The Building Materials Exchange was launched in 1989 as a project of the Cumberland County Affordable Housing Venture (CCAHV), the precursor to the Maine Housing and Building Materials Exchange. The mission of the Maine Housing and Building Materials Exchange (BME) is to: Benefit low-income homeowners and the environment by providing new and re-usable building materials at an affordable price, and by educating people about home repairs. BME is a private 501(c3) not for profit organization.

The goal of the BME is “to keep people in their homes” through the use and reuse of good quality building materials. This is accomplished through education, collaboration, and a working knowledge of our clients needs. Home ownership is the largest investment most will ever make. The costs of maintaining or making necessary improvements to their asset can be prohibitively expensive. The BME is here to help low income homeowners thru those hurdles.

 

BME Members

Home owners can become BME members by showing that their household income is at 80% or below the median income for Cumberland County.
Anyone can shop at the BME; however, members receive an additional discount, making items even more affordable. Products needed to make a house safe, warm, and weathertight, such as egress windows, lumber, or insulation, are reserved for clients only. The membership fee is $10 per year.

Families whose incomes are over BME limits can still join the BME as "Supporting Members". Supporting Members pay $25.00 per year, for which they receive special notification when new materials arrive, the ability to add items to a Wish List, advance notification of sales, and a slight discount on pricing.

The BME also offers “corporate memberships” for those businesses who would like to provide a “perk” for their employees. This membership is available to any company and provides the opportunity to give back to their employees. Please contact Bill Ewing (Executive Director) or David Zimmerman (Operations Manager) to find out more about this exciting opportunity.
 

BME Income Scale

Number of Dependants in Household

     1                         2                           3                         4                         5                            6                            7
$31,000             $35,000              $40,000             $44,000             $48,000              $51,000               $54,000

Income

The income scale uses the federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) figures for Median income. Scale is adjusted to represent median income for Cumberland County Maine as of 2000 census data.
 

BME / Success

•  June 2006 the BME purchased its first warehouse located at 102 Lisbon Rd, Lisbon ME. The 14,400 sq ft building has provided the potential for new material, and the capability to considerably improve the services provided to its clients.
   
• The implementation of racking, a new POS system, and a heated warehouse
   
• Membership is steadily increasing, at the rate of 60-80 new and supporting members a month.
   
• BME is growing its Collaborations with Maine Community Action Programs and other not for profits.
   
• New vendors have come on board providing high quality materials. The BME’s inventory is now 95% new materials.
   
• BME has implemented a Materials Swap “BLOG” for supporting organizations and other not for profits. The program will ensure the distribution of materials around the state and beyond.