A passion for journalism…

is the distinguishing feature of Home Fronts News. On average, our reporters have covered residential architecture, remodeling and interior design for more than thirty years. Work by our writers has regularly appeared in most of the major home and garden publications circulating in northern Virginia, Washington DC, and Suburban Maryland—as well as in such national media staples as Home, House Beautiful, and Southern Living. Not coincidentally, the stories have been frequent recipients of Press Association Awards.

The goal of Home Fronts News is to identify and articulate for the homeowner what makes a local home improvement truly worth knowing about. There are many variables to this. It is understood that a project budget is a consideration for every homeowner; design/build solutions where creativity and contractor knowledge effectively “outperform” the perceived limits of investable dollars are of particular interest.

But the larger mission at HFN is to write for story. We want a narrative that articulates how the owner/contractor collaboration functioned, who did what and what alternative avenues were considered. More importantly: we want the homeowner to discover in detailed account of something his neighbor did insights he can apply to his own home improvment plans.

Certainly Home Fronts News reflects greater Washington’s varied demographics. There are stories about renovations to historic properties and estates. Beaux Art interior design and leading edge post-modernism. But you’ll also find close-to-the-ground reporting on subtle innovative design solutions that have dramatically improved the usefulness of a suburban home without need for an addition. Then there are spotlights on new products. Decorating ideas. Access to informed resources with the best references and performance rating.

In every case, the homeowner is the judge of what has worked and whether expectations have been fulfilled. The contractors and suppliers are sources—subjected to reportorial skepticism and scrutiny. In every case, we study blueprints and design proposals. Ask the questions homeowners want to know. As necessary, get feedback from inspectors, regulators, zoning boards, realtors.

Research that really counts for something is always hard to short circuit—so we prize above all comments that tell us homeowners are regularly reading our stories. It is only when a story has been really absorbed that hearts and minds will follow. As journalists, we take it as a positive that homeowners want to carefully think-through their home improvement decisions. This makes all the difference to personal satisfaction, and to the community itself.