NNY Living Homes Spring 2014

H OMES & NNY L I v Ing

PREMIER PROPERTIES SPRING 2014

Volume 1 No. 2

Create lasting indoor spaces {p. 14}

BUYING

Understand the region’s second home market

GREEN TECH

North country architecture firm designs straw bale home

REMODEL

Add value to property with right investments

HISTORY

Behind the building at historic Boldt Castle

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Thousand Islands Realty, LLC

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>> Inside SPRING 2014 |

ON THE COVER | Traditional details meet free-flowing spaces in a Clayton summer home

by Grater Architects.

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COVER STORY | 14 A PERFECT RETREAT Some people go all out when creating personal spaces that become sanctuaries.

GREEN BUILDING | 10 SUSTAINABLE LIVING A unique straw bale home in Henderson near Lake Ontario is nearing its completion.

BUYER’S MARKET | 7 SECOND HOME MARKET Realtors offer some insight into Northern New York’s lively seasonal home market.

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HOME IMPROVEMENT | 8 A WISE INVESTMENT Simple upgrades with highquality materials are best choices when renovating. |

PRESERVATION | 18 RESTORING A DREAM Go behind the scenes of the nearly 40-year effort to finish Boldt Castle on Heart Island.

SAM GRAY | GRATER ARCHITECTS

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MARKETPLACE Adirondack Design.................................. 11 Angel Rock Cottages ................................ 9 Aubertine and Currier Architects, Engineers and Land Surveyors ................. 7 Bach & Company ...................................... 5 Bayview Shores Real Estate .................... 23 Beardsley Design ..................................... 21 Big Apple Music ......................................... 8 Carthage Federal Savings and Loan ..... 22 Curtis Furniture ......................................... 20 Exit More Real Estate ......................... 12, 13 Grater Architects ..................................... 15 Great Brook Solar .................................... 17 Johnson Lumber ...................................... 16

LP Builders ................................................. 16 Lake Ontario Real Estate ......................... 23 Macar’s ....................................................... 6 Morgia’s Masonry .................................... 16 Peterson’s Painting .................................. 16 RealtyUSA ................................................. 23 Reinmans Department Store .................. 16 River Audio ................................................. 4 SeaComm Federal Credit Union .............. 9 Thousand Islands Realty ........................... 2 T.F. Wright & Sons ..................................... 16 Tug Hill Real Estate ................................... 23 Vintage Doors by YesterYear’s ............... 11 Watertown Savings Bank .................... 3, 24

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Publishers

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MACAR’S 161 Coleman Avenue Watertown • 788-3732

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Macar’s kitchen showroom is one of the most up to date showrooms in Northern New York. Come in to Macar’s and explore unique kitchen displays, featuring the finer woods and door styles.

In The Macar’s showroom, you will be able to view an extensive array of cabinetry styles, woods, stains, glazes, hardware and amenity options. In addition, you’ll find a complete line of countertop and backsplash options, as well as plumbing fixtures,and flooring options from well-known and reliable manufacturers.

Here at Macar’s our goal is to work closely with our clients to determine and create a kitchen that is a reflection of their needs. And we pride ourselves on meeting budget and scheduling requirements. Whether it is a minor refacing and counter top, or a complete “to the studs” remodel.

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BUYER’S MARKET

Understand the second home market

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a loan for a primary home is usually government backed and has more stringent requirements, while the market for second home loans is more liquid.

A second challenge noted Lance Evans is the appraisal process if the buyer is getting a loan. In some areas, it is hard to find comparable properties that fit the criteria an appraiser needs. This makes it harder to prove the value of the property.

New flood insurance regulations are a more recent challenge, according to Amanda Miller, Lake Ontario Realty. In July 2012, the Congress passed the Biggert-Waters Law which changed the way premiums are charged. In addition, the Federal Emergency Management Administration recently completed an update of flood maps that increased the flood plains in many areas, including ours. Since many sellers of sec-

ond homes are mortgage free, they may not be aware that their properties will require flood insurance when transferred. In MidMarch, Congress passed, and the president signed, a bill to limit the increases in the law to 18 percent to 25 percent annually on second homes plus an assessment on policies that will sunset when everyone pays full cost for flood insurance.

Finally, Cathy Garlock, Garlock Realty, notes that when looking for seasonal properties, especially waterfront, that there are usually fewer properties available based on the needs of the buyer needs. Buyers are usually very specific to a location and sometimes you have to wait and watch for that specific property that they desire to come on the market.

