NNY Living Homes Summer 2014

H OMES & NNY L I v Ing

PREMIER PROPERTIES

SUMMER 2014

Volume 1 No. 3

A great camp revival

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BUYING

Tips for seasonal property buyers

LANDSCAPING

Create lasting improvements to outdoor living spaces

DESIGN

The architecture behind Adirondack great camps

FEATURED

Inside the historic Emma Flower Taylor Mansion

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Inside SUMMER 2014 |

ON THE COVER | Traditional Adirondack details in ‘Camp Brushwood’, a classic great camp on the water by Adirondack Design.

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ARCHITECTURE | 10 MOUNTAIN SANCTUARY Adirondack great camps are making a comeback thanks to one north country architect.

FEATURED HOME | 16 A MAJESTIC QUEEN ANN Watertown’s Emma Flower Taylor Mansion is a classic brownstone listed for $1.5m.

BUYER’S MARKET | 7 SEASONAL BUYING TIPS Realtors offer more insight into Northern New York’s active seasonal home market.

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LANDSCAPING | 8 TAME THE OUTDOORS A look at what’s hot and what’s not when creating lasting outdoor spaces. |

NNY WATERFRONT MLS | 23 LIFE ON THE WATER From Lake Ontario to the St. Lawrence River, 18 homes priced from $179k to $1.75m

NANCIE BATTAGLIA | FOR ADIRONDACK DESIGN

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MARKETPLACE Adirondack Design ................................... 7

Morgia’s Masonry .................................... 21

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NNY Living Homes ..................................... 6

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Beardsley Design ..................................... 19

RealtyUSA ................................................. 22

Big Apple Music ......................................... 8

Reinmans Department Store .................. 21

Carthage Federal Savings and Loan ....... 5

River Audio ................................................. 4

Exit More Real Estate ................... 12, 13, 23

SeaComm Federal Credit Union .............. 9

Grater Architects ..................................... 18

STAT Communications ............................ 17

Johnson Lumber ...................................... 21

Thousand Islands Realty ..................... 2, 23

LP Builders ................................................. 21

T.F. Wright & Sons ..................................... 21

Lake Ontario Real Estate ................... 22, 23

Tug Hill Real Estate ................................... 22

Macar’s ....................................................... 6

Vintage Doors by YesterYear’s ............... 24

Marzano Real Estate ................................ 20

Watertown Savings Bank .......................... 3

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BUYER’S MARKET

Tips for seasonal property buyers

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gust, there are a lot of inquiries, but most of the buyers prefer to be camping or out on the water in those months.

My final question was “What reasons do you find most second Lance Evans home buyers chose our area?”

The most cited reasons were family history of summer and winter vacations in the area, good prices, and the abundance of waterfront and land. Other reasons include the friendliness of the people, the small town feel in much of the area and the lack of commercialization in much of the area. However, it is close to many “big city” services and amenities. Several also mentioned the “local” factor with buyers being from Rochester, Syracuse, and the north coun-

try. Also, they observed that there were more inquiries and buyers from Canada.

Interestingly, this is true for Realtors from the 1000 Islands and Lake Ontario to Tupper Lake and Malone.

I did ask for final thoughts from the Realtors and Maxine Quigg cautioned that that when working with a Real Estate licensee, buyers should make sure that the agent is knowledgeable in the market and the type of property the buyer is interested in. Some items like water levels, local code for building homes and permits for docks, information on water sources and septic systems, etc. vary from place to place. Karen Peebles added that real estate is still a great investment, interest rates on second homes are fabulous, and there is a fair amount of inventory out there. She adds that now is the time to invest. 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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n the spring issue of this magazine, I began a discussion of the north country’s seasonal or second-home market. This is not just a “summer” market as some properties are bought with fall or winter sports in mind. Realtors in the Jefferson-Lewis and St. Lawrence County boards were asked five questions about working with a buyer in the second home market. I covered the first two last month; the other three are below.

“What advice do you give to a seasonal property buyer you are working with?”

Elizabeth Miller, Century 21 Gentry Realty, a Boonville Realtor, suggests that her clients familiarize themselves with the area, review their financials to be sure they have enough for the down payment and closing costs, and make sure that they are comfortable with travel time from their principal residence to the property. Karen Peebles, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services CNY Realty, Adams, added that “Second home buyers have to be prepared to put 20 percent down as it is not a primary residence.”

For the seasonal property buyer, location becomes an issue, according to Maxine Quigg, Exit More Real Estate, Watertown, who warns buyers not to settle on a property just because the price is right. They will regret it in the future.

