Home Improvement is a big deal! If you’re like most homeowners, your home is your single biggest investment. As a steward of your home’s health and value, you are responsible for making smart, informed choices that will maintain and ultimately increase its worth – in addition to making you and your family happy!
Please follow our home improvement adventures and maybe pick up some useful information that will help you navigate yours.
- Preparing for Spring
The weather shifts weekly, even daily, it seems. Only a few weeks ago, Mother Nature showcased no less than three seasons all in less than seven days – put together. … - Trinity Solar Speaks
Recently I caught up with Lisa Parla of Trinity Solar, one of the esteemed exhibitors of 2023 The Resource Home Trade Show. While I love the idea of solar, I … - How to Finance a New Home or Your Home Renovation or Both
An Interview with Guy Aboutboul of Guaranteed Rate Over the last year plus, the housing market’s conditions of higher interest rates and low inventory have resulted in a conundrum for …Continue reading “How to Finance a New Home or Your Home Renovation or Both”
- From the Archives…A Menagerie of Curiosities Finds a Home in New Jersey
A Collection of Natural Curiosities, Textiles, and Victorian-esque Oddities That Wes Anderson Would Adore. Margot Tenenbaum greeted me at the door, as she so often does when I visit and …Continue reading “From the Archives…A Menagerie of Curiosities Finds a Home in New Jersey”
- That Stunning Garage Reno We Dream Of: An Interview with Maplewood, NJ Resident, Jeremy Frechette
There are two common relationships we have with our garages; one that fulfills its original purpose as a car house, and one that emerges when we former urbanites decide storage … - That Rando Toilet in the Basement; Compiled Musings on the “Pittsburgh Potty”
We thought we’d start the new year with a little levity. Maybe you’ve seen, or even have one of those awkward, kind of creepy freestanding toilets in the basement. And …Continue reading “That Rando Toilet in the Basement; Compiled Musings on the “Pittsburgh Potty””
- Tips on Using the Maplewood Memorial Library Digital Archive
If you are interested in the history of your SOMa NJ home and community, Maplewood Memorial Library has many ways in which to aid historical research. Through generous grants made …Continue reading “Tips on Using the Maplewood Memorial Library Digital Archive”
- How-To: Hazardous Household Waste Disposal (aka Paint!)
Information on how to dispose of hazardous household waste or toxic substances, like household paint, should be very easy to find. I recently set out to help a real estate …Continue reading “How-To: Hazardous Household Waste Disposal (aka Paint!)”
- Researching Your Home’s History
Originally published in this blog in December 2017. Ever Wondered Who Died in Your House? AREN’T YOU JUST A BIT CURIOUS? Researching your home’s history can be rewarding. If you’re … - Trees Do Fall
I love love love trees. In fact, when people talk about being “an ocean person” or “a mountain person”, my answer is “I am a tree person.” So I, like … - Modernizing the Present by Honoring the Past
Originally published in the 2020 Matters Magazine, Home & Hearth Edition. Insights from local professionals on doing right by our homes. Every home has a story. And around South Orange …Continue reading “Modernizing the Present by Honoring the Past”
- Home Renovation COVID-19 Edition: How the Pandemic Shifted My Priorities
Waaaay back in March (can you remember what life was like back then?) I was scheduled to kick off a relatively small scale kitchen renovation over here on Oakview Avenue …Continue reading “Home Renovation COVID-19 Edition: How the Pandemic Shifted My Priorities”
- Considering Our Homes from Quarantine
Mere months ago it was rare for the majority of us to spend 24 hours a day hunkered down in our homes. Prior to COVID-19, our houses acted more like … - Torrential Rainstorm, Flooded Basement & Burned Out Sump Pump
The last week of March brought torrential rain to Maplewood, NJ, so much rain in fact, that at one point on Saturday, our one sump pump burned out. Earlier in …Continue reading “Torrential Rainstorm, Flooded Basement & Burned Out Sump Pump”
- Urbanites in the Suburbs Find Your Green Thumb
Having lived my life in cities with no outdoor space to speak of, an ample backyard in the suburbs presented an unfamiliar yet intriguing canvas. - Nureed Saeed, Interior Design Outside the Lines
A look inside the beautiful, fully reimagined mid-century modern home of Nureed Saeed, one of the top interior designers in New Jersey. - How to Hire Contractor Part Two: How to Plan for a Home Renovation
Dave Kasdan talks about the key factors that all contractors need to understand to manage and successfully complete a project. - How to Hire a Contractor Part One: Ready for Your Kitchen Remodel?
Nicole Sinclair, a project-manager-turned-home-renovator, discusses the highs and lows of home renovation. - Understanding Steam Heat. Simple.
Many homes in South Orange and Maplewood, NJ use steam heat, an outdated but very comfortable heat source is simple to understand, but requires routine attention for proper operation. Steam … - How to Hunt for Flea Market Finds
I have two gallery walls in the parlor of 139 Maplewood Avenue. I often get asked where I found the art that created them. They are nothing fancy, in most cases, … - Four Chairs and a Pot of Annie Sloan Paint
When we bought our first home, my parents gave us their kitchen table, a dark-wood, colonial type.I grew up with that table, just like my kids are – hours of …Continue reading “Four Chairs and a Pot of Annie Sloan Paint”
- A Ballet Barre as Installation Art, A Young Ballerino Finds His Special Place
Natural Elements Meets Industrial Design If you’re Linda Beck of South Orange NJ, you’re at home in natural environs where the simplest of scavenger hunts can turn up the most …Continue reading “A Ballet Barre as Installation Art, A Young Ballerino Finds His Special Place”
- Successful Landscape Design is Child’s Play
When Carla approached me to write about landscape design, I was unsure of an approach. I could discuss Aesthetics, Function, Feel, Grading and Drainage, Privacy, Lighting, Water, Trees/shrubs/Perennials, Native Plants, …Continue reading “Successful Landscape Design is Child’s Play”
- A Bird Nest in a Tree? Yes! In the Attic? Not So Much
For two years, we’ve lived in our Victorian with her sharp angles, steeply pitched roof, and openings so small that only a tiny house sparrow could fly in. In each of those …Continue reading “A Bird Nest in a Tree? Yes! In the Attic? Not So Much”
- An Outdoor Bar Cart for Your Fine Lawn Party and Boozy Needs
GOAL: Makeover a rusty mid-century modern three-tiered shelving unit on two wheels into an elegant outdoor bar cart for my stone patio. On our last moving run from our South …Continue reading “An Outdoor Bar Cart for Your Fine Lawn Party and Boozy Needs”
- Magnetic Chalkboard Wall
GOAL: Create a large chalkboard wall to display the loads of artwork created by my three kids – all at the same time. Admittedly, this is gonna be a difficult … - How to Paint a Bistro Set in Bright Yellow and Blue
GOAL: To paint a bistro set that is peeling and chipping and turn it into a fun and colorful addition to my kid’s outdoor play area. My kids love playing …Continue reading “How to Paint a Bistro Set in Bright Yellow and Blue”
- Building a Garage in Maplewood NJ
Buying a home doesn’t usually involve building a garage. And building a garage is no small feat. It takes planning and hiring the right people to see that it gets … - It’s Not Just a Finished Basement, It’s a Lower Level
Don’t just create a finished basement, create a lower level that discovers new, livable space and increases the value of your home at the same time. “What do you mean …Continue reading “It’s Not Just a Finished Basement, It’s a Lower Level”