Online idea exchanges like Pinterest and Houzz are great resources for inspiration. There's so much information on these sites that is easily gathered, collected, and used by clients to create wish lists of images that need to be included in their "dream home". However, as an architect, I feel it is my duty to point out to my clients and all of you: Use with caution! The disparate images served by search terms may represent homes from all over the country -- or even all ove

Back in 1876 Abraham Weston referred to New Jersey as "The Garden State" during the Centennial Exhibition, and the name stuck. If we were to give N.J. a new nickname in 2014, I would nominate "The Low-Maintenance State" as a fairly accurate description, at least as far as our approach to construction. Over the past twenty years the construction industry's methods of building have evolved to incorporate the emerging line of low-maintenance materials that are the result of the

"Looking at it from the outside, its cottage-like appearance makes it hard to imagine that there are 2800 square feet of living space under its gambrel roof. The first floor consists of a living room, kitchen, dining room, mudroom, master suite and office. On the second floor, there are three spacious bedrooms. There are a total of 3½ baths. The detached one-car garage, which has the same siding and rooflines as the main house, brings the old beach house theme all together. I