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

I caught Clark and Andrew (the handsome guys in the center) snooping around Cottage 38 in Stone Ridge a few weeks ago and instead of calling the cops, I sold them the house. Just kidding - they had actually signed up a few weeks prior. Interestingly, this was a brand new process for me, Mr Control Freak. Not only did I not directly sell them this house, it was sold through the tried and true Ulster Cty MLS system - with our team listing it, and another team bringing a client to the house. Clark and Andrew were already familiar with our work, had been looking for a house for a while, and knew the area they wanted to be in - more or less primed to buy a perfect not-so-little cottage on 3 acres with a stream, stone wall, interesting topography and a great little dead end road.

It's a real testament to our management abilities that we are able to build in far flung areas like Stone Ridge and Woodstock and Bearsville and Saugerties. I waited for years to get started in these areas since I figured we would need to be pretty good to get spread out. It's one thing to look good when you are building close to home (also not super easy) it's quite another to look good halfway across the state.

So far, so good. Different building departments, highway departments, electric companies, etc... It's a big job getting to know all the idiosyncrasies of all the parties involved, and building the credibility in the eyes of the authorities, which makes things go better.

It wasn't long ago that this was a newly purchased piece of raw land... then the foundation...

Then the frame...

Then the sheathing...

then the tyvec, fascia, corners, ice and water shield on the roof, windows, etc...

then we got our framing inspection which we passed with flying colors, and now the security guys, the heating guys, the electricians are working away. Oh right, forgot to mention we installed the 350 of underground electric, and the siding starts tomorrow. Ye ha Cowboy. you'd never know we have 8 other houses going at the same time.

Think if you owned a restaurant but you could only put tables on half the floor space, the other half was required to remain open. Of course it makes the prospects of success much less, but also is a bit intrusive. Or if you rented office space, but then you were told you could only use half of it. Maybe Luiz was offended or concerned about the noise, the traffic, or even the parking on a busy day, with deliveries and everything. Or if you bought 100 acres to hunt on, but then Luiz thought at least 50 should be hunt free, so fauna, animals and vegetation could grow unimpeded. Or you bought a nice big king sized bed, but were only allowed to use the half. Or you had an art gallery, but could only hang pictures and paintings on half the walls. Or maybe you renovated Barryville Square, - Maybe half the stores should remain vacant so it didn't look so cluttered with cars. You get the picture. Flexibility is key in business success, since it's so damn hard to succeed to begin with. Take away half that flexibility and you reduce your chance for success by more than half. Luiz should know this - or if he didn't, he could look around or even speak to some real life people to see if what he is advocating has any chance of success. Or maybe that's the whole devious point -by making something economically impossible, you halt all development, homebuilding and progress. Good for open space, very bad for a lot of small businesses and people trying to earn a living. But hey, what's a few lost livelihoods in the quest for 'keeping things pretty'.

Like clockwork, exactly as promised, a few weeks AHEAD of schedule we delivered Farm 17 to Catherine and David. A fascinating conclusion to a very validating journey we took with them. Although conclusion is not nearly accurate since for the most part this is only the middle-age of our relationship with these folks - the home build is finished but the breaking in period and small tweaks are just beginning - it's a glorious realization when you realize your aspirations have been reached. I spent years trying to achieve a level of perfect - arranging the team, rearranging the team, firing, hiring - then one day we had it - we had a team and process that satisfied me and my clients - both very discerning hard to please parties.

This is how it all started last spring sometime - innocently enough. By the way, I'm listening to Madeline Peyroux, a great bluesy singer I like a lot. She's doing a Tom Waits cover, called "The heart of Saturday Night".

"We've been looking for a second home in the Phoenicia/Woodstock area (Ulster County). It's beautiful there, but most of the properties need a lot of work. I've been intrigued by the "new old" concept, and would like to explore Sullivan County and Catskill Farms. "

Catherine""

Intrigued she was and through a thorough process of research and investigation, they feel in love with John's Farm 12 design. It's a simple shaker home with sexy lines and slight overhangs. It's always so extraordinary to me that the deal starts with such a simple start, and is shepherded (is that right?) and guided and counseled through a hundred of confidence inspiring or detracting interactions and explanations. What can I say? We are pros, we believe what we sell - the most dangerous type of salesmen known to history, the true believer. And that tis us.

Basically, people trust us - with very little concrete evidence- to help them transform and transition their lives. It's exhilarating, when we have time to reflect on it. And it happens all the time.

Brand new house with lines and personality like a 1920's flapper, or Confederate bride, or Boston debutante. Little porch over the back door for comfort, screened in porch so no summer party to be interrupted by the elements and insects.

It's the stern verticalness and straight-lines that are really appealing to me with this back elevation. Something about it, unarticulated presently, is a bit like magic to me. It's pure and straight and simple and right on.

Big red goose lamps with the red doors are hot, hot, hot.

