Spring home improvement 2014 e sub

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Home HudsonValley MARCH 20, 2014

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ULSTER PUBLISHING

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WWW.HOMEHUDSONVALLEY.COM

Spring Home Improvement

WHAT UP,

Homes? Finding a space that's your own in the Hudson Valley

Contents Welcome................................................................. 3 Adaptive reuse ........................................... 4 Design trends .............................................. 6 Energy efficiency .......................................... 10 Real estate in 2014 ........................................17 Rats! ................................................................. 18 Plumbing ....................................................... 20 Wine cellars .............................................22 Solar panels ................................................ 24 Revived developments ........................... 26

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Finding a home in new places

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or some people, home is a house they bought and have lived in for decades. For others home is an ever-changing slew of apartments that meet the budget figure living their head. All around us, developers are finding new ways to remodel old buildings into a place someone might call home. In some instances, subdivisions put on pause by the Great Recession are also making a comeback in 2014. In this issue of Home Hudson Valley: Spring Home Improvement, we’re exploring the intricacies of what makes a home a home – and once you’re living there how you make it your own. Old industrial places like the US Lace Curtain building in Kingston, and perhaps one day the Hudson River Psychiatric Center in Poughkeepsie, are getting more homey thanks to inventive remodeling and adaptive reuse. Frances Marion Platt explores how adaptive reuse is playing out in our corner of the Hudson Valley. Paul Smart takes a look at the projects – once thought dead – that are resurrecting after the financial collapse. For people looking for how to make their homes more comfortable and visually pleasing, Sharyn Flanagan’s story about interior design should of-

fer some tips. Apparently, navy blue is the color of choice in 2014. People looking to get the best bang out of their buck on their home energy use should flip to either of Violet Snow’s two stories. One looks at the people creating green and zero-energy homes in our region. The other explores how the everyday person can go about putting solar panels on their

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house. Jennifer Brizzi looks at a unique home renovation that should appeal to people with a taste for the good stuff – how to add a wine cellar to your home. For a serious wine enthusiast, building that space takes precedence. Anyone who has ever suffered through an animal or insect infestation knows how much that can take away from peace of mind and distract from home improvement projects in general. Sue Pilla explores – with the humor that can only come from hindsight – a rat infestation that plagued her house. We hope this issue will entertain, enlighten and give you some ideas for your next project at home.

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Creative placemaking Lace Factory project brings low-income housing to Kingston Frances Marion Platt

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ost people, when they visualize adaptive reuse, will picture the big waterfront tourist attractions that kicked off the movement, starting with San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square in the 1960s and spreading to other cities like Boston, Baltimore, Portland and Pittsburgh, or Manhattan’s South Street Seaport. Such destinations, with their heavy emphasis on upscale retail establishments, museums and movie theatres, can turn a deteriorating part of a city around in a big way. In our region, transforming a factory into an art museum, like Dia:Beacon or MassMoca, can provide a keystone for community revival. On a more local level, cities have been finding that creating incentives for artists to convert industrial lofts into studio space is a powerful economic force for the revitalization of neighborhoods, SoHo and TriBeCa in Manhattan being the most obvious successes. Although the small RustBelt cities of the Hudson Valley grew up around manufacturing industries that no longer exist (or have been exported overseas), they seem prime candidates for such artist-driven makeovers. Until recently, our region has been a little slower to pick up on the concept. In Midtown Kingston, though, that situation is changing in a big way these days. A neighborhood once characterized by youth gangs, drug dealers and street crime has become a new beachhead for artsy entrepreneurs priced out of even the cheapest corners of New York City. Within a few square blocks of old brick-faced factory buildings – all that’s left – you can now find trendy spaces for exhibitions and events, like the Shirt Factory and Cornell Street Studios, and arts-related businesses like R & F Encaustics, Bailey Pottery and American Made Monster Studios. When it comes to sustainable building practices, adaptive reuse, the renovation of former industrial buildings, warehouses, schools, churches and the like for new uses like retail plazas and housing units – offers the best of two worlds. While it might not quite aspire to the precise degree of authenticity that qualifies as “historic preservation,” or to the level of energy-efficiency that would earn LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, an adaptive reuse project is often more economically feasible than either approach while serving the same ends of repurposing existing materials and craftsmanship instead of bulldozing and rebuilding from scratch. The kinds of spacious, aging structures that best lend themselves to adaptive reuse are most frequently found in industrial urban neighborhoods and on waterfronts. The practice sits high on the list of smart growth alternatives to sprawl. To reclaim a decaying building in an inner city is a prime example of what urban planners call infill:

