In a region like the DMV, where houses are constantly being updated, out with the old, in with the new takes on a new meaning. There are builders across the area who are removing old fixtures, hardware, and other items from homes daily, and luxury builder BOWA takes every step possible to become good stewards of those parts and pieces.
BOWA is a design-build firm located in McLean and Middleburg, VA, and taking on projects throughout the DMV. Since 2013, BOWA has partnered with Community Forklift to work together on renovation job sites to salvage materials whenever possible. BOWA has worked in the area for nearly four decades, and the tradespeople they work with deeply understand that there is a careful way to conduct demolition and deconstruction to save as much as possible. Cabinetry, appliances, trim, hardwood floors, and plumbing and lighting fixtures all have a second life waiting, as long as there is a plan in place to remove them in a way that preserves their structural integrity.
As a donor to Community Forklift, BOWA initially started out having the Community Forklift team come into job sites to salvage items when possible. But, as the partnership has evolved over the years, Community Forklift has become more actively involved from the planning stages of projects. BOWA will bring Community Forklift in at the beginning to assess the scope of the project and determine what can be saved and which items will have the most impact in a future use. Deconstruction is a specific and careful process, and the teams work closely together to go about it in the most efficient and effective manner.
“We find Community Forklift to be a great company to partner with for our renovation projects. They fill a huge need in the market. We would always prefer to deconstruct and recycle useful building materials rather than discard them in landfills, and Community Forklift helps facilitate this,” explains BOWA CEO Larry Weinberg.
While the partnership initially started with just a handful of job sites a year, Community Forklift and BOWA worked together on 21 job sites in 2023. That’s 21 renovation projects where items could have easily been taken to the dump but, instead, BOWA took the initiative and time to work with Community Forklift to donate the reusable materials.
Thanks to BOWA’s relationship with Community Forklift, countless items have been saved from landfills. Items that could have been ripped out and tossed aside have been given the opportunity to either be salvaged and sold in the reuse warehouse at a below-market price or become part of one of Community Forklift’s community giving programs which provide resources to those in need in the DC area. This is not only a commitment to the community, but also a commitment to sustainability and the environment.
“Community Forklift is a wonderful place doing wonderful work. We are happy to help our clients, help this organization and their customers, and help the planet by reusing construction materials. They make it easy for us to do the right thing,” says BOWA VP of Best Practices, Doug Horgan.
Community Forklift can’t do it alone, and, if you’re a builder or home professional, please consider donating your leftover, excess, and discarded building supplies and materials. You can find more information on our donor programs here and contact us about deconstruction on your job sites.
“We find Community Forklift to be a great company to partner with for our renovation projects. They fill a huge need in the market. We would always prefer to deconstruct and recycle useful building materials rather than discard them in landfills, and Community Forklift helps facilitate this.”
Every time you donate or shop at Community Forklift, you’re helping us lift up local communities through reuse. We turn the construction waste stream into a resource stream for communities in the DC region – by keeping perfectly good items out of the landfill, preserving historical materials, providing low-cost building supplies, and creating local green jobs.