Kate Couch, Exit More Real Estate, Watertown, and Cathy Garlock, Garlock Realty, Alexandria Bay, add that buyers need to have patience to wait for the right property.

“Is there a better time of the year for the buyer to look at places?”

Amanda Miller, Lake Ontario Realty, Chaumont, sells waterfront properties on Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, and other areas. She advises buyers to look in July and August so that they can see if there are weeds in the water that would interfere with boats, swimming, etc. Meanwhile, selling in the Adirondacks and foothills, James LaValley, LaValley Real Estate, Tupper Lake, says that his agents typically see the greatest activity from mid-February into April, and mid-August to the end of October.

He notes that during June, July and Au-

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LANDSCAPING

JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY LIVING HOMES

A crew from Back & Co., Clayton, works on an outdoor patio and fireplace.

Create lasting spaces

Modern design trends for outdoor living areas

By GABRIELLE HOVENDON

SUMMER 2014 | N N Y L I V I N G H O M E S & P R E M I E R P R O P E R T I E S

NNY Living Homes

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ook into a north country backyard in 2014, and you may find a very different setup than in the past. Where people once chose to escape — on vacations and road trips, that is — they now landscape.

“What’s popular nowadays are outdoor living spaces,” said Eric J. Vanderlan, owner of Lowville’s N.V. Landscaping. “A lot of people are using their backyards more and more, trying to make them more enjoyable so they can spend time at home a little more.”

Mr. Vanderlan, who established his business in 2007 with his identical twin brother Ryan J. Vanderlan, said that many people are now designing ‘backyard getaways’ with elaborate patios, fireplaces, seating areas and outdoor kitchens and bars.

“It’s more like a resort feel,” he explained. “When you’re in your backyard you almost feel like you’re on vacation.”

Justin S. Chesbrough, owner of Watertown’s A Cut Above Landscaping &

Snowplowing, agreed that north country residents are devoting more attention to living spaces in their backyards. In particular, he said that outdoor kitchens — often with pergola areas, elaborate cooktops, built-in grills and even beer fridges — have become extremely popular.

“A lot of people are working longer hours, and they’re not going on vacations as much, so they want to maximize their use of the yard,” Mr. Chesbrough said.

“People are spending a little more money dressing up what they have, doing outdoor kitchens, pools, pavers, fire pits.”

According to the local landscapers, another noticeable trend is a movement toward low-maintenance projects. Whereas property owners used to be willing to invest time into mowing, mulching, weeding and planting flowers, modern homeowners are less eager to while away their weekends on upkeep.

“Some people are getting away from mulch and are using stone in some areas where they don’t want to maintain things,” said Freddy J. Bach, Jr., project manager at Bach & Co. in Clayton.

“We’ve had some people say that they want a whole background in pavers and

LANDSCAPING why they don’t do well and die. They’re using the wrong plants because they don’t know better.”

According to Mr. Chesbrough, plants such as day lilies, spiraea, hydrangeas, hostas, golden privet and roses are all good species to withstand harsh winters.

Whenever possible, plants should be sheltered from high winds, snowdrifts and road salt, and they should be given plenty of space to grow.

In the end, even homeowners with tight budgets shouldn’t be discouraged from landscaping. Mr. Vanderlan noted that native rocks and plants can easily contribute to an affordable backyard design.

“A lot can be done on a budget,” he said. “If they want a simple outdoor living space, they can make walls out of boulders for fairly cheap. You can get low-cost plants and maybe some natural stone for a patio and have your grass grow through it. The biggest thing is just making the backyard more useful so people can enjoy it in the evenings.”

For his part, Mr. Chesbrough often rec-

ommends multi-phase plans for people with big dreams and little budgets. That way, homeowners can landscape their yard one section at a time and avoid a sparse, stretched-thin look.

“For new construction, someone that doesn’t have any landscaping yet, I always tell people to work in phases,” he said. “If they have this big grand scheme of what they what to do, they don’t have to do it all at one time. You can break it down so it’s affordable and not such a big lump sum up front.”

Mr. Bach agreed that landscaping on a dime is feasible; it just depends on the site and the owner’s dream.

“I’d walk in, I’d look at the site and they’d tell me exactly what they wanted, and we’d come up with some landscaping plan that would accommodate that,” Mr. Bach said. “We start out going fullblown and then we cut back, but we still try to accommodate the vision.” n GABRIELLE HOVENDON is a former Watertown Daily Times reporter and freelance writer who lives in Watertown. Contact her at ghovendon@gmail.com.

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outdoor living instead of places where they have to mow.”

