”… I never expected my case to settle for $1.5 million …
Home. Who doesn’t love the thought of home? It’s where we rest, where we laugh with those we love, and where we share our crazy days with the only people who actually care how those days go for us. For many of us, the thought of home brings us back to our childhood home. That is where life was easier, and maybe a bit happier. That is where we played with our best friend in the backyard and where we had our annual Fourth of July BBQ. It’s also where mom took care of us when we were sick, where dad taught us how to fix things, and where we learned about life.
In that spirit of mom nursing us back to health, we included for you the homemade chicken soup recipe from the mother of our legendary photographer, John Agnello. I now know what I’m making this weekend!
Most of us have moved a handful of times in our lives. I have had 6 places I have called home in my life and, although there have been some rough moments at each of them (such is life), it is the good moments, the good memories that stand out the most.
What I don’t have fond thoughts about is how much work needed to be done on the outside of each house. In this issue, I am making your life a bit easier by bringing you the stories of three companies that can help improve most of the things you want done at your own home. Need your roof, siding, doors, or windows done? Read about RJW Exteriors (they did most of the windows in our house). Garage door not up to par? Check out our story on Precision Garage Door Service. We just had them here because our garage door lets so much cold air in. Looking to change your backyard into the envy of all the neighbors? Then spend some time on our in-depth look into Advanced Pool Care.
Remember, I got your back!
Now go enjoy your home. Make more memories and if you head out front and see me walking by, I would love it if you waved hello. See you soon!
PHILLIP BARONE, PUBLISHER @WAYNELIFESTYLEMAG
ARTICLE BY DON SEAMAN
It might start with someone showing up unannounced on your Ring doorbell.
“Hi! We’re installing some new windows on your neighbor’s house, and I saw that you had some older windows. Have you ever considered…”
A polite “no thank you” probably sends the intrepid salesperson on their way after he’s left his card and a promise of a free estimate if you give them a call. But as you head back inside, you glance toward your cracked, aging driveway, your roof that might be missing a shingle or two, or that stair on the front steps that really needs to be replaced. You go inside and look at the dated kitchen cabinets and begin to plan finishing the basement.
The home improvement idea cascade has begun again.
Let’s face it – as homeowners, we all have things that we’d improve in our house. And thanks to HGTV and YouTube, we might just think we’re capable. Or it’s easy. Or problem-free.
But video lies to us.
We hear about a local college kid looking to make some money over the summer who’s handy. Or your brother-in-law who was just laid off and worked for a contractor once –he can use the cash, right? Or, God Forbid – we decide that a simple trip to Home Depot and some elbow grease can redo that bathroom ourselves.
Then one day, months later, we woke up freezing in that spare bedroom because the furnace went out when the basement flooded after the genius working cutting through the
sheetrock went two inches too far on the left and cut through the main water pipe to the upstairs bathroom. Maybe THIS contractor will call me back today – after all, he said he’d be back “Thursday” after I gave him that deposit. Two months ago.
Well, at least I got the driveway patched up yesterday.
Suddenly, your dog, Darwin, runs back into the house, paws covered in driveway patch residue that started washing away when the water poured out of that old basement window.
Well, at least you can wash him off in that indoor pool you used to call your Man Cave downstairs.
These sorts of nightmares are all too common. Luckily, they’re also avoidable.
The secret is finding companies to work with who have the homeowner in mind. Ones that aren’t predatory, nor flighty, nor illequipped, understaffed, or inexperienced.
To get you started on the right road to getting your home taken care of how it should be – and with peace of mind, we have stories about two home improvement companies that each pride themselves on how they take care of their clients. And each of them has been in business locally for decades.
Maybe the first lesson should be to check your Ring camera before you answer the door. Today’s nightmares don’t always have a clown holding a balloon – these days, it’s a guy in a polo shirt and khakis, a clipboard in his hand, ringing your doorbell.
ARTICLE BY DON SEAMAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY RJW EXTERIORS & PHILLIP BARONE
RJW EXTERIORS GIVES THE WHITE-GLOVE EXPERIENCE YOU (AND YOUR HOME) WILL LOVE
What sort of things come to mind when you think about getting white-glove service? It might conjure up images of an exotic car dealership, private jets whisking you off from private clubs to exclusive luxury resorts, or a world-class, classically trained specialist repairing a priceless Stradivarius. It’s likely to include a butler of some kind.
But it might not be something you’d associate with roofing, siding, or replacement windows and doors.
At least not until now. RJW Exteriors is doing their level best to add that to this list.
The expectation of homeowners when they begin the process of improving or repairing problems in their home is probably dreading the process and hoping for the best. They anticipate it’s going to be a slog, rife with problems and delays from a company that leaves them with more questions than answers.
“Every project we undertake is a custom project,” explains Lucy Casey, Creative Marketing Manager of RJW Exteriors. “It’s all focused on our client from the beginning. Once they call us, we begin the process of visiting with them, designing the project around their specific needs and expectations, and building a team around what they need to have done.”