In the next issue, I will explore the advice Realtors give buyers of second homes, the best time of year to look for a second home, and reasons our area is popular with seasonal home buyers. n LANCE M. EVANS is the executive officer of the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors and the St. Lawrence County Board of Realtors. He has lived in Northern New York since 1985. Contact him at levans@nnymls.com.

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ith spring’s arrival after a long winter, we are beginning to see the return of “snow birds.” This is also a good time to check in on the seasonal or second home market. A common misconception is that this only includes cottages along the rivers and lakes in our area. However, as you will see, our region’s seasonal market goes all year.

I asked a group of Realtors from the Jefferson-Lewis and St. Lawrence County boards of Realtors for their input on five questions when working with a buyer in the second home market. In this issue, I will cover the first two questions and in the next issue, I will cover the other three.

My first question was “What are the top things the buyer is looking for and how is this different from someone who wants a primary residence?”

Kate Couch, Exit More Real Estate, summed it up, telling me that “Buyers of second homes are much more interested in the view, location — especially accessibility from highways and airports and local communities — availability of docks or water sports, and whether the property is or could become a year-round property. These buyers are not as worried about school districts and neighborhoods. Many have spent time in a specific area and are looking for a place ‘of their own,’ instead of sharing with family.”

Karen Peebles, Peebles Realty, added that sunsets are also very important to many buyers. Several noted that resale value is less important.

Elizabeth Miller, Century 21 Gentry Realty, a Boonville Realtor, works with buyers who are interested in land for snowmobiling and four-wheeling. Their needs include acreage and a rustic feel.

Adding to this, James LaValley, LaValley Real Estate, mentioned that buyers looking at properties in the Adirondacks usually focus on a “campy” feel, while in the St. Lawrence Valley they are more focused on “finished” properties.

My second question was “Do second home buyers face different challenges from a buyer looking at a primary residence? If so, what are they?”

Maxine Quigg, Exit More Real Estate, said financing can be a challenge as some lenders won’t issue loans for seasonal residences, down payments are higher, and sometimes interest rates are higher than owner-occupied homes. In fact, several Realtors noted that the loans usually require 20 percent down. However, Mr. LaValley added that

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HOME IMPROVEMENT

JASON HUNTER | NNY LIVING HOMES

Triple A Building Center employee Randy R. Richards shows Castlerock Paneling to a customer in Massena.

Add value to your property Simplicity, quality materials net big return

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NNY Living Homes

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hinking about installing a garden tub in the bathroom? Forget about it.

Contemplating turning the garage into additional living space? Don’t bother.

When renovating a home, or building a new one, local contractors and real estate agents would agree: make simple upgrades with high-quality materials.

“What most of our customers are looking for is a low-maintenance home,” Brandon J. Cavellier, of Extreme Builders Inc., said.

“People want to enjoy their home, not spend all of their time taking care of it.”

Mr. Cavellier said that in his experience at Extreme Builders, interest in new home building has increased in the last two years.

He said that the Watertown-based firm takes on more than two dozen projects a year, many of which are new home builds or major renovation projects. “[Interest in new building] I think has increased because people in this area that have lived in the same home for years have built up equity in their home,” he said.

“Instead of taking that equity and putting it back into their old homes, they’re putting it into new homes where they have nothing to worry about, everything is new and

done the way they want.”

Having quality products in a home, especially a newly built home, is important to Mr. Cavellier’s customers. He noted that he has seen increasing interest in customers looking for upgraded windows and siding and looking at superior options for flooring.

“We are still doing a lot of stainless steel appliances and granite countertops,” he said. “A good amount of people are going with higher-end laminate flooring too, in addition to traditional hardwood flooring.

We are probably doing about 50 percent laminate and 50 percent hardwood now.”

Appointments such as granite countertops and hardwood flooring are driving sales at north country building centers as well. At Triple A Building Centers in Canton, Potsdam and Massena, Marketing Director John D. Schneider said that trends in purchasing follow what customers see on television.

“The current trends that people are seeing, like granite countertops, even concrete countertops and tile, are in demand,” Mr. Schneider said. “There seems to be more interest in lighting, more decor. Of course, our kitchen and bath sales have been moderate to strong.”