Bach & Co., which does extensive business installing patios and pavers of all shapes and sizes, is the only north country distributor of Rosetta Stone, a new natural-looking concrete paver that has the appearance of real stone. Mr. Bach said that the popularity of this type of paver has grown tremendously over the past few years.

In Lewis County, Mr. Vanderlan has also noticed a big increase in low-maintenance installations. In fact, one of N.V. Landscaping’s most common projects is building patios out of pavers.

“The new trend is using bigger pavers, which are called slabs, and trying to make them look more unique,” Mr. Vanderlan said. “About ten years ago they used to just be boring and look like brick. Now we have pavers that have varied colors and styles, so you can get unique designs.”

In the local landscapers’ opinions, it’s not just mulch that’s going the way of the dinosaurs: Ornate, cluttered flower gardens are more and more a thing of the past. Instead, time-crunched property owners are opting for simple, modern designs.

“A lot of people are switching over to a more modern landscape versus the old-fashioned flower gardens,” Mr. Chesbrough said. “This year, a lot of people are switching from mulch to decorative rock, and I think a lot of it’s for the low maintenance. Rocks are ‘one and done,’ unlike mulch where you have to redo every year.”

Despite the switch to low-hassle designs, plants remain very popular in north country landscaping. Mr. Chesbrough cautioned homeowners to choose appropriate species for their climate, a choice that can be made with the help of something called the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. “We’re very limited on the plant selection we can use up here that will survive the winter,” Mr. Chesbrough said, noting that Watertown chain retailers such as Lowe’s and Home Depot often stock plants unsuited to Northern New York’s climate zone. “People will buy plants that aren’t appropriate, and they wonder

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ARCHITECTURE

The interior of the modern Adirondackstyle great camp usually features an open floor plan with a stone fireplace as the focal point of the living room, or “great room,” which serves as the central gathering place.

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ADIRONDACK DESIGN | SPECIAL NNY LIVING HOMES

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Great camp comeback Tradition meets modern in new waterfront homes

By GABRIELLE HOVENDON NNY Living Homes

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ou see them from the road, peeking through spruce and tamarack. You see them reflected in the surface of lakes, wavy and bright. You see them all throughout the Adirondacks, rustic and rugged and stately.

They’re Adirondack great camps, and with the help of architect Michael L. Bird they’ve been making a comeback.

“From the late nineteenth century until the first World War, many of America’s wealthiest and most prominent families purchased real estate in the

Adirondacks and commissioned the construction of multi-building estates in a rustic, artistic style,” states the website for the nonprofit Adirondack Architectural Heritage. With separate structures for bedrooms, living rooms and kitchens, Adirondack great camps are also distinguished by their decorative elements of logs, bark, roots, twigs, granite and other native materials.

Mr. Bird, owner and principal of Adirondack Design, specializes in this style of architecture and has built and renovated many great camps since opening his Saranac Lake-based firm in 1986.

He’s part of a tradition that dates back to

the late 19th century, when William West Durant built the first great camps on and around Raquette Lake.

In their original incarnation, the great camps served as Gilded Age vacation spots for wealthy New Yorkers. After World War II, they largely fell out of style, but over the last few decades a slow renaissance began. When Long Island and Jersey Shore properties became too crowded and overpriced, the wealthy once again began to look upstate.

Nowadays, Adirondack Great Camps retain a rustic character, but they may also borrow from other aesthetics.

Mr. Bird recalls a recent Adirondack

ARCHITECTURE project that featured Gothic windows and another that was inspired by the Disney Storybook style. He explained that “Adirondack style” actually encompasses a wide range of influences, from Oriental and Victorian to Tudor, Normandy, and Swiss.

“The thing I love about the Adirondack style is that, to a certain extent, and as long as you use materials directly from the Adirondacks, you can almost do anything you want,” he said. “If you ask a hundred people what they consider the Adirondack style to be, you’ll get a hundred different answers.” n

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tured in Architectural Digest and helped popularize the trend greatly.

“Using indigenous materials and making houses as efficient as possible, including using recycled materials, is something I’ve been doing since my very first project,” he explained.

Mr. Bird’s great camp designs are also noteworthy for their updated lighting. By installing higher windows, dormers and sliding glass doors and positioning covered sleeping porches away from the great room, he allows for maximum sunlight.

“Most of my clients who come to me say the same thing: ‘We love the old camps, but we don’t like the fact that they’re so dark,’” he said. “One of our strong emphases in the new designs is to make sure that we bring lots of light in, as much as we can.”

