Catskills - Sullivan County - Ulster County Real Estate -- Catskill Farms Journal

...we just had our 3rd closing in 30 days, our 6th in 6 months, and our 13th in the past 12 months. I think it's important for many reasons but mostly it's a great contrast to the day in day out economic blues tune we keep hearing. No one building homes - well, we are. No one, selling homes, - well, we are. No one buying homes, - well, don't tell that to our new homeowners who are definitely intelligent enough to read a newspaper and understand the charts, graphs, pie charts and whatnot of all the pundits who have to make a living someway, somehow. James, the smart dorky guy who works for me, had a great point - actually, a real eye opener - one day after the latest job report came out with all the headlines screaming 'most jobs lost since the Great Depression' and then went on to quote the number of jobs lost. James simply observed that there are twice as many people alive now, and probably tens of millions of more total jobs in existence. So to quote the number of jobs lost, really has absolutely zero meaning, and it was at that moment that I stopped thinking the news- even the good outlets with reputations - is nothing but circulation panderers, selling their soul on a daily basis to sell some papers and gain some readers. It was kind of liberating - since now I can take in all the news with a grain of salt - be it the Daily News which makes no effort to hide its purpose, to even the large nationals, with their ultra self-seriousness. I mean, it's unforgivable to print nonsense numbers in bold print, without any context. It's like yelling fire in a theater, in an economic climate like this. So, simply, like I said before, give me freedom from the press so I can go on with my life. Today, without a hitch, we closed on Cottage 14, a house I found on a lonely road in Cochecton, NY - all dilapidated, with a little old lady living inside. With the help of an architect, we moved this, and raised that, add that, etc... and came up with a fantastic design that Jeanne and Deb liked from the start. It's sharp, unique, and complete. Here she is from the side (siding to be painted in the spring). Nice little front porch, leading into the mudroom.

And from the back porch, the living room, or the master bedroom - this is the view out into the naked forest and the 5 acres they own.

Jeanne and Deb, the proud homeowners and neighbors of Pablo and Ana and Rob and Leah.

Red chestnut wide plank yellow pine floors.

And then the focus of the house, the kitchen with cathedral ceiling. I like to call it the Sports Bar, since there is lots of counter space, the drinks are close and we wired for a flat screen up above the windows.

And a couple of fans, and a view up the steps to the two bedrooms and full bath.

Looking down, - I can already picture the activities, drinks, snacks, and mostly, someone tying a rubber band around the kitchen sprayer, so when the other person turns on the sink faucet, the sprayer really gets them good (at least that's what we to each other in our house).

The rolling barn door, low boy radiator and two perfectly placed sconces.

The all important mudroom with bluestone floor, little radiator to dry out the gloves and boots after a romp in the snow... I love the color on the walls, the sharp traditional wainscotting, the quarried floor, the barn door, the big crown molding -

Still in the mudroom with the custom made door and hardward, then the super traditional 5 panel door.

A picture of the upstairs bathroom, below -

And some portrait shots -

The Barn door -

The wainscotting and radiator -

The cast iron farm sink, aka apron sink.

So it was a great house. I think we started August, worked hard at it pretty much everyday and here we are- introducing another family to country living in a house that works. Nice work Ladies - it was a real pleasure.

On a sad news front, our adopted dog, Stormy, passed away yesterday. We adopted her after Gib McKean told us his good friend passed on and his dog was just being neglected, tied up outside Bernie's old house. So we took her, and she was a sweet heart - Lisa really nursed her back to health, and I took her for walks at 5:45am before I went to work, and the first thing I did when I came home. She was real regular and never wasted my time.

So, we feel lucky to have had old stormy, and I think she felt pretty lucky too. See ya next time around, old Storm.

Goodbye Storma Jean,

And it seems to me you lived your life

Like a candle in the wind

Never knowing who to cling to

When the rain set in

And I would have liked to have known you

But I was just a kid

Your candle burned out long before

Your legend ever did

Goodbye Storma Jean

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Because we have so many damn houses under construction, and each of them come with a driveway of varying lengths, and some of them are even on private roads unmaintained by the local Town, I bought myself a plow truck last year, and then realized a plow truck ain't worth squat without a sander to lay down some traction. So then I bought myself a sander - and now Catskill Farms is totally self-sustaining when one of those northeasterners come along. So after each storm I go out plowing and sanding, mostly of my homes I have under construction, but then also for some of the new customers who haven't found just the right plow guy to help them through the storms. So, here's the old 1990 Chevy with plow and sander.

So it's kind of fun, because half the time I stop by a client or two's home and chat and whatnot. Here's a pic of Jeanne and Deb in front of their cool ass fireplace that defines the living/sitting room. I think I snapped this photo during the final walk-thru, just after giving a tutorial on how to work the fireplace (flue closed - bad/ flue open - good). These women built one heck of a house.

Here's Gavin and Emily and Sophie at the start of another day in the country.

And here's Gayle, the owner of Cottage 15, is obviously keeping that new house spic and span.

And then Dean snuck in on Saturday just before the snow storm hit to check out his new pad which is entering the floor sanding and staining phase. Here he is in the kitchen.

And James and me keeping everything rolling in the office. In this picture I am most likely speaking respectfully and politely to some fool or another. Note the new brown pleatless cords.

And the Lisa taking care of our boy in our old farmhouse. Notice how quick he is - camera can't focus in on those high speed legs and arms.

Monday night, and I am at home with the baby because Lisa is at a pilates class. Lucas the cats and the dog totally take advantage of me.

Well, I got a new D-60 Nikon SRL digital camera so I've been snapping away. And this is my flower -

And this is my old adopted dog, Lady Storm -

And this is my Son, Lucas -

And this is Ruby, who was found in a trap/cage in Brooklyn -

And this my plant -

Snow on the way. Currently building 7 houses.

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Icy today. Shitty rain ice. Pretty messy. Here's James - the office is pretty cool - beadboard, red door, red blueprint filing cabinets, nice shelf, etc... He is determined to fit that square peg in that round hole, and in this picture, he almost has it figured out.

And here's the brain center - My desk.

And Mr Deer outside our home, eating some rotten apples from the apple tree before-mentioned.

And my new F-250, with Catskill Farms lettering.

Dean's house sits on 6 pretty fabulous and private acres and he was part of our waiting list last summer. And now, give him 4 weeks and he will be living large in Cottage 13. This pic was taken early in the morning on a day we were expecting some snow.

Here are some shots of the plank walled kitchen we are just about to install.

Here's a picture of Alvin the Tile Man in Dean's large, 2 headed shower arena. If you've seen our tile work, then you know first-hand how talented Alvin is.

He has had every size, type, and quality of tile thrown his way - from Nick's Frank Lloyd Wright's shower, to Gayle's stone, to Gavin's to Davids, ... well, you get the point.

Juan and Joe in the basement making some porch railings.

Upstairs bedroom with 12' ceilings.

We are hoping to close this house in early February and if all goes well, will be our 2nd deal of the new year.

It's a pretty neat house - I loved the exterior shape from the moment I stumbled across it in one of those house plan magazines. I must have looked at 15,000 plans to come up with the 30 houses we thought just might work - if we move this, and tweak this, and raise this, and add a window, and enlarge the bath, and add a door, and move the porch, etc...

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