Mr. Schneider said that, as of late, there has been a renewed demand from customers looking for products to renovate the

SPRI NG 2014 | NNY L IVING H OMES & PR EMIE R PROPERTIES

homes they have lived in for several years.

The materials that Triple A offers for home remodels are selling swiftly.

“We are starting to see business pick up and we are pinning that on the fact that it’s pent up demand,” Mr. Schneider said, referring to the downturn in the economy and housing market when homeowners might not have had extra cash to spend on home renovations.

Mr. Schneider said that lumber sales are always strong in his stores. Kitchen and bath renovations remain popular, because they are where people “add more value, there is more bang for your buck,” he said.

Although, is that true? Does having a well-maintained kitchen and bath help with resale value?

If you ask Realtor Roger L. Abbey, owner and principal broker of Good Morning Realty in Lowville, the answer is “yes.”

However, kitchen and baths are not the only answers to getting money in a resale.

“Buyers are looking for homes that are in good condition, that don’t have a lot of repair items,” Mr. Abbey said. “More so because the investment money is a little tighter than it was before, at least that’s my take on it.”

Mr. Abbey stressed the importance of having furnishings, fixtures and floor plans that are appropriate for a certain home.

“If you have a $100,000 home and you’re thinking of putting in a Jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom, that’s not going to make you extra money in resale,” he said. “Sometimes people think they’ll get more out of the improvements, but they should consider what the home is. If you want more value for your dollar, you should sell that house and move yourself up to one where you’d expect to find the improvements you want.”

Mr. Abbey noted that there are certain mainstays in a home, like a garage space, that most buyers expect.

“Finishing off [the interior of] a garage I don’t think adds that much value,” he said. “I like, personally, having a little extra money spent on garage doors, something with windows and style to make it pop.

Even adding sconces on the outside of the garage kicks it up a notch.”

Mr. Abbey, who has been a real estate broker since 1975, said that the market currently demands at least two bedrooms and bathrooms in a home. Unless a home is large enough, in terms of square-footage, adding bedrooms won’t bring a return on investment. Even in large homes, more than four bedrooms are a bit excessive for the current marketplace and demand for homes with four or more bedrooms is low, he said.

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GREEN BUILDING

Peak sustainable living Unique straw bale house talkes shape in Henderson

By LEAH BULETTI

M

NNY Living Homes

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elanie D. O’Brien, originally of Staten Island, acknowledges that both she and her husband Robert M., “by our nature think very long-term.”

Coupled with the pair’s environmental consciousness and intrepid spirit, it’s a patience that will serve them well as they reap the energy savings on what could be the north country’s first ever straw-bale home on Route 3 in Henderson, which they plan to start building this spring.

That’s straw, not to be confused with livestock-edible hay, and lots of it. Five hundred, 18-inch thick by 14-by-36 bales of straw, to be exact.

“Straw is basically rot resistant, insect resistant, moisture resistant,” said Brian A. Jones, one of two architects at Aubertine and Currier Architects, Engineers and Land Surveyors, Watertown, who have spent the past three months designing the house for the O’Briens, researching innovative techniques and soliciting their input on aesthetics.

Straw bale houses are popular in drier climates particularly in California and the Southwest. In the north country’s wetter climate, the design required careful position of the straw bales above the floor, insulation that the designers say is likely to slash heating costs at least in half. Straw will rot if left directly in water for extended periods of time.

“We want to make sure that we’re careful we have plenty of distance from any water sources outside the building and inside,” Mr. Jones said.

“We’ve never seen it done this way— we’re trying something new,” he added of the design. “But we feel pretty strong about it.”

Straw bales prevent thermal bridging that can occur in traditional walls, eliminating the loss of heat and doubling its efficiency according to building code, Mr. Jones said.

Next year, building code will require a layer of insulation on the outside to prevent thermal bridging, he said.

“We will see it be required on a smaller scale, so we’re ahead of the game,” he said.

“There’s a reason why the code is following

RENDERINGS COURTESY AUBERTINE AND CURRIER

Aubertine and Currier Architects, Engineers and Land Surveyors has designed a unique straw bale home in Henderson with a variety of other sustainable features as well. Straw bale insulation dramatically cuts heating costs.

sustainable principles.”

Straw bale homes also have excellent acoustic properties and aesthetics—the deep walls allow for creative interior design, textured finishes or even artistic Plexiglass windows into the straw. The straw bales will allow the house’s structure to be constructed with 2-by-4s rather than the traditional 2-by6s, which could also lead to savings, according to Stephen W. Curtis, an architectural designer who also worked on the project and has experience constructing compressed earth block houses in the Midwest.