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“Each home is different, with its own situation. You can’t provide the best service with guesswork and cookie-cutter answers. We’ll look at underlying causes, how the home is built, and what issues each project might face. That’s how we fit the right solution to each home. Something as simple as how the sun hits each part of the house at different times of the day can have a major impact upon the outcome, and what should be done. We use technology at every turn, including 3D renderings of your home. It’s really design backed by science.”
Besides the bespoke project, the best part might just be the knowledge that you won’t be chasing some unreachable contractor that has conflicting schedules and questionable accountability. When you partner with this company, they provide a dedicated project manager to your home that will keep the lines of communication open. The white glove service doesn’t become a white-knuckle experience for an RJW Exteriors client.
“We have a seven-step process with every one of our clients,” according to Casey. “It begins with their call. We’ll schedule a visit to come for a free design consultation before they even become a client. Once they agree to do the work, we prepare them for what’s going to happen and keep them informed throughout the process. We’ll even reach out to their neighbors to let them know what we’ll be doing to make them aware of any noise or distractions that might occur. It’s important to us to ensure a quality experience from beginning to end.”
That beginning doesn’t require an immediate decision as you work with the designers around your kitchen table. Home remodeling projects aren’t an impulse buy. Once they give you an estimate for your project, RJW Exteriors locks in your pricing for a full year, so no matter what market changes that might happen – and let’s face it, inflation is real everywhere - the price won’t change. It’s a guaranteed, sustainable cost.
The goal isn’t to pile up projects and move on. It’s to make sure once a project is completed, the homeowner feels like they’ve had the best possible experience. They’ve made this a goal throughout their nearly 30-year history.
One of their clients gushed about what the process was like for her. “It started with an intelligent and non-pressuring spokesperson. Our project was completed by competent, caring, talented and careful workers. We enjoyed working with everyone in the company. In fact, they made us feel like family.”
Even for family, the white gloves never come off.
RJW Exteriors is based in Lake Hopatcong and serves North Jersey. They can be reached at (862) 263-9733. See more at rjwexteriors.com
ARTICLE
DON SEAMAN
“Doing great work and staying true to your word is very powerful, and customers share that with others.
A FATHER’S
For Doug Bencsko, it was the example he saw while helping his father paint houses when he was a young boy. At around 8 years old, Doug would watch how his father worked, doing the little things that meant so much to his customers. Taking care to prep things properly, explaining the process to homeowners, to call when he said he would. Being successful as a service entrepreneur wasn’t just about doing the work well, it was in building the trust of people to do things right.
Legendary Rutgers baseball coach Fred Hill was Doug’s coach in high school, and the things he learned from Coach Hill helped to instill how success could be built through teamwork. Everyone has a role to play in a winning team, and everyone’s important. These lessons carried on past high school, setting the stage for Doug in his college football career, winning the Division III National Championship with Ithaca College as their starting quarterback during his senior year.
Like many of us, Doug suffered through some nightmares with contractors in his own home. But his went beyond simply bad service or shoddy workmanship.
His experiences included “take the money and run” schemes, petty theft, and a doozy of an invasion of privacy. Having to have the police on speed dial shouldn’t be part of a home service contract.
That’s why Doug sets the bar so high for his company. He knows why trust is so important in business, and that permeates every facet of his leadership. Trust matters. People matter, whether it’s his clients or his colleagues. Those lessons that he learned resonate in everything he does as the owner of Precision Garage Door Service in Pompton Plains.
“From working with my father, I learned when I was very young how to make a customer happy and how that might create another one, because he did a good job and that he could be trusted. Doing great work and staying true to your word is very powerful, and customers share that with others. It becomes your reputation, and that’s everything. That was ingrained in me from childhood,” explains Doug.
“Building trust is simple, starting with calling back when you say you will. You say you’ll call back in the morning, call in the morning. Customers remember when you hold them hostage by not calling when you tell them you will. Trust starts right there.”
“It’s a culture. Everyone just pitches in – there’s no ‘I’ here,” according to Tammy Varga, Sales Support Supervisor at Precision Garage Door Service. “They started this business 24 years ago. Some people have been here for 18 years. They find the right people. When I came here, I told them that I don’t have the background to do what you do. And they told me that ‘I can’t teach you what you have, but I can teach you what you need to know.’ And I came in, and I just said, ‘wow.’”
It's that “wow” moment that’s critical for them. Doug calls it the “Wow Experience.” It’s even in their mission statement. He wants to create that Wow Experience throughout –for their customers, their employees, and even society.
Doug has his franchise involved with Habitat for Humanity. They donate to the Pequannock food bank, are part of fundraisers for people in need, and even hold sweepstakes for people who can nominate neighbors who can’t afford their services to have work done. These are tangible things that help the community that you might not expect from a business like this. But they do it because it’s all about making the right difference and improving lives in extraordinary ways.
“The owners and managers are constantly seeing what they can do better, to make themselves better, to make the atmosphere, the culture better, what they can give back to the people here,” Tammy shares.
