitat also works on deconstruction. They have a team that goes to homes that are being torn down or renovated and they salvage reusable cabinets, appliances and other things, which wind up at the ReStores. 

Wednesday, in Elm Grove, we watched Habitat's 1,000th deconstruction project. 

"People come and look at us for the uniqueness of some of our products," said Bill Willkomm, Habitat for Humanity volunteer. "We take down some very old homes or some very new ones that are being remodeled, so it's good for everybody."

These salvage operations started in 2012, and since then, they've taken in more than $5 million worth of items for ReStores in Milwaukee County.