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

08/August typically catches us by surprise each year, with the singular mid-august leaf changing color and dropping here and there.  And temps typically dip into the 40's once or twice just to remind us what's around the corner before a standard warm up again.  This time of year, the temps can swing from 40 degrees at night to 80 during the day - it's typically the time of year I lose a ton of clothes as I layer up in the morning, and peel off during the day at the multiple locations I'm need at.  Then I'll see one of my guys wearing it two weeks later and he'll be like, "what, this, naw, my mom got it for me last Christmas.'

NY Times wrote the area up a few time last week -

One article about upstate foodie restaurants which mentioned the Heron in Narrowsburg, and the other about reinventing the old bungalow colonies as getaway coops (with the writer mentioning that no fresh food can be found).  Back when we did our big Selling NY spot, we highlighted the Heron on national television, but they were so embarrassed to be associated with our anti-local establishment politics that they didn't even mention it.  Whatever, history shows us over and over, if it shows us anything, how common and even profitable it is to go with the flow, culturally, politically, etc...  I kinda view that homogeneousness as a prison of sorts, especially around the predictable view points of your typical ex-pat, up-here-awhile New Yorker - considering the success we've had being non-conformist in our business strategies, I can't say I regret giving up a few friends for some out of the box thinking.

Think Different.  Didn't some company brand that?

 I'm super happy for the Heron, and for Narrowsburg in general, a great little success story in Sullivan County, one that definitely benefited from our 100 homes and homeowners.  I always show off that Town when I can, and am super impressed with the longevity of some of those Main Street businesses.  There's not a shop upstate that can compete with our own River Gallery for taste, inventory and service.

The Heron is an interesting case study because it shows how important and tide-changing a restaurant can be to a small main street - it drives traffic, undeniably.  And they succeed because they hit the niche right - the vibe, the food, the location, the prices.  I've said often over the years that business opportunities exist for niche ideas with good follow through and good execution and constant improvement and consistent service.

I think this is the 3rd straight weekend of super awesome weather.

David Cross is shooting a movie up here in Eldred and Liberty.

Pig Mountain next week in Narrowsburg.

Catskill Farms has invested and reinvested $40,000,000 in the area.

5 short weeks ago...

Foundation -

Partial Frame -

Frame -

Tyvek and roof...

Roof on...

Siding on ...

Wayne County Fair with Bryan from Cottage 34.  Oh, and Lucas.

Monster Truck Baby.  With my John Deere cap from last year.  Does my head look small in this photo?

My home...

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Hammering rock and setting the footings at Woods Road in Barryville.

Lots of action at the building lot next door as well, with the windows, siding and roof going up.

Interior shot at Woods Road.

Question - We seem to be getting mildew and even some light mold in our basement.

Suggestion - Weather is hell on a home and even more hell on a home that is not lived in full-time, since the act of living in a home invites air circulation and fresh air into a home.  With super-sealed envelope from our enhanced insulation which results in comparatively low heating and cooling costs comes a side issue of ventilation, or actually lack thereof.

In basements, there is no substitution for a good dehumidifier running all the time - by running all the time I don't actually mean 'running all the time' - I mean being set to a dehumidification level on the machine that provides for it to kick on and off as needed - and these requires 2 things for success - a good dehumidifier and a place to drain the water being sucked out of the air.

A good dehumidifier will run $300+ - you get what you pay for, especially with dehumidification.  Also, you don't want to depend on the internal pump that is supposed to pump the water up (against gravity) and out a window - they don't seem to last for long.  So the drain line out of the dehumidifier should drain into a laundry drain (with the machine elevated) or a hole in the concrete floor of the basement.

It's always good to air out a basement on occasion - so when you are up, open up the doors and windows of the basement and get some good fresh air down there to replace the dank, moisture-ridden, subcavernous, stale air that is naturally lurking in a space like this.  A fan isn't a terrible idea either.

For those homes without basements or with finished basements, the necessity is even more real, since while an unfinished basement will naturally 'leak' some air, a fully finished and lived in basement will prevent some of that passive air leakage, creating a more urgent need for ventilation, and dehumidification.

Hot summer months in a locked up, windowed up, non-air conditioned home are when the humidity can really cause some problems, and there is no real secret to keeping it from happening - and that is adequate dehumidification.