Parts of iconic Tappan Zee Bridge recycled into parts of tiny houses
Apex Modular Solutions in Pine Plains are constructing the homes.
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The legacy of the Tappan Zee Bridge lives on in the form of tiny houses constructed out of wood from the iconic crossing.
Apex Modular Solutions in Pine Plains are constructing the homes. Just this week, 40,000 pounds of reclaimed Tappan Zee wood was unloaded.
"It was an unusual situation where we had the ability to salvage a lot of material from the Tappan Zee Bridge," said Dale Mitchell. He reached out to News 12 after seeing the story about the artificial reefs off the coast of Long Island created from pieces of the Tappan Zee.
He is a partner on the TapNZ NOTASHED line. He explained that the majority of the wood they use supported the old bridge underwater in the Hudson River. Proof of that can be seen in the barnacles still attached to the wood.
"They created clusters of these pilings driven into the river bottom that were 20 feet in diameter, and each concrete abutment had a number of these, about 10 of them to totally protect it, so when ships were going under the bridge they wouldn't destroy the pilings," Mitchell explained.
They have two types of wood: Larch and Brazilian Ipe, both are extremely rare lumber that are strong and rot resistant.
The wood is used to make tiny homes and party barns, said Apex president, Issa Nesheiwat.
"We've basically taken the logs from the Tappan Zee, milled them into post and beams, and constructed this party barn," Nesheiwat said.
To keep costs low, the structures are not made entirely of Tappan Zee wood, rather it is added to enhance the aesthetic.
"We are just giving the wood a second chance, right? Putting it back to use and what better way to do this than recycling it and creating homes," Nesheiwat said.
They have also made their own tiny Tappan Zee Bridge of the reclaimed wood -- A way for the old bridge's legacy to live on through its wood serving a new purpose.
Apex Modular Solutions plans to build between 150 to 200 tiny homes and party barns using the reclaimed wood from the old Tappan Zee Bridge.
As for the costs of Tappan Zee tiny homes, party barns start at about $16,500. Cottages and starter homes can cost between about $24,000 to $50,000.
