Essex Home Improvements has been serving the northern New Jersey area long enough that we have an established (and well earned) reputation as the go-to general contractor of choice for discriminating homeowners. As our many, many satisfied clients can attest to, we deliver more than we promise, achieve superior workmanship using only the highest-quality materials, provide outstanding customer service, and we do it all at an affordable price that our competitors simply cannot match.
We are well-known for our meticulous attention to detail in all of our home improvement projects, whether it is roofing repair and replacement, vinyl siding installation, energy-efficient doors and windows, or any of the other numerous general contracting projects that we have completed for our friends and neighbors in New Jersey.
But in the buzz and excitement that we generate every time we start or finish yet another project, sometimes people tend to forget that we bring that same philosophy of pride and professionalism to our Landscaping Division. Some people express surprise that we, as a successful and reputable general contracting home-improvement company, have expanded our services into landscaping and outdoor planning. To those people who are surprised, we simply reply that it is yet another effort by us to meet all the home improvement and maintenance needs of New Jersians everywhere.
Just as we are a full-service general contractor in the other areas of home improvements, we strive to offer that same level of service, commitment, and convenience to any homeowners or businesses that need professional landscape management and services.
The Importance of Your Lawn and Landscape
The lawn, landscape, and grounds of your property are the first glimpse of your home or place of business that visitors see. Ultimately, their condition is a direct reflection upon you as a homeowner or business owner. If you are a homeowner, your lawn and landscaping will tell your guests much about the pride of ownership that you feel for your home. A neglected lawn or haphazard landscaping can give others a poor opinion of you and greatly detract from the rest of your beautiful home.
If you are a business owner, poorly maintained grounds and landscaping can send the unfortunate message that you are inattentive to those little details that can spell success or failure for business. Just as you dress for success, you should dress your business in success with a well-groomed and well-maintained lawn and a planned landscaping design.
Landscape Management
The professional landscape engineers at Essex Home Improvements will work to ensure the healthy and beautiful growth of your lawn and landscape by creating a regular schedule of cutting, management, and care. This regular schedule will help “train” your lawn and landscape plants and craft a lush environment at your home or place of business. Included in the menu of offered services are tasks such as fertilizing, pruning, seasonal planting and cleanups, and routine inspection of your plants for hazards like diseases or pests.
Landscape Architecture and Design
In addition to the regular care of the existing lawn and plants, Essex Home Improvements is able to completely design, create, build, and install an entire landscape environment at your residence or place of business. Typically, your landscape architect will schedule an initial meeting with you, to assess the existing grounds and space, examine possibilities, listen to your plans and ideas, and ultimately, create a plan with you to maximize the arboreal options you have available.
In this type of service, the possibilities are almost limitless, with the only barriers being the size of your property and the type of plants that are best suited to New Jersey’s weather. Some of the projects that our landscape architects can assist with include:
Walkways and Paths – We can help you create just exactly the perfect walkway or path through or along your garden or landscaping area. We offer to design walkways/paths made from a several types of materials in a wide range of colors and styles – concrete, brick, stepping stones, pavers, flagstones, gravel, wood chips, and even an artificial mulch made from recycled tires.
Each of these materials comes in many different colors and sizes, suitable for creating or matching any desired or existing look. The materials can even be combined in different ways to create a look that is unique to your property.
Patios and Terraces – Patios and terraces have the same material choices as walkways, but this type of hardscape necessitates other considerations. If your home is off of the ground, you may want to install a raised patio or add several levels to your ground-level patio. Many people who do a lot of outdoor entertaining add architectural touches, such as seatwalls, which can be a more interesting way to provide extra seating.
Water and Fire Elements – These are artistic creations that enhance the outdoor experience in your patio or landscaping area. Water elements can include ponds, gazing pools, fountains, and small waterfalls. Fire elements can include fire pits and chimeneas.