In the new great camps, it’s possible for clients to request modern kitchens, highefficiency boilers, screened porch fireplaces and even air conditioning and towel drying

Please see GREAT CAMPS, page 19

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Mr. Bird didn’t always know he would end up designing great camps. As a high school student he enjoyed and excelled at art, and after one of his teachers suggested architecture he enrolled at the University of Southern California and began designing houses. He said the profession appealed to him because of its creative emphasis and reliable 9-to-5 schedule.

Although he was raised near Chicago, Mr. Bird developed his interest in Adirondack-style designs after spending many summers at his family’s great camp on Upper St. Regis Lake.

“I’ve grown up being a part of the Adirondacks and living in kind of a great camp environment,” he said. “I’ve always loved the concept of it, the back-to-nature aspects, the use of indigenous materials.

It was after I left college that I decided the Adirondacks is really a fabulous place and has such a great indigenous style of architecture. I really would prefer to go back there and try to help launch the next heyday of the great camps.”

Since then, Mr. Bird has been busy building houses that honor the traditional great camp style but don’t hesitate to incorporate modern updates. Because more and more people want to use their properties year-round, he said it’s much more difficult to sell multiple-building designs; no one wants to walk between a separate kitchen and living room when it’s ten below and snowing. As a compromise, he usually keeps the boathouse and garage separate from the main house but incorporates the rest of the rooms into a single floorplan.

“The emphasis on multiple buildings is still kind of there, it’s just not the extreme that it was at the turn of the century,” he said. “Today we have heat requirements, energy requirements, and foundation requirements that are typically very different from what they were at the turn of the last century.”

According to Mr. Bird, the basic construction of an Adirondack great camp is very similar to that of any home in the northeastern United States, with the same frost-proof foundations, modern insulation, and traditional framed walls, rafters and roofs. Where the Adirondack style differs is in the materials used for its interior and exterior decorations: bark, twigs and other rustic, local elements.

In his projects, Mr. Bird typically uses Eastern white cedar that he sources from Specialty Wood Products in nearby Bloomingdale, N.Y. He favors slab siding, which retains the natural contours of the outer log and which early contractors used to build their own Adirondack houses. In 1992, one of Mr. Bird’s first cedar-slab-sided great camps was fea-

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FEATURED HOME

A Garland City

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Queen Anne

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Built in 1896 by a former governor, Watertown’s Emma Flower Taylor Mansion listed for $1.5m TEXT BY GRACE E. JOHNSTON | PHOTOS BY UPSTATE MANSIONS.COM NNY LIVING HOMES & PREMIER PROPERTIES

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short jaunt down Watertown’s Clinton Street will leave you rubbernecking. Great houses of grandeur and pomp are a reminder of the wealth and significance this city enjoyed throughout most of the 19th and early 20th centuries. In fact, by the early 20th century, Watertown was home to more millionaires per capita than any other city in American.

Arguably the most jaw-dropping and

striking homestead in Watertown is the exquisite, historically significant Emma Flower Taylor Mansion. No house demonstrates the grandiosity of the Garland City’s Gilded Age better than this magnificent brownstone.

Built as a wedding gift by prominent financier and former New York Gov. Roswell Pettibone Flower for his daughter, Emma, in 1896, the 14,000-square-foot Queen Anne-style home designed by acclaimed architects Lamb and Rich, is a distinct statement of elegance with three impeccable stories, set on 1.2 acres of grounds.

Mrs. Flower Taylor traveled extensively

in Europe in the late 1800s, and likely garnered much of her inspiration for the mansion’s design from her architectural observations of the great houses of Europe.

“She used light masterfully,” mansion owner Katherine Perry-Pyne said.

Bruce G. Harvey, an independent historian, architectural historian, and documentary photographer who lives in Syracuse specializes in historic research and writing. His exploration of the Emma Flower Taylor Mansion in August 2013 provided vast insight into the mansion’s design and construction, reveal-

ing a deeper layer of its historical and architectonic richness.

According to Mr. Harvey, the dominant motif on the Taylor Mansion is the Queen Anne style, which arrived from England in the 1870s where it was an imaginative take on a revival of the Elizabethan architecture of the 16th century. In America, it became the most recognizable of the Victorian styles, exhibiting key features like the use of rounded corner turrets, an asymmetrical footprint and multi-planar rooflines. Variations in vertical surfaces were also hallmarks of the Queen Anne

style with indents and projections scattered about the facades.

On the Taylor Mansion, this included using large overhanging gables on the front and two sides, horizontal brows that project over the windows in the various gables, window bays that project from the east and west sides and porches on the second floor recessed behind wall surfaces.