Mr. Jones said it’s difficult to make any cost estimate yet on the roughly 1,600-square-foot house, but he doesn’t believe it will be that much more expensive than a traditional one, especially coupled with substantial energy savings; the house won’t use any fossil fuels other than electricity. The hay bales will be purchased for $5 each from LaFargeville farmer, for a total likely half the typical cost of insulation.

“This house is going to be so efficient that they’re almost going to be able to heat the thing with a candle,” he said. “It’s going to be extremely efficient.”

The design includes a number of other cost saving features: an orientation such that the clearstory windows catch maximal southern sunlight; a main living space on

the southern side with concrete floors and large windows to absorb the sun during the day and radiate it out at night; large overhangs to prevent the sun from overheating the space in the summer; a wood masonry stove to generate the majority of the heat in the winter that the couple hope to eventually feed with biomass; and pre-finished metal siding and roofing to effectively negate replacement or upkeep costs.

“Now what I’m trying to convince people to think about more is long-term costs like maintenance costs, energy efficiency costs,” Mr. Jones said of the changing mindset of homeowners as energy costs go up. If efficient energy and insulation systems add $50,000 to the cost of a house but the payback period is eight to 10 years, “it’s well worth doing that if you’re going to be in the house for the rest of your life.”

The O’Briens, who are staying with family in the north country while they design and build the house, wanted a “very open, very communal” space, which Aubertine and Currier designed through spaces that look down on others.

“It feels bigger than it really is,” Mr. Jones said. “We’re trying to be as fun as we could with the space.”

All houses that the firm designs incorporate some aspects of sustainable design,

LEAH BULETTI is a Johnson Newspapers staffer. Contact her at lbuletti@wdt.net

SPRI NG 2014 | NNY L IVING H OMES & PR EMIE R PROPERTIES

but straw bale houses and tire houses, including one the firm designed in Lorraine that the owners have been working on since 2010, are the “next level of sustainability,” Mr. Jones said.

Aubertine and Currier hopes to be the contractor for the straw bale project and hire its own subcontractors; green building projects are usually labor intensive and while owners typically want to do much of the building themselves, they still need some expertise and help, he said.

Mrs. O’Brien said they plan to hire out work like the foundation and plumbing and install the bales and inside earthen plaster themselves.

“We toyed with the idea of doing it all ourselves, that works for a lot of people in natural building,” she said. “But we have zero skills when it comes to building.”

She and her husband met at SUNY Purchase where they both studied the arts and where she said they found a community of creative people motivated to “design their own lives.”

“I’ve never formally studied it, but for years and years I’ve had an interest in permaculture, natural building and gentler systems of living,” she said.

She first got the straw bale idea 10 years ago on a trip to Ireland when she and her husband stayed in a “very beautiful, very simple” straw bale farmhouse.

“Environmental concerns are one of the foremost considerations in our minds, but practical considerations are also very big for us,” she said, noting that the house “doesn’t sacrifice modern comforts and doesn’t look unconventional.”

“It was important to us that it could be a bridge between the worlds of natural, ecological and the world that doesn’t already do things that way,” she said. “Here in the middle is something that can satisfy the needs of both and I’m excited about.”

The straw bale “homestead” on the 10-acre wooded property will be home to the couple and their 2 1/2 year-old son, Asher H. H. O’Brien, and, she said, of course thinking for the future, represents a “long-term settling down.”

“It’s a big enough plot of land that we’re thinking maybe one day our parents could live in it,” she said. Though some would prefer a water view, they love the trees.

“It’s not everyone’s ideal, but for us it’s our ideal spot.”

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AMANDA MORRISON | NNY LIVING HOMES

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Clayton resident Audie Cerow’s man cave. He built the personal space, outfitted with Toronto Maple Leaf’s regalia, about 11 years ago when he finished the top story of the garage on his secluded waterfront property in the Windward Cliffs neighborhood. Mr. Cerow says he doesn’t spend nearly enough time in his cave.

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A space of your own

Some go all out when creating personal retreats

By LEAH BULETTI

T

NNY Living Homes

he first rule of the man cave: it can’t be too clean.

“Man and cave. What’s clean about either of those two words?” Clayton resident Audie Cerow asked on a recent tour of his man cave. “There’s nothing wrong with a little dirt.”

