How many times have you done something like this? Bought a beautiful head of green cabbage at the grocery, intending to make an ultra-healthy meal with it – and ended up throwing it out (and feeling ultra-guilty) because it had grown moldy? You’re not alone. Every day, Americans waste enough food to fill the Rose...

Who would have thought you’d need instructions to change a lightbulb? In less enlightened times, all you had to do was pick the right wattage, screw the bulk into a fixture and flip the switch. But now, brightness is measured in lumens and lightbulbs come in a variety of shapes and hues. They can be more expensive...

What custom home features and amenities are most popular with customers these days? Anything surprising? Some of the more popular amenities that clients are designing into their homes include an extra guest room, a gym, temperature-controlled wine cellars, media entertainment rooms and oversized garages, often...

Ah, spring. It’s the time of year when the birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, the days are longer and, for reasons that defy logic, we feel an urge to clean the house. It is said that the spring cleaning ritual originated in ancient times and may have something to do with our body clocks (think...

We’re not talking about the dangers of being a couch potato. Sofa cushions and many other household products often contain potentially toxic chemicals that can affect your family’s health. A coalition of health and environmental groups have dubbed these chemicals The Hazardous 100+ [Read More

Is there an advantage/disadvantage to hiring a homebuilding firm like Brandywine vs. hiring a building contractor who does nothing but build custom homes? Since our custom home division is staffed by experienced builders, we don’t see any disadvantages.  Where clients might see an advantage is in the cost of...

Good genes may be the reason your late Aunt Emma sported a mouthful of strong, healthy teeth when she died at a ripe old age. Her great teeth might also be due, in part, to the dental products she used. Old-fashioned baking soda, it turns out, is one of the least abrasive of all teeth cleaners. As Dental Designs of...

Are homebuyers drifting away from Facebook? You read about it more and more, people making plans to cut back their time, if not take a full on vacation from one of social media’s biggest platforms. Perhaps it's time to take a step back and truly analyze what’s happening not only with productivity but the...

by: Scott Schang, FindMyWayHome.com With tax season upon us, it’s a good time to talk about the tax benefits of home ownership. 2012 brought a lot of talk of tax credits being taken away from homeowners, but as of this writing there are 5 tax breaks and exemptions that should be considered by anyone that has...

Trends in Customer Homebuilding in Orange County If we are planning to build a custom home, at what point should we involve the custom homebuilder in the process? This is a very personal decision.  Many homeowners purchase their parcel of land or house to be torn down and go through the whole architectural...

Ask a group of people if it’s best to rinse – or simply scrape -- the dishes before loading them into the dishwasher, and you’re likely to get a discussion worthy of the U.N. Council on Foreign Affairs. For the final word, we consulted the American Council for an Energy Efficient America.  That group’s advice...

Tips for Launching a New Community Today By Dave Barisic Vice President of Sales & Marketing Brandywine Homes When partnering with a lender for on a new community launch, what do you want to look for from that lender? What services, products and practices are important to look for from that lender to make your...