Where the Taylor Mansion departs from most of its fellow Queen Anne houses, however, is in its construction material.

The vast majority of Queen Anne houses

in America were built of wood, which was easy and inexpensive to use. Lamb & Rich, with the blessing of Emma Flower Taylor, chose a more durable material: brownstone. Quarried in Medina west of Rochester since the early 19th century, it was used in buildings large and small throughout the world. Great sandstone blocks were brought to the site by rail from Medina and cut on site. Its use makes the Taylor Mansion a rarity among American Queen Anne houses.

In the winter of 2002 Mrs. Perry-Pyne,

Please see TAYLOR MANSION, page 18

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FEATURED HOME

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lthough now closed from the entrance hall as an apartment, this space once was known as the Great Room, and a great room it is. One could get lost in the details of the intricate coffered ceiling, each coffer having its own rosette in the center. The distinction of spaces is of particular interest. It is difficult to imagine a house as vast in size as the Taylor Mansion needing multi-function rooms, but in what is clearly the artistic center of the house are four distinct spaces. To the right in this view is the dance floor portion of the ballroom. It is the lowest point of the Great Room, at the bottom of a series of two small, subtle, and far-apart steps. The raised dais from which the photograph was taken, just one small step above the dance floor, is an alcove along the west side of the house where the orchestra — yes, a small orchestra — would play for parties and dances.

French windows that line the curved wall of the alcove provide access to the wide and comfortable veranda should the partiers need a break from dancing or wish to talk privately. The dining room is at the same level, but requires a step down to the dance floor and then back up. The distinction in space is marked by a step up from the dance floor and by the two columns that rest on small

plinths and sport ionic capitals. One step up from the dining room, in the background of this view, is a landing where visitors entered from the entrance hall. The quantity of architectural detail in this series of rooms is staggering, with half-height

pilasters along the walls, a complicated cornice line with egg-and-dart and dentil moldings, an abundance of swags and cartouches above the columns marking the dining room, pilasters and entablatures around the doors. — Bruce G. Harvey

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his view of the front door is an excellent example of the contrast in textures and styles at the Taylor Mansion. The iron door was cast with very delicate swags and filigree that draw inspiration from the ultra-refined classicism of France in the 17th and 18th centuries and from the neo-classical Adam and Federal styles of England and America in the late 18th century. This door with its lacy, delicate decorations, however, is set within an arch that is drawn from the Romanesque Revival of the 1870s and 1880s. This was a powerful, muscular style that drew upon the early medieval period in Europe when the ancient Roman architectural heritage had become a crude memory. This nearly flat arch surrounding the delicate iron door is characteristic of the bold shapes and massive proportions of the Romanesque Revival. — Bruce G. Harvey

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he late afternoon sun streams onto the front porch of the mansion. The veranda starts at the northeast corner of the house with the porte-cochere and wraps across the front and around the entire west side, is wide enough to serve as an outdoor room. — Bruce G. Harvey

121 Franklin St., Watertown, NY 315-782-7770 www.statcommunications.com

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LIFENET

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feature seen on many Queen Anne homes is a wrap-around porch, beginning on the façade and continuing around the corner of the house to the side. On the Taylor Mansion, the humble front porch has been transformed into a full-scale veranda, which is essentially another room of the house. The veranda then extends off the east side of the house to form a porte-cochere, the open structure that gave those who lived in the house and their guests protection from the elements as they stepped out of their carriages. — Bruce G. Harvey

TAYLOR MANSION, from page 15

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president of River Rat Properties, purchased the Carlisle on Paddock Street and later the

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Taylor Mansion in August 2003.

“It’s hard not to get drawn to the building when walking by from the outside,” Mrs. Perry-Pyne’s husband and business partner,

Rich, said. “The building is a magical experience. It’s intoxicating.”

When he and his wife saw the inside, they couldn’t resist the chance to own it.

“Every owner and tenant of this building has lovingly lived in and cared for it,” Mrs. Perry-Pyne said. “It’s not an apartment, it’s a home.”

The house was partitioned into apartments in the 1940s and great care was given to maintain the integrity of original details while altering the space as needed for its present use. For instance, the grand doorway that leads into the ballroom and dining room was converted from a 75-by-84-inch entryway to a standard 36-by-80-inch doorway.

Yet, rather than demolish the original entryway molding, it was left intact and tastefully reconstructed to fit the apartment door.

“Everything was modified with the eye for it to perhaps become a one-family home again,” Mrs. Perry-Pyne said.