For the uninitiated, man caves are some variation of garage, spare bedroom, den or basement, specially equipped with stereos, large TVs, video games and other entertainment deemed manly and, quite

often, capable of impressing friends and guests one might invite to it for parties.

Mr. Cerow’s man cave, which he decided to build about 10 years ago when he made the decision to finish the top story of the garage on his secluded waterfront property in the wooded Windward Cliffs, appears at first glance to violate the first rule — it’s neatly organized down to folded blankets on the couches and nearly immaculate.

Mr. Cerow disagrees, pointing out barely noticeable cobwebs that hang from the rafters of the roughly 600-square-foot sanctuary, which has a loft with a bed and full-bathroom.

“My wife doesn’t clean up here,” he says. “It’s mine.” If she did, the space would look different in subtle, yet, in his view, important ways. “The pictures would be hung differently,” for example, he says. It might look too much like the house, and that would defeat what the man cave stands for: escape, refuge, indulgence in masculine hobbies free from what can be the prying or judgmental eyes of women.

Exclusivity might be the second rule of the man cave. Mr. Cerow’s wife and two grown daughters all do, in fact, come up to the man cave for specific events or parties.

COVER STORY “Women aren’t discouraged, but it’s definitely more of a man cave than a woman’s cave,” he explains.

That’s where the “refuge” function comes in.

“She enjoys that I can come up here if I’m bothering her,” Mr. Cerow says when asked if his wife had any objections to the cave. The house can feel much more like her space at times, so the cave is “a place to go if she nags; she mostly stays away,” he says.

And, of course, it’s a place to relax.

“It takes you away from regular life,” Mr. Cerow said. “It’s nice to put your feet

‘‘

The space itself is one thing. The theme and the things in it are what make it.

— Audie Cerow, man cave dweller

season, all unused because of the lockout.

“The space itself is one thing. The theme and the things in it are what make it,” Mr. Cerow explains, adding that other Maple Leaf fans would be “dazzled” by his collection.

He acknowledges that this ability to

AMANDA MORRISON | NNY LIVING HOMES

impress through his immediately apparent devotion to the Leafs is part of the cave’s function.

“I do like bringing people up here,” he says. “I feel like I have a story to tell.”

He also says the space is pretty unique among his friends, who appreciate be-

AMANDA MORRISON | NNY LIVING

SPRI NG 2014 | NNY L IVING H OMES & PR EMIE R PROPERTIES

up, crank up the music and just be in your own space.”

Despite speaking of his man cave with a certain hushed reverence, Mr. Cerow says he doesn’t spend “nearly enough” time reveling in its amenities, which are substantial: flat screen TV, stereo system, bar (cold beer is vital to the man cave, he notes), vintage shuffleboard bowling, two couches, wood stove, various games. He estimates that he only spends four to five hours a month inside it.

But it’s not the amenities that make the cave what it is. Mr. Cerow describes himself in three words: laid back, devoted and fanatical for hockey. The cave, as most man caves do, reflects to a tee these characteristics, most notably with its huge repository of memorabilia of Mr. Cerow’s team — the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The first object that greets a visitor to the cave is a coat rack made from intertwined hockey sticks. The walls are lined with Maple Leaf photographs, each of which has its own story, one of which shows Mr. Cerow at a dinner celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Maple Leafs winning the Stanley Cup — one of the highlights of his life because “all of my heroes were there,” he says. The TV is perpetually set to a game. And there’s Mr. Cerow’s most treasured object in the cave: a complete set of tickets from the 2004-05

The main area of Mr. Cerow’s man cave seen from the loft.

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COVER STORY ing able to use it. His other competition comes from the so-called “BartInn” in Clayton, a man cave in a garage boasting three TVs and a more “rustic feel,” Mr. Cerow says. The BartInn has a different theme, however. They’re more into NASCAR and hold a big Super Bowl party each year, so despite what he calls a “friendly rivalry,” Mr. Cerow’s Maple Leaf niche has pretty safely inoculated him from home-turf competition.

And all of this didn’t come with too daunting a price tag, he says. In part because his brother-in-law was out of work at the time and helped with construction, Mr. Cerow says it was “pretty affordable,” putting the price tag at about $10,000.

