Window replacement projects are a big proposition for any homeowner. Making an educated decision is critical, and any time spent in the planning phase is well worth the investment. This is particularly true if you are researching on beha…

W hen you read this title, did you think that I might be enjoying a little tequila as I wrote? If so, I'm sorry to say that that was not quite the case. But it's probably fair to say that I am drunk on Spain, where I recently spent two w…

You've hustled, sweated, and cajoled to get the pool open by Memorial Day. With all the hard work done, you can kick back and downshift to cruise control until the end of the swim season. Or can you? Unfortunately for property manage…

When Massachusetts lawmakers passed the state's 40B zoning law in 1969, their goal was to increase dramatically the quantity of affordable housing units in the state. Since that time, the legislation has been responsible for a massi…

At the outset, overplanted landscapes and gardens look great. They're lush and full from the get-go, and they make a wonderful first impression. But from that first day onward, an overplanted garden or landscape will evolve from a thing …

It's almost impossible these days to open the daily newspaper and not see an article on the rapid growth of green building, the technique of using sustainable design to build homes with renewable materials used prudently in an effort to …

While we were all busy with other things, LEED came mainstream. No less a source than the Harvard Business Review agreed that green building is good in a June 2006 article by Charles Lockwood, an environmental and real estate consultant.…

When most people hear the term green building, they often think of photovoltaic solar panels, cisterns, wind turbines, or straw bale homes. With these images in mind, it's no wonder that people think green building is a fringe alternativ…

Water, if not removed properly and quickly, causes increasingly more damage during every hour it sits. Left untreated, water damage will ultimately result in mold growth. Water can damage any kind of structure, from sixth-floor apartment…

Once upon a time there was a king who was faced with deciding the fate of one of his peasants. The king called the peasant to his court, and said to the kneeling, shackled peasant, "Your life is in my hands. I can pardon you and grant yo…