Now configured with eight upscale apartments, the mansion still features the original ornate wrought iron and pocket doors, voluminous architectural ceilings, stately columns and wall paneling, original leaded stained glass, intricate moldings and ceiling details, hardwood floors, seven fireplaces, an original claw-foot bathtub and a dramatic grand ballroom for entertaining. Apartment sizes range from 850 to 2,500 square feet.

Roof repairs and a new porch and boiler system are recent investments made into the house.

“We’ve knocked out all the scary stuff,” Mrs. Perry-Pyne said.

Rental income provides cash for maintenance and upkeep of the home as well as a healthy profit margin.

“You don’t get into this business to get rich, though,” Mrs. Perry-Pyne explained.

“This is truly a labor of love.”

Still, it’s important that income cover the cost of improvements, she added.

The craftsmanship throughout the home is impeccable. No historical element of architecture has needed repairs since the Pynes’ ownership of the house.

“Everything is intact and solid,” Mr. Pyne said.

The Pynes have decided to sell the property because of increased demands of family.

“It’s time to pass the torch,” Mrs. PerryPyne said.

The property is listed for $1.5 million, cobrokered by Michael R. Franklin of Franklin Ruttan, Syracuse, and Cathy Garlock, Garlock Realty, Alexandria Bay. n GRACE E. JOHNSTON is a staff writer and editorial assistant for NNY magazines. Contact her at gjohnston@wdt.net or 661-2381.

ARCHITECTURE GREAT CAMPS, from page 11 racks to ward off lakeside humidity.

the ones up north, the Adirondack spirit still endures.

“It’s amazing how many peeled logs you see in completely modern houses that have nothing to do with the Adirondacks,” he said. “It’s interesting the way it’s crept into mainstream architecture in subtle — or not-so-subtle — ways.” n GABRIELLE HOVENDON is a former Watertown Daily Times reporter and freelance writer who lives in Watertown. Contact her at ghovendon@gmail.com.

SUMMER 2014 | NNY LIVIN G HOM ES & PR EMIER PR OPE RTIES

Renovating an older great camp, though, can be a trickier proposition.

Updating plumbing and insulation, winterizing and building additions can be much more expensive and work-intensive than starting from scratch.

“Oftentimes foundations need to be repaired, siding needs to be rebuilt. Roofing is always, always an issue,” Mr. Bird said. “Sometimes in an old camp we’ll build a separate building altogether and make it winterized.”

That said, sometimes the original structure is too good to lose. Peter Menzies, who recently finished a $2 million renovation of a 1960s-era great camp at Bolton Landing on Lake George, said he and his family were able to keep the spirit of the original property alive while rebuilding from the ground up.

“We ended up with a vastly improved summer and winter house,” he said.

“We kept the general layout the same; we just built upon what was there, took the cabin and its old, quirky features and improved upon them.”

For the renovation, Mr. Bird designed a large screened-in dining porch with a stone fireplace and updated an unusual joined bathroom and shared shower.

He also added a second-story master bedroom with an enclosed stairwell and a double-screened outdoor shower, resulting in a living space that Mr. Menzies described as cozy, comfortable and a bit like a treehouse.

Although the Menzies forewent some traditional great camp decorations such as birch-paneled interior walls, the use of reclaimed barn board and other rustic elements makes the updated property look like the quintessential summer camp.

“Working with Michael was a great process. I was afraid at the beginning that he wouldn’t want to work with us because our project wasn’t a huge, grand Adirondack camp like some of the ones he’s done in the past,” Mr. Menzies said.

“But he was totally receptive to our smaller scale project. He was lovely to work with, he was very creative and he was able to retain the property’s charm.”

Looking ahead, Mr. Bird plans to

continue devoting his energies to Adirondack-style architecture. This summer, he’s in the process of designing a great camp at Pilot Knob on Lake George.

He’s also beginning a new house in Georgia, where he has a substantial clientele of great camp owners. In the South, he explained, many people seek mountainside vacation homes to benefit from the cooler temperatures at high elevations. And although certain elements in his Georgia great camps may vary from

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Tara Marzano, Broker (315) 788-7777 www.MarzanoRealEstate.com

Tara@MarzanoRealEstate.com

@MRELLC

COMPLETELY FURNISHED COTTAGE ON CHAUMONT BAY! Get the complete package when you buy this cottage!

Beautiful water frontage, renovated living space, 14 X 20 garage, land and to top it all off it comes completely furnished!! This property is located on beautiful Chaumont Bay and comes with all the land from the road to the water! Complete with dock and room to grow, the cottage features open eat-in ktichen / dining room with woodstove, full bath, two+ bedroom and lovely living room looking out at the water. Updates include siding, roof, electrical panel, septic, dry wall, insulation...the list goes on.