Mr. Cerow recently had a new Sonos sound system consisting of two new speakers installed in his house, enabling sound to be controlled wirelessly from any location using an iPad. The system will be used to control sound in the man cave, according to Dan Throop of River Audio, who did the installation and opened a new store in Clayton in June.

“The beauty is that you can pick up the speakers and install them wherever you want, you just plug them in and you’re

AMANDA MORRISON | NNY LIVING HOMES

The fully equipped bar area of Mr. Cerow’s man cave seen from the loft.

done,” Mr. Throop said.

The Sonos technology is not new, but is just becoming known in the north country, Mr. Throop said. While he has not yet completed any installations in man caves, Mr. Throop said he could “certainly see it catching on in” in these spaces.

PV Solar Energy Solar Hot Water Geothermal Wind/Turbine Energy

Please see SPACES, page 23

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Types of Renewable Energy

Rob Murphy, store manager of Installations Unlimited, North Syracuse, said that he’s been hearing the term man cave used less and less in recent years.

“We used to do a lot of bar and base-

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AMANDA MORRISON | NNY LIVING HOMES

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Abobe, an image of the main staircase prior to restoration is held in comparison with the completed staircase. Below, the exterior of Boldt Castle.

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RESTORING A DREAM

Boldt Castle continues to inspire, challenge

By GABRIELLE HOVENDON

I

NNY Living Homes

t was 1977, and the picture was bleak.

Boldt Castle had just been given to the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority by the Edward John Noble foundation, which had itself purchased the property from millionaire George C. Boldt’s children. New York State had already declined the property, saying it would be too much work to repair and maintain, and the castle had been sitting empty and unfinished ever since being abandoned after the death of George Boldt’s wife in 1904. Vandals had defaced much of the interior with graffiti, and the original stone structures were crumbling or gutted by fire.

Fast-forward to the present day. In the 37 years since it changed hands, Boldt Castle has attracted more than six million visitors and become a popular site for weddings, school groups and special events. The outlying structures, including a yacht house, dovecote, gazebo and children’s playhouse, have been re-

stored to George Boldt’s original vision, and many of the rooms inside the castle have been transformed as well.

“It’s been a resounding success,” said Shane K. Sanford,

HISTORIC RESTORATION

AMANDA MORRISON | NNY LIVING HOMES

Visitors stare at and photograph the glass dome above Boldt Castle’s main staircase. The dome was one of the more extensive projects in recent years.

prevent against further deterioration.

“In the case of Boldt Castle, preserving would not necessarily help the economy.

It wouldn’t give a place for tourists to come to visit,” said Edward G. Olley Jr., principal and director of business development at GYMO Architecture, Engineering & Land Surveying. “To preserve is not always economically feasible.”

To help the architects draw lines between restoration and preservation, extensive research was conducted in area libraries and historical societies to determine how the castle would have appeared when it was abandoned in 1904 and how it might have looked if it had been fully completed.

Architects also consulted drawings in the Library of Congress, old photographs and studies of the castle and even the original property manager’s correspondence, found in boxes in the yacht house. At the turn of the century, the Thousand Islands region had been a major destination spot for the nouveau riche of New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, so those cities’ newspapers often printed information about projects like Boldt Castle in their society pages.

“You try to get as much information as you can before you step on the site,” said Rick W. Tague, president at Bernier, Carr & Associates. “Postcards are a huge resource, especially for an area like this.

You would have these wonderful souvenir guides that had pictures of each island, and of course Boldt Castle was a big one.”

After conducting research, workers visited the site and began an inventory of existing conditions and materials on Heart Island. Many items were found scattered throughout Boldt Castle — a door in one crate, its molding in another, and its doorknobs and hinges in a third — but many more still were missing. Experts also conducted meticulous evaluations of the buildings, taking underwater photographs of the powerhouse’s foundations and literally rappelling down the sides of the children’s playhouse to examine every inch for structural deterioration.

When the evaluations were done, the next step was stabilization. The first few years of the castle’s operation were devoted to making the property safe enough to allow continued visitation, as some of the

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director of Boldt facilities, operations and maintenance. “It certainly has had a marked impact on the region’s tourism industry, and it’s been a tremendous asset to the Thousand Islands.”

The business of achieving that success was and continues to be an involved one.

In the case of Boldt Castle, historic renovation and preservation has been going on for more than three decades at the cost of millions of dollars. Experts in everything from masonry and plasterwork to stained glass and steel have been consulted, and countless hours have gone into the unusual task of rehabilitating a structure that was never finished in the first place.