“They’re constantly reading, suggesting books for us about how to improve ourselves, sharing self-assessment tests, videos, whatever they can. We’re constantly trying to improve, and not just in our work life. It’s all about going forward. We learn a lot.”
“People think, ‘Oh, it’s just a garage door.’ No. It’s much bigger than that. We treat everyone with respect. We take care of our clients; we want them to feel like VIPs. We call it the 5-Star Experience. Our service separates us and that matters here.”
“It’s not just a garage door company. These are everyday people who are making a living, and what Doug, Dennis, Brandon, and everyone here do to go above and beyond what’s expected of them makes this a very special place. We specialize in garage doors, but it’s human, and that’s what matters.”
Precision Garage Door Service’s office is at 220 West Parkway, Pompton Plains. They can be reached at 866-360-5050. See more at pdsnj.com
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VIBRANT
Come meet our team and learn more about how our resort-like amenities, services, and specialized support inspire bright, carefree days for residents – and peace of mind for families.
Don’t wait! Schedule your personal visit today.
23 MARCH 2024 | CITYLIFESTYLE.COM/WAYNE
CREATING A BACKYARD THAT’S RELAXING AND EXCITING TAKES ADVANCED CARE
What’s the perfect backyard? Maybe a home vacation spot of leisure, an active playground, or an entertainment space for an occasional big bash.
So why couldn’t it be all three?
Picture this: You’re at work, daydreaming about a vacation. An ice cold refreshment, swimming, and pure relaxation. It seems as if the day will never end, but paradise is close. After commuting home, you have your very own tropical oasis right outside your door.
But your kids have other ideas. They break out the pool noodles and cannonball their way into playtime. Before the sun sets, you’ve created a couple more indelible memories.
After gathering your towels, you make sure that everything’s put back and cleaned up – tomorrow night is that big backyard party you’re hosting for some new clients. You make sure that your outdoor OLED TV is ready and the underwater light show is programmed correctly.
The creation of a backyard oasis is a big undertaking, but one filled with opportunity. Thankfully, North Jersey residents are in good hands. Wayne native Anthony Ronchetti, owner of Advanced Pool Care, has built hundreds of pools over nearly two decades and is beyond familiar with the ins and outs of outdoor work at an expert level.
Moreover, Anthony has decades of professional DJ-ing experience to offer, so he knows how to incorporate the party scene into your private hideaway. Whether you’re looking for austere or Vegas, he can help you dial in just the right vibe you’re after.
Look out your back window. Imagineevery summer day can be Christmas morning.
Each project takes about one to two months on average, but timelines vary from yard to yard. Ronchetti is adamant that the aesthetic of the pool matches its surroundings. His company not only focuses on the creation of pools, but also remodels and renovates outdated pools by fully reconstructing them.
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“Someone’s yard starts out like a blank canvas, then it’s a construction site for a few weeks, and then it turns into a beautiful resort.”
In terms of what Advanced Pool Care can do, the possibilities are seemingly infinite. “We can do pools, spas, outdoor kitchens, pavilions, you name it,” Ronchetti notes.
As a father of three, husband and business owner, Ronchetti understands the importance of being able to escape into a private paradise. He created his own backyard oasis a few years ago.
“Every day in the summer I wake up and look at the pool from my window,” Ronchetti adds. “It’s like Christmas morning. My kids love it!”
“There are so many different trends right now when it comes to pools and outdoor entertainment,” Ronchetti explains. “We always make sure it’s what the client wants.”
Although Ronchetti works diligently throughout the year, he still leaves weekends open for family time. He notes that he’s able to manage his passions and maintain success because of his other half - his wife Jenelle.
“My wife is the key player in our family and successes,” Ronchetti explains. “She holds down the home front which allows me to hustle and be successful in my trade, that’s a full-time job on its own.”
Advanced Pool Care is ready to transform your backyard into that little slice of summer heaven you’ve been dreaming about. It’s time to move paradise a little closer to home, with its own DJ-curated playlist...if you’re lucky.
“We can do pools, spas, outdoor kitchens, pavilions, you name it.”
If you’d like to find out more about how to get your own party-capable oasis, Wayne-based Advanced Pool Care can be reached at 973-350-4296. See more at advancedpoolcarenj.com
An old family recipe can be more than something that tastes great. It can warm your soul, make you smile and remind you that you are never truly alone.
Thank you, Mom and Dad, for putting this into my heart - and my sister Carla’s as well.
• 1 pound chicken breast
• 3 liters chicken stock
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or ghee (clarified butter)
• Fresh parsley, chopped
• Sea salt and pepper
BY JOHN AGNELLOdirections:
Step 1. In a large Dutch oven or stockpot, heat olive oil or ghee over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 5-7 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Step 2. Sauté the onion and garlic until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Step 3. Add the chicken stock, carrots, celery, and mushrooms. Cook on high heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
Step 4. Add the chicken, potatoes, and tomatoes. Stir to combine and heat through for 5 minutes.
Step 5. Sprinkle with parsley for a pop of color and freshness.