The screened porch, with stained ceiling and porch fan - c'mon, seriously, this isn't what perfect is made of? Simple, functional, well-designed, livable.

Inside, the first time I walked in I couldn't quite figure out what was so striking, but it came to me slowly.

The floor color was subtly unlike anything we had used before, and that is enough to define any house's personality.

It's classic, classical, but then you looked around and their was something cool and fresh to contemplate. Be 8' high double back doors, the super wide staircase, the cool not quite reddish floor, the interesting lighting throughout. It's like putting a stamp on the house without losing 3 years of your life trying to do so. Catskill Farms make you look good.

Not to digress, but one of the more frustrating aspects of growing this business, and growing it in the middle of nowhere, is who we have to rely on to get things done. I used to complain about the locals and their 'spite their noses right off their face' routine, like a bad John Prine/Iris Dement song - but it actually turned out that those people were ok and not far off (or far out), but the real surprise was the recent permanent ex-pat transplants with their funny ideas, self-righteous motivations, and secure conviction of their correctness. As someone who has watched the world turn for a few years up here, it's always surprising that those who I thought would be helpful are actually detrimental the area's growth. It's like once you move into the area full-time, you become affected by the bermuda triangle of rural stubborness, close-mindedness and 'urge to improve' all you see.

Seriously, who isn't turned on by our duel barn door set up with black wrought iron hinges and cross buck door design?

A blank slate twas this kitchen until James and Catherine collaborated on a beauty.

4 panel shaker doors, radiators, wide plank floors... Just more of the same genius collaboration. I say it all the time - we are so good at what we do not just because we are a talented team, but also because we are fortunate enough to work with amazingly talented clients, who bring fresh, creative affordable ideas to each project.

This home has 2.5 baths. This is the master bathroom.

Couple funky bedrooms and color schemes. This color below got a lot of self doubt from the owners once it was up, but I like it. It's different, but not obnoxiously so.

Here's the big guest bath, with a vanity with a good story behind.

Nice strong blue in one of the guest bedroom.

Peeking out from the master bathroom into the master bedroom. That's Brian trying to hide from wide angle lens - fat chance. Or as the Navy Seals like to say, 'you can run, but you'll just die tired."

1st floor powder room, lording over the front yard.

Congratulations Ringo and David and Catherine. It really was our privilege to build you Farm 17 .

Luiz Aragon, head of the Planning Division of Sullivan County, only in the community for a few years at most, not even a resident of New York (unless you count the fake apartment above his gallery), and now proposing to TAKE YOUR LAND through a fear-mongering 'don't turn Lumberland into a suburb' zoning initiative. Luiz Aragon states (I can hardly believe it) that most of the land in Lumberland is in private hands, so is at risk of over-building and bad use practices!! Private property bad - government knows best good. After at least 5 conversations with his department and his chief of staff Heather Jacksy where he denied having anything to do with the Lumberland zoning other than technical assistance and facilitation, he now comes out at last in The River Reporter and admits that this aggressive and non-necessary new zoning provision was his idea, and that he supports it in theory, and in relation to Lumberland. What is Conservation Subdivisions? It's when the planning board requires a developer of over 5 lots (or a homeowner with more than 25 acres) to give 50% of the land to 'green space'. FIFTY PERCENT!!. And if you have wetlands, slopes or other non-buildable areas, that land doesn't count so they want MORE THAN 50% of your land. And what is this 'green & open space'? It's shared land - taking your land, and making you share it with your neighbors with trails, homeowners associations, tree counting, and wildlife management. And are these people smart enough to look around and find one example in Sullivan County where this idea was used, or proved profitable? Did Luiz Aragon talk to anyone doing business in Lumberland to see if they thought this was a good idea? Let me ask you something - would Steve, Wendy, John, Daniel, Richard, Bryce, Thom, Justin, Jason, Courtney and Bronson like to share a trail in their backyard with their neighbor? Would they like the expense, politics and administrative burden of a Homeowners association to manage their 'green space'? I think it's exactly what they don't want. And maybe he's never been to the Lumberland Planning Board, so maybe he doesn't understand that neither the planning board nor the applicants will be prepared to handle these complicated zoning programs. It's ludicrous and infuriating that Luiz Aragon thinks he can come into this community and take away our private property, without any real knowledge of the few success stories that exist in this economically downtrodden town. I think it's clear, that if Luiz Aragon is going to mess around with the livelihoods of the existing business community, it's only fair that he gets the same treatment, because while he wants to change 200 year old land use rights, maybe I want to change self-dealing and self-enrichment at the expense of others. As a business person most of you readers trust as a forward-thinking community member, I ask you to boycott the Brookhouse Gallery until Mr Aragon gets real, and stops attempting to harm this community with pie-in-the-sky theories of land use. If you go back and read this blog, you will find zero political posts - but I'm so insulted by his arrogance that has now changed.