Retaining Walls – If the topography of your property is uneven, your landscape architect from Essex Home Improvements may recommend the construction of a retaining wall, to maximize your usable planting space and improve drainage.
Lighting/Nightscaping – This is the addition of strategically-placed lighting to enhance the nighttime enjoyment of your landscaping area. This can be recessed lighting among your shrubbery, it can be lights along your pathway, or it can be artistic lanterns hung in different areas.
Driveways – Most people do not consider that the driveway can and should be part of their landscape design, but those who do find that project to be a welcome and rewarding aspect of the overall landscape appearance. If your landscaping area, patio, or walkways are made of interlocked paving stones or bricks, that look can be extended to encompass the driveway for tied-in look.
A Short Primer on New Jersey Landscaping Plants
We aren’t called the “Garden State” for nothing!
Here in New Jersey, the unique combination of our soil, climate, and weather creates an environment where some plants flourish and thrive better than others. When you are discussing your plans for your lawn, landscaping, or garden with your professional consultant from Essex Home Improvements, keep these plants in mind.
Best Shade/Ornamental Tree: Flowering Dogwood – native to the forest of New Jersey, this tree can eventually reach a mature size of over 30 feet, with a canopy that can be even wider than that. For transplanting purposes, you should know that a 10-year-old tree will be approximately 15 feet tall. The Flowering Dogwood is an excellent choice as an ornamental tree because it is deciduous, meaning that the flowers will fall off seasonally. The tree blooms in mid spring, typically April, producing small flowers that are white, pink, and in some varieties, red. When those flowers later fall off, your copse of trees can create a spectacular floral shower. In autumn, the leaves turn to rich shades of red and purple.
Best Flower/Ground Cover: Common Lily – you simply cannot have a cultivated garden in New Jersey without including the Common Violet, which serves as the Official State Flower. The perennial plant can grow to a height of approximately half a foot, producing petals of violet, blue, and rarely, white or multicolored. The Common Violet blooms in late spring to early summer.
Best Lawn Grass: Kentucky Bluegrass – if you are trying to decide what grass seed to plant for your lawn in New Jersey, you can’t go wrong if you listen to the recommendation of Rutgers University, the state’s largest university. Don’t be fooled by the name, Kentucky Bluegrass is originally from Europe, although almost all varieties used in the United States today are grown in this country. Seed heavily, using up to 3 pounds of seeds for every one thousand square feet of lawn coverage. One major plus is that the seed can be planted any time of year, although spring and autumn are ideal.
As a practical consideration, you should always take into account the eventual potential size of a particular plant, and how long it will take for your plants to reach maturity. Having realistic expectations about the grass, Flowers, shrubbery, and trees that you plan on your property will keep you from being needlessly disappointed or dissatisfied.
Commercial Services
The Landscaping Division of Essex Home Improvements is proud to offer to our commercial clients the same entire menu of services that we offer to our residential clients. In addition, we can provide complete property management of all lawns, shrubbery, plants, and trees.
This is an especially valuable and convenient service for our commercial clients that own or maintain multiple properties. By setting up a regular year-round schedule for all of their lawn and landscaping care and maintenance, these commercial clients ensure the continued health and beauty of the plants on all their properties.
Areas We Serve
We are conveniently located in West Orange, but we happily provide our entire catalog of landscaping and lawn maintenance services to our friends and neighbors who live in the following counties, cities, and surrounding areas.