In 1977, one of the first tasks was to decide which parts of the castle would be preserved — maintained in their current condition — and which would be restored or brought back to their condition at a certain point in history. For example, restoration of an original decorative terra cotta detail might involve recasting it or filling in missing chunks; preservation would entail keeping it in its current damaged state and perhaps adding a sealer to

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HISTORIC RESTORATION

AMANDA MORRISON | NNY LIVING HOMES

Visitors walk through an unrestored room at the castle that houses George Boldt’s blueprints and maps.

structures had deteriorated to such a point that they were public safety hazards. Concessions to tourism also had to be made: Workers rebuilt water and sewage systems, restored and stabilized masonry and added new walkways, sprinkler systems, restrooms and handicapped accessibility.

Among the first big projects to be tackled

on Heart Island were the dovecote, the gazebo and the powerhouse on the east end of the island, all of which had once been completed but since fallen into disrepair.

“One thing that I’m most proud of is the restoration of the powerhouse,” said Stephen W. Yaussi, a founding partner of GYMO. “It was a total ruin, just some

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masonry walls still standing. We had to research and rebuild that. It’s got half a dozen turrets and towers and unique framing. It was a challenge to restore.”

In the late 1990s, work moved to the interior of the castle, where it was not unusual for a single room to cost $200,000.

The level of detail required in historic restoration can be seen in notes on GYMO’s architectural drawings from that time: “Solid brass, lacquered, newel post light fixture as manufactured by Victorian light crafters,” “Remove rust, scale, grease, dirt, and moisture,” “Carefully remove rusting copper base flashing and perimeters.

Salvage existing copper counter flashing.”

“To do the restoration of the ballroom, for example, we would first go in and do a physical inspection of the room and determine what structural work and maintenance and repairs were going to be required,” Mr. Olley said. “It’s an amazing structure; there aren’t those types of craftsmen around much anymore. It’s a lost art.”

In a building like Boldt Castle, the sheer magnitude is daunting. Construction of the original six-story, 120-room castle employed some 300 workers and included tunnels, Italian gardens, a drawbridge and a playhouse with 150 windows of its own. The castle’s main hallway contains 1,100 square feet of marble flooring; the grand staircase is made of 10,000 pounds of Georgia white marble.

Luckily for workers, much of the castle’s construction had been finished by the time it was abandoned in 1904. The powerhouse, dovecote, yacht house and children’s playhouse were all completed; the plumbing, wiring, central heating system and boiler had been installed, and a significant amount of plasterwork and woodwork had been finished.

But that still left a reception room, billiards room, dining room, ballroom, entry arch and countless other spaces. An elevator had been built, but it lacked a passenger cab. Space for a stained glass dome sported iron framework but no glass. The veranda had once been completed but had since fallen in, and the terra cotta balustrades were almost entirely gone.

As Mr. Sanford succinctly put it: “The castle has 348 windows, none of which existed in 1977.”

Over the years, a variety of architectural firms have played a part in the restoration and preservation efforts. Watertownbased Aubertine and Currier Architects, Engineers and Land Surveyors installed a customized lighting system for the swan

HISTORIC RESTORATION Other notable restorations n A complete renovation and restoration of Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library, 229 Washington St., Watertown, was completed

by Bernier, Carr & Associates in December 2007. Work was divided between renovation of the 1975 addition, including the children’s section, charge desk, offices and restrooms, and restoration of the original 1904 library with a focus on decorative interior elements such as paintings, murals, marble, stained glass, floors and woodwork. The total construction cost was $1.47 million. n Watertown’s Jefferson County Historic Courthouse underwent $1.49 million in work by Bernier, Carr. Work concluded in March 2008 and involved exterior restoration as well as creative reuse of the interior: adding an elevator, adapting the former courtroom and other spaces for use by county legislators and administrators and introducing up-to-date mechanical, electrical and communications systems. The project was funded in part through a state Environmental Protection Fund Municipal Grant and won Central New York and New York State American Public Works Association awards for Historic Preservation Project of the Year.

was completed. Work also continues on the children’s playhouse, where a steel seawall has been added to keep water from penetrating the foundation and sweeping away soil.

“We offer our visitors a pretty significant improvement every year,” Mr. Sanford said. “We have so many projects; we won’t be running out of the ability to offer the public a new room each year.”

In the end, how many more years of work remain at Boldt Castle?

