Since the 1950s, American lawns have been “hooked” on petroleum-based and synthetic chemicals. A plethora of post-war pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers were eagerly embraced by both homeowners and landscape professional…
The months have gone by, but it’s not easy to forget the damage that 2011's brutal weather brought to trees in New Jersey. Tropical Storm Irene swept through the area in late August with 120-mph winds and heavy flooding that snapped lim…
As recently as the 1930’s, only 68 percent of American homes had electricity. By the middle of the last century however, most Americans enjoyed well-lighted homes, and the light had started to spread outdoors as well. Initially, yards a…
As the housing market in many parts of the country has foundered, many developers have taken creative approaches to stanch the outward flow of cash. In many markets, this means opting to convert portions of developments originally inte…
Unless you live in the perfectly utopian condo or co-op (in which case please disclose where), conflict is virtually inevitable. Whether is it a noise complaint or larger issue of governance, disputes between neighbors and board member…
With smartphones dominating the cellular market, people now have Internet access anywhere and everywhere they go. While shopping and “googling” are leading reasons to use the Internet, the rise of social media has changed the way in whi…
The economy cratered—to use a term in popular parlance at that time—in September, 2008, with the collapse of too-big-to-fail Lehman Brothers. While the measures undertaken by the federal government and the Federal Reserve averted complet…
When you’re decorating your home, there are two things you want to bear in mind if you have children. You want to keep the design functional, but safe. After all, anyone who’s ever had, or just looked after, a baby or toddler, can tell …
In an era of tight budgets and growing green consciousness, more co-op and condo communities than ever before are moving toward energy conservation and sustainable resources. For residential buildings in New Jersey, an extraordinary nu…