Bergen County
Bergenfield (07621), Bogota (07603), Carlstadt (07072), Cresskill (07626), Dumont (07628), East Rutherford (07073), Elmwood Park (07407), Emerson (07630), Englewood (07631),
Englewood Cliffs (07632), Fairview (07022), Garfield (07026), Hackensack (07601), Hasbrouck Heights (07604), Haworth (07641), Hillsdale (07642), Leonia (07605), Lodi (07644), Lyndhurst (07071), Maywood (07607), Montvale (07645), Moonachie (07074), New Milford (07646), North Arlington (07031), Oradell (07649), Palisades Park (07662), Paramus (07652), Ridgefield (07657), Ridgefield Park (07660), Ridgewood (07450), River Edge (07661), Rochelle Park (07662), Rutherford (07070), Saddle Brook (07663), Saddle Rivee (07458), Teaneck (07666), Tenafly (07670), Wallington (07057), Washington Twp. (07676), Westwood (07675), Wood Ridge (07075), Wycoff (07481)
Essex County
Belleville (07109), Bloomfield (07003), Caldwell (07006), North Caldwell (07006), West Caldwell (07006), Cedar Grove (07009), Essex Fells (07021),
Fairfield (07004), Glen Ridge (07028), Livingston (07039), Maplewood (07040), Millburn (07041), Montclair (07042), Upper Montclair (07043), Nutley (07110), Roseland (07068), Short Hills (07078), South Orange (07079), Verona (07044), West Orange (07052)
Morris County
Boonton (07005), Cedar Knolls (07927), Chatham (07928), Chester (07930), Denville (07834), Dover (07801), East Hanover (07936), Florham Park (07932), Gillette (07933), Green Village (07935), Harding Twp. (07976), Lake Hiawatha (07034), Lincoln Park (07035), Long Hill (07933), Madison (07940), Mendham (07945), Mine Hill (07803), Montville (07045), Morris Plains (07950), Morristown (07960), Mount Tabor (07878), Mountain Lakes (07046), New Vernon (07976), Parsippany (07054), Pine Brook (07058), Randolph (07869), Rockaway (07866), Stirling (07980), Towaco (07082), Washington (07882), Whippany (07981 and 07999)
HUNTERDON: Raritan Township, Readington, Clinton Township, Lebanon Township, and Tewksbury
Somerset County
Bedminster (07921), Bernardsville (07924), Branchburg (08853), Bridgewater (08807), Far Hills (07931), Gladstone (07934), Green Brook (08812), Hillsborough (08844), Martinsville (08836), Montgomery (08502), North Plainfield (07060, 07062, 07063), Peapack (07977), Raritan (08869), Somerville (08876), Warren (07059), Watchung (07069)
Union County
Berkeley Heights (07922), Cranford (07016), Garwood (07027), Kenilworth (07033), Mountain Side (07092), New Providence (07974), Springfield (07081), Summit (07901), Union (07083), Westfield (07090)
If you live or work in or around any of those communities, we can provide local references of homes and commercial properties that we have worked on in your area, and possibly, even your neighborhood. We strongly encourage you to drive by and see the quality of our work for yourself. If you like what you see, give us a call. If you need any of our outdoor landscaping services but you live outside those counties, give us a call anyway! We are always looking to expand our territory, so perhaps we can work something out.
What to Do First
If your next home improvement project involves your lawn or your landscaping, then there is no time like the present to get started. Call Essex Home Improvements today to schedule your free, no obligation evaluation and quote. No salesperson will call upon you.
It is important to understand that the appointment that you schedule is not a stereotypical “sales call”. In fact, you may consider this a no-pressure consultation. You will be meeting with one of our family members to determine what your current situation is, what your end goal is, and how to get there from here. Your professional landscaping consultant from Essex Home Improvements will take the necessary time to listen to your wishes and give you some options within your budget.
If, after you have heard what we propose, you want to move ahead, we stand ready to make your vision a reality. We have the home improvement experience, the resources, and the manpower to devote the necessary time and effort into managing your project. If you decide our offer isn’t for you, you won’t be in for any pressure or arm-twisting.
As with all of our other general contracting services, those of us here at Essex Home Improvements understand that you have any number of choices when it comes to your outdoor landscaping design, creation, and maintenance needs.
When you choose to take care of those needs, we appreciate the trust you are showing in us. We take that responsibility seriously, and again, as with all of our other general contracting services, we will strive with the best of our ability to ensure that you remain 100% totally satisfied.
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