“How many millions of dollars do you want to donate?” asked Mr. Olley. “To be

what it was intended to be, I would guess it would take $50 million.”

But if you ask someone involved with the restoration if it was worth it, they won’t hesitate.

“It has a good story. It’s an important piece of the Thousand Islands,” said Mr. Tague. “To me it’s all interesting, trying to understand the story of the building.” n GABRIELLE HOVENDON is a former Watertown Daily Times reporter and freelance writer who lives in Watertown. Contact her at ghovendon@gmail.com.

n A restoration and adaptive reuse of Carthage’s landmark Buckley Building was conducted between 2005 and 2010 by GYMO. In addition to extensive repairs to and stabilization of the collapsing façade, the building was repurposed from its original function as a bank into retail space 14 apartment units.

pond, for example, while a Baltimorebased firm called Hayles and Howe provided ornamental plasterwork. Bernier, Carr was responsible for more than $6 million in projects between 1989 and 2011, and GYMO, along with the two firms that preceded it (Yaussi & Aceti Architects and Moran & Yaussi Architects), has done approximately $9 million in work since 1978.

Today, Mr. Sanford estimated that efforts in the main castle are about 40 percent complete, while work elsewhere on the island is about 90 percent finished.

Construction has proceeded at a slow pace — one or two half-million dollars each year as funds became available — because it is paid for primarily by admissions, gifts and concessions at the castle.

In 2012, a two-year project to restore Boldt Castle’s kitchens to functionality

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n Built during the War of 1812, the historic Madison Barracks in Sackets Harbor are undergoing an extensive revitalization by Aubertine and Currier. The project’s first phase included the restoration of several historic buildings that will be renovated into a grocery store, fitness center, hotel, health center, pavilion and conference center. The second phase is under way and includes the construction of ten new apartment buildings, and the third phase will involve the development of a recreational waterfront building.

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COVER STORY SPACES, from page 17

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ment installations, but that’s kind of tapered off,” Mr. Murphy said. “We’re seeing a trend in people wanting a place for the family to get together and entertain.”

Within the last two years, Installations Unlimited has seen the demand for remodeling basements and dens to “give men their own kind of place” give way to demand for remodeling outdoor spaces like patios, backyards and sunrooms. This can include installations of items like planter or rock speakers with wireless controls.

“Customers want to be able to control music from the pool area,” he said.

In terms of revenue for Installations Unlimited, Mr. Murphy said outdoor installations are a “similar scope of work and product” as man cave installations.

He also said the amount that most clients spend ranges widely, typically anywhere from $2,500 to $8,000.

Bobby Ferris, owner of Big Apple Music, Watertown, agreed that the idea of man caves is more family-oriented now, typically something like a family home

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theater room with projection TVs. “It’s not just a place where men go to get away, now it’s a place where the family goes to get away,” Mr. Ferris said. “It’s an extension of the home now. Women are enjoying it, too.”

Mr. Ferris said that in the past year, his store has only installed one man cave that was intended to be used as a man’s exclusive place. He said Big Apple typically outfits about 10 to 12 rooms along the lines of the more family-oriented man cave per year, a “decent part of his business.” The costs of these rooms can vary greatly, anywhere from $2,500 to $100,000, depending on the space and what people want, according to Mr. Ferris.

“My impression of a man cave is basically whatever someone wants to make it personalized,” he said, adding that the man cave is usually outfitted with the amenities a man wants, sort of as an allowance from the woman to give the man his space, but later becoming the more family-oriented place.

“It’s like a billiard room — the focus is on what the man wants. When you

personalize a room, it becomes more of a man cave,” he said.

Big Apple installs 80 percent of the merchandise it sells and makes free visits to homes to advise people on the best equipment to suit their needs and space, Mr. Ferris said.

“They all know what they like to do, but they don’t know how to get it done,” he said.

Mr. Ferris also said that he saw a spike in the family-room type man cave during the recession, in part because families found it more feasible to spend around $4,000 on a home theater room that they could enjoy repeatedly, rather than on a much more expensive one-time vacation.

“I did notice that when things got tougher, people spent more money on their homes,” he said.

With the economy now seeming to improve, Mr. Ferris said he has been starting to see more demand for audio systems in cars and boats.

“People are traveling again,” he said.

LEAH BULETTI is a Johnson Newspapers staffer. Contact her at lbuletti@wdt.net

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