Savings and Sustainability

During many hotel renovations, old furniture winds up in landfills to make room for new items that fit in with a property’s redesign. But The Dover House Resort, a vacation and timeshare condominium complex in Delray Beach, Fla., decided to take a different approach that offered a sustainable solution while also fitting a tight renovation budget.

The resort worked closely with The Refinishing Touch, a company that specializes in refinishing, re-upholstering, and furniture asset management, to complete the project.

“Our budget relied heavily on the need to replace plumbing and electrical fixtures, sleeper sofas, mattresses, flooring, window treatments, and appliances,” says Robyn Rocco, community association manager for Landex Resorts International, the management company that owns The Dover House. “Replacing the case goods, dressers, nightstands, headboards, and end tables wasn’t really necessary. Those particular pieces of furniture were in decent shape, but slightly outdated by the color and fixtures. We were able to achieve an updated look by having them refurbished.”

The refinishing project was done on-site to help minimize the impact on the environment and reduce costs. Dining tables, nightstands, armoires, dressers, built-ins, and headboards were reinvented using non-toxic, odorless, and clean materials with a low amount of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).

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“Overall, we refinished 231 pieces of existing furniture assets, without removing any trees or placing any furniture into the landfill,” says Mario Insenga, founder and president of The Refinishing Touch. “It takes 1,000 times more carbon dioxide to make a new piece of furniture versus refinishing it. A project of this magnitude would have an estimated carbon emission of 52.6344 tons, but our services helped reduce The Dover House Resort’s carbon footprint to only .5207 tons.”

For even more of an environmental impact, The Dover House Resort purchased and used equipment and materials from within the Southeastern United States and utilized local vendors. Fabric used to reupholster headboards and valances and create custom bedding and window treatments was made from a recycled base cloth and then manufactured and printed locally by Resources Inc. Seating groups were purchased from Flexsteel Hospitality, a company that creates FSC-certified frames and uses a bio-based foam made from natural polyol.

The eco-friendly component of the refinishing project was one that fit in with the Dover House Resort’s overall renovation goal. The hotel and timeshare community is applying for LEED credits and Green Lodging certifications and made a significant effort to make green choices throughout the resort update. The Dover House installed mercury vapor light bulbs and water-efficient plumbing fixtures, and is also working on longer-term goals of solar heating for its outdoor pool and installing energy-efficient, water-based heating and cooling systems in each condominium.

“We have had great feedback from the owners,” Rocco says. “They seem to respect our sustainable practices and view it as a way to conserve on the budget while protecting and enhancing their asset.”

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