Boatlift included not shown.

SUMMER 2014 | N N Y L I V I N G H O M E S & P R E M I E R P R O P E R T I E S

MLS# S 312595 • $179,900

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315-686-9845 315-771-1329

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• Kitchen Countertops • Bathroom Vanities • Fireplace Mantles & Hearths • Table Tops for Your Furniture (Kitchen, living room, Outdoors) • Granite or Marble Floor Tiles (Available in 3 Different Sizes)

• Custom Signage/Plaques (Exterior & Interior) • Granite or Marble Thresholds, Windows Sills, and Casings for Windows/Doors • Special Occasion Gifts • Memorial and Monuments

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(315) 493-2963 • Fax (315) 493-2965 OFF ROUTE 3 CARTHAGE, NY

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SUMMER 2014 | NNY LIVIN G HOM ES & PR EMIER PR OPE RTIES

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SUMMER 2014 | N N Y L I V I N G H O M E S & P R E M I E R P R O P E R T I E S

NNY Waterfront MLS Stunning and Spectacular Lake Ontario Home!

Henderson $575,000

3 Bed/2.5 Bath, 2600 sf! 160’ of beautiful lakefront! This is a custom built home, kitchen/dining/living rm combo w/fp!

Kitchen offers Corian counters and breakfast bar! Huge mudroom, full walkout basement! Attached garage w/ separate bunk room! Hard wired generator, kennel, shed and security system! Great access to the shore for kayaking, swimming, and jet skiing!

Lake Ontario Realty. MLS#S311683 Call Amanda Lic. R.E. Broker @ 778-1191

Lake Ontario Year Round River Home!

Cape Vincent $275,000 4 Bed/2 Bath! Over 1300 sf! 90’ of wf! This offers open kitchen/dining/living room, vaulted ceiling in the kitchen, fp, huge picture windows, nice spacious deck w/hot tub!

Nice deck overlooking pristine riverfront and beautiful private back yard! Year round use or cottage! Call Today!

Lake Ontario Realty. MLS#S308523 Call Amanda Lic. R.E. Broker @ 778-1191

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Historic Riverfront Gem! Cape Vincent $549,900 3 Bed/3 Bath, over 2500sf! Comfy den and bright living room w/brick fp, gorgeous kitchen w/solid surface counters, 2 sinks, pantry & more, built in oak bar, stunning master suite w/vaulted ceilings, gas fp, master bath w/ heated floors & jacuzzi. This is restored masterpiece boasting charm and character w/modern feel. 100’ of Riverfront great for everything w/amazing views. Call Today!

Lake Ontario Realty. MLS#S308448 Call Amanda Lic. R.E. Broker @ 778-1191

Historic C.T. Sackets House Cape Vincent $679,900 This is a true historic masterpiece w/5-7+Bed/3.5 Bath, over 4600sf! Stunning master suite w/sleeping porch, gorgeous custom kitchen w/soapstone counters & Viking 8 burner, dream walk in pantry and separate butlers pantry w/Cherry wood tops, spacious formal dining room, original pocket doors, 3 staircases, Iarge riverside covered porch, dream boathouse and permanent dock! A must see!

Lake Ontario Realty. MLS#S308280 Call Amanda Lic. R.E. Broker @ 778-1191

Island & Mainland Parcel $898,000 An island property complete with boathouse AND a mainland parcel with garage and dock! Ground up restoration providing you with the charm of an older river home & the conveniences of a modern home. Open floor plan, 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths, enclosed porch offering a spectacular view of the ships.

Thousand Islands Realty. MLS#S310352 Recorded Info: 800-539-0258 Ext: 1532 Melanie Curley, Real Estate Broker 315-686-5500

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St. Lawrence River Home $448,900 Spectacular, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, year round home with 200’ of frontage on the St. Lawrence River, 1.70 acres.

Luxurious master suite, kitchen with top of the line appliances. Stamped concrete patio. Shipping channel view.

Thousand Islands Realty. MLS#S294305 24 Hour Info: 1-800-539-0258 Ext 1222 Melanie Curley, Real Estate Broker 315-686-5500

Stone Home On The River $559,000 Beauty and historic charm on the banks of the St. Lawrence River. With 3 bedrooms & 3.5 baths in the main house & 2 more bedrooms & bath in the guest cottage you will have plenty of room for everyone. Situated on 3.58 beautifully landscaped acres with a 5 car garage & 432’ of prime St. Lawrence River frontage.

