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

The architectural landscape of Sullivan County real estate is about to be enhanced once again with the completion of the Carr Farmhouse near Barryville New York. Above photo was taken during the sheetrock polishing phase. What I like about this photo - as the boss - is how clean the house is. Not many things besides actually finishing a job shows the merit of a builder than the cleanness of the job sites. Good for many reasons, not the least being safety and efficiency. The hand hewn beams that were delivered by ol' yeller many months ago stand proudly, separating the fireplace room from the reading room. Sheetrock spackling and polishing is not a romantic trade but is critical to the quality of a home.

Cottage red cedar siding, primed and painted in the factory, being installed rather slowly by the siding crew. I would have liked to see this completed by now, but to be honest, there are lots of things I wish for that I don't get. For instance, a day without being aggravated to the extreme by some nonsense, a little more cash in the bank, or the return of the 34" waistline come to mind as examples. Well, at least I have my health.

This house is going to be sharp - the Carrs have done a fantastic job with not only the design collaboration, but also making decisions in a timely manner. As a whole, the many clients we have collaborated with - Chris and Matthew, Katrina, David, Maurizio, Steve and Christine, Tammy, just to name a few - have not only been amazing in their aesthetic, but also their respect for the process and the deal they struck with Catskill Farms.

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I know I've said this before, but Saturdays are busy. What's more, we are seeing a surge in interest in our homes that exceeds even optimistic projections. Why - I think because we have a good idea, and keep working hard. Tuesday I have a new 'project manager' starting, that I am hoping can help us manage the office and field work of the business. A tall task, but the time has come to hire a overseer of sorts. What's interesting about this time when I sent out feelers for help, the response I got was much more talented than before - and I think the reason is because the building industry is seeing a true slowdown. Since we are busier than ever, we have been able to find talented persons who have been gainfully and happily employed over the last few years, only to see that work dry up. Today was filled with site meetings, with both subcontractors, existing clients who we are building for, and for prospective clients who are scouting the area. Tomorrow the future owner of Cottage 6 is coming up, meeting me at Good Old Things in Scranton PA where we are trying to find a large unique salvaged window to serve as his second floor gateway to his exquisite 6 acre backyard. From there back to the house to decipher a few design ideas before he heads out for a few months to make a movie. Rumor has it next week will be 50 degrees, after 10 days of very cold weather hovering near zero degrees. That may sound good to you, but what it means to me is MUD. Inside the houses, on the tools, on the porches, on the materials, on the boots. It's been a trying winter on our houses. Rain, snow, ice buildup. So far so good, because even though I sit by the phone like the Maytag mechanic, we really don't get many emergency calls. This round of brutal weather has played havoc with people's electronic low heat sensors, but for the most part, our 30 houses around the county seem to be holding up excellently.

New Year's Day and big snow storm passing through. We also had one the other day - which means one thing to me - I get to tool around in my new 1990 Ford dump truck with a snow plow. One would think plowing snow is easy, but it does take some skill (I'm learning). With a couple thousand feet of roads and driveways to keep clear, the payback on this old truck is pretty quick, since a snow plowing for above mentioned amount of drives can reach $500+ per storm. It's a great day for snow storm - and I always think about my customers, hanging out in their houses watching it magically come down, with the fireplace roaring (and arguing about who's going out to get the wood, or who forgot to order it in the first place). I'm sure today is tempered by the fact that most of them need to get back to work. I'm hoping they just wait until morning and let everyone else try to make it home today. It's impossible not to feel foolish your first year up here, when in the middle of January you are calling around for firewood to be delivered. By the 2nd or 3rd year, most people know you need to order it in September to have any chance of getting it delivered timely.

Wow - our first mini-house is really coming along, and the interest in them has been amazing. Small open spaces, lots of land, and small affordable price tags. WE RAGE AGAINST THE MCMANSION.

Below is the gentleman who has signed up to by our first mini-house. Not native born, he is very excited to own the american dream - and even more excited about the huge pottery space in his pimped out basement. Our mini-houses with mini-price tags - a brand new idea in Sullivan County New York. We will finish this house by the end of January, and for those who have been following the adventure - that translates into a 3 month construction period. Yes, you heard it right - 3 months from drawing board to closing table.

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Back from Mexico, 2 hours south of Cancun, in a small gentrifying village of Tulum, in the Yucatan. Pretty spectacular, and the peso is not as demoralizing as the euro. Conceivably, what makes our homes more attractive is many faceted. First, many times the opportunity exists for a collaboration between myself and the new owners, satisfying the craving many people have to design something- what's better to design than something that will be there forever. 2ndly, search high and low and buyers can't find homes that match the architectural uniqueness of our homes. That uniqueness comes from constant experimentation with processes and materials, as well as the unique chemistry between Catskill Farms and the new homeowners, and what each respectively bring to the design phase. 3rdly, we price them right. I am a student of the real estate market, and we neither shoot for the moon with our prices or firesale them. We work hard, efficiently, intelligently, and toss all the savings of our process into the sales price. Show me one construction contract that is structured where the builder pays for everything - no surprises. 4th, we do our best to stand behind our work. Like the local old-timer real estate tycoon Gib McKean has said - 'you can't eliminate the problems from construction, but you have to minimize them, and address them.' Standing behind your work is important anywhere, but up here in the sticks, it's rare to take the responsibility as seriously as we do. 5th, although most of the customers get to enjoy a thorough design and architecture process, they don't have to pay for. I pay for the drawings, and from there we collaborate, free of charge, until the house is finished to customer specifications. It's a $15,000 savings at least, and a true advantage to working with a builder who has good taste (rare.). 6th, I pay for all taxes and interest costs during construction. All in all, a strategy focused on the needs of our clients - they want a house, they want it to be a great house, they want it quick, they do not want the process to take over their lives, and they do not want to pay out the nose for it. That's fine with me - and is seeming to work out well for everyone - since in these trying economic times, we are selling our houses quicker than we can design them. Happy Holidays.