Remodeling? Building new? Take your wish list to the Builder's Surplus Store in the Richland Y area July 28-29. They're having a sale and, if you're not too picky about colors or styles, you'll find building materials there -- mostly new, some used -- at bargain basement prices.

The store is run by Habitat for Humanity Tri-Cities and the building materials were all donated by individuals, businesses and corporations.

Looking for a Jacuzzi tub with bells, whistles and jets galore? They have one.

"It's brand new, right off the 2006 spring line and originally retailed at $4,500. We have it priced at $1,350," said Kristin Lerch. She handles public relations and runs the store for the chapter which covers Benton, Franklin and Walla Walla counties.

"We've been having sales every four to six weeks since the first of the year," Lerch said.

"We simply can't use some of the donated materials," she said, pointing to a group of jetted whirlpool bathtubs.

Some donated materials, she said, are simply too nice to put in Habitat homes where the rule is simple, decent, affordable housing.

Lerch estimates about 85 percent of the building materials and hardware in the store is new; the rest is used but in good condition.

New merchandise is donated for a variety of reasons. Sometimes businesses are simply cleaning out their warehouses of last season's styles, making room for the new lines. Other times shipping cartons get damaged in transit. The item can't be sold as new, yet the contents are perfectly fine.

When a special order of cultured marble sinks proved to be the wrong color, when a gas stovetop turned out to be stainless steel and not the black that was ordered, they were donated to the Builder's Surplus Store.

"It's a win-win situation. They donate to a fabulous cause and we get materials to use in our building projects or money when we sell it," Lerch said.

Homeowners who are remodeling and businesses also donate used items that are in perfectly good condition, she said.

"We have lots of chandeliers and other lighting fixtures. Many are used -- some people simply like to change out styles -- but they're all complete and in good working condition," Lerch said. Priced from $15 to $60, they're a bargain.

We have a little of everything, she said, walking down an aisle of bathroom vanities, cabinets, pedestals, sinks, faucets, exhaust fans and various plumbing supplies.

There are doors -- interior, exterior and glass for showers. There's a zero clearance fireplace in one corner, a group of toilets in another. A ping pong table is pushed against one wall while nearby shelves hold dozens of kitchen fixtures and sinks including one commercial, stainless steel, triple sink.

"You'd need an enormous kitchen or a restaurant for that one," Lerch said.

Some items are one of a kind.

"We have just the one," she said, picking up a newel post, "but maybe someone only needs one."

Another unique item is a ceramic bathroom sink pedestal, without sink, painted with a Middle Eastern motif in blue.

"One of our volunteers got on the Internet and found it originally sold for $3,000. We're selling it for $200," Lerch said.

"It's definitely one of our more unusual donations. But for the right person, for the right setting, it would be perfect. You could build your bathroom decor around it," she said.

For more information, or to make a donation, call the Habitat for Humanity Tri-Cities office from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at 783-2221. Watch for future sales on the Web at www.habitat-tcp.org, call the office, or watch for ads in the Herald.

* Reporter Loretto J. Hulse can be reached at 582-1513 or via e-mail at lhulse@tricityherald.com.