4151 Jackson Lane, Henderson $1,750,000

$265,000 Chaumont Bay - 155 ft. water frontage 1,232 sq. ft. • 3 bed/2 baths • dock 2 car garage - indoor and outdoor furnishings stay + fishing & paddle boat

Magnificent Custom Home - 4,383 sq. ft. 301 ft. water frontage • 5 bed/5.2 baths includes 2 bed/2 bath apartment over 3 car garage - built with no compromise!

Thousand Islands Realty. MLS#S314846 Recorded Info: 800-539-0258 Ext: 1732 Melanie Curley, Real Estate Broker 315-686-5500

Exit More Real Estate - Kate Couch. MLS#S297865 (315) 782-9292 (O) / (315) 783-0848 (C)

14321 County Route 123, Henderson $599,000

8301 Graves Point Road Huron

Exit More Real Estate - Kristen Leikam. MLS#S313531 (315) 782-9292 (O) / (315) 955-4626 (C)

Year round home - 5 bed / 2.5 baths 81 ft. water frontage • 1,683 sq. ft. 2 parcels (sold as one) • recently renovated • 1st floor master bed/bath Exit More Real Estate - Mary Adair. MLS#S311528 (315) 782-9292 (O) / (315) 778-5347 (C)

$299,900 This beautiful 4 bedroom, 2 bath home sits on 130’ of level Port Bay waterfront, custom patio with inground pool, fishing, boating and gorgeous sunsets. Can be your year round home Bayview Shores Realty. MLS#S315600 (315) 783-5408 • bayviewshoresrealtyllc.com

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15679 Foster Park Road Hounsfield $189,900 4 Bedroom, 1 Bath, 1392 sq.ft. sit on 210’ Black River Watertown, NY. Offers an 8’x45’ crib dock, boat house with electric winch. Attached garage. Black River offers some of areas best fishing.

Bayview Shores Realty. MLS#S316331 (315) 783-5408 • bayviewshoresrealtyllc.com

21516 County Rte 59 Brownville $179,900 Spectacular sunsets are yours at this adorable 2 bedroom cottage featuring large deck on front, patio with awning off the back. 2 stall garage, large lot for sleeping the company and more Bayview Shores Realty. MLS#S311401 (315) 783-5408 • bayviewshoresrealtyllc.com

Year Round River Home $425,000 Situated on 3.3 acres with 214’ of St. Lawrence river frontage this charming 4 bedroom, 3 bath year round home offers plenty of space inside and out. The master suite has doors to an upper deck. Beautiful views, great dock, great swimming, fishing and boating.

Thousand Islands Realty. MLS#S315264 Recorded Info: 800-539-0258 Ext: 1762 Les Henry, Real Estate Assoc. Broker 315-771-7440

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23139 Beach Rd. Extension Three Mile Bay $649,000

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6103 Fire Road 39 (Lighthouse Lane) Three Mile Bay

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40790 Head Island Road Clayton $539,000 Over 150 acres of land and 3200’ of St. Lawrence River Waterfront. 4 wheeling/horseback riding trails. Current owner has aprox. 10 acres fenced in for horses, 4 stalls, tack room in attached garage. Plenty of room for boat and jet skis Bayview Shores Realty. MLS#S313469 (315) 783-5408 • bayviewshoresrealtyllc.com

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Pt. Peninsula - 186 ft. water frontage 10 beds/6.5 baths • 3,764 sq • elevator 3 car garage • 1st fl master bed/bath adjacent to State Wild Life Preserve

Exit More Real Estate - Kate Couch. MLS#S309505 (315) 782-9292 (O) / (315) 783-0848 (C)

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2341 Road 908 Brownville $196,900 2 BR, 1.5 bath, 1120 sq.ft. single family home, perfect spot for you to start enjoying beautiful Lake Ontario.

Screen gazebo deck, fully enclosed porch, double living room, gas fireplace, full fenced yard garage Bayview Shores Realty. MLS#S309952 (315) 783-5408 • bayviewshoresrealtyllc.com

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27687 Three Mile Point $349,000 185` of beautiful Lake Ontario Waterfront can be yours with this 3 bedroom home! The outside offers a 30` wide x 75` x 6`+ deep boat slip, beautiful landscaping, 24 x 36` garage, mature trees for privacy and 4.5 acres across the street. Inside offers solid cherry and stairway, screened in porch to watch the sunsets, 2 bedrooms down and an open upstairs bedroom that has plenty of room to make it 2 bedrooms and add a bath.

Don`t miss out on this one, make your appointment today!

Bayview Shores Realty. MLS#S317031 (315) 783-5408 • bayviewshoresrealtyllc.com

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