IMAGES COURTESY RUPCO

The factory as it looks now (top) and an artist’s rendering of how the lace factory’s intended to look after RUPCO’s restoration (above). maximizing the potential of neighborhoods that are already developed instead of building new stuff on the outskirts. And depending on the use for which it is intended, the adapted building can be one of the best ways of injecting new economic and cultural vitality into a neighborhood threatened by poverty and urban blight.

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n Kingston, the artist housing piece of the puzzle has been largely missing – until now. In the midst of this same Midtown crucible of change, at the intersection of Cornell Street, Manor and Foxhall Avenues, the circa-1903 US Lace

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Curtain Mill Building is about to be transformed into 55 dwelling units specifically intended for use by artists to live and work, with common areas designed for exhibition space. According to Kevin O’Connor, chief executive officer of the Rural Ulster Preservation Company (RUPCO), an agency that specializes in developing affordable, supportive and homeless housing, asbestos abatement of the site is in progress. The conversion to apartments will officially get underway on April 1 at 11 a.m., with a grand event that RUPCO is terming a Paint Can Opening rather than a groundbreaking, since there’s no ground actually being broken. The project – whose new incarnation, designed by Scott Dutton Associates, will be known as the Lace Factory – has been an obsession for O’Connor ever since he came to work for RUPCO a dozen years ago after 14 years at Hudson River Housing in Poughkeepsie. “It was one of the first buildings I saw,” he says, “sitting there as a handsome masonry structure, but all the windows were boarded up … Boardedup buildings, for me, tell the children who live in that neighborhood that they’re not good enough. Blighted buildings shouldn’t be allowed to stand in communities.”

March 20, 2013 Home Hudson Valley O’Connor urged Kingston’s then-mayor James Sottile to do something about the eyesore, but made little headway. The building’s owners wouldn’t return RUPCO’s phone calls for nearly 10 years. Then some of the tenants who had been renting the Lace Curtain Mill as warehouse space, including Benedictine Hospital, began pulling out. The facility stopped making money. RUPCO finally managed to purchase the site in December.

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e always thought the building could be repurposed as housing,” explained O’Connor. “Originally we thought about maybe a mix of seniors, special needs and artist housing.” The site’s proximity to the CSX railroad line made New York State health and social welfare agencies nervous about the possibility of elderly or developmentally disabled clients possibly wandering onto the tracks. So that concept was scrapped in favor of a preference for artists, as delineated in the 2008 federal Housing and Economic Recovery Act. RUPCO was already testing that approach at its Woodstock Commons project, where 12 out of a total of 53 units were designated for artist occupancy. “The justification for the preference has been that in communities across the country, for decades now, artists have been the first to go into many areas and be responsible for the turnaround, only to get priced out” by gentrification, says O’Connor. “The preference now says that this building will remain affordable.” Though potential residents will have to prove

to a committee that they are “actively engaged in their artform” and pass a means test to get in, once accepted they will “never be forced out,” pledges O’Connor – not even if they subsequently become millionaires. “They’ll pay fair market rent at most.” To get in, applicants must be able to demonstrate an annual income of 60 percent or below Ulster County’s median income of $72,000 for a family of four. Rents are projected as ranging from $578 per month for a 500-square-foot studio to $1,004 per month for a 1,477-square-foot threebedroom apartment. There will be five studios, 32 one-bedroom units, 17 two-bedroom units and one three-bedroom unit. One of the two buildings at the site has two stories and the second has three stories; the first-floor apartments, with ceilings ranging from 23 to 26 feet and 15-foot-tall windows, will be designed to accommodate sculptors and other visual artists working in large formats. Since the Lace Curtain Mill is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, renovation

of the structures presents certain design challenges. Insulation must be affixed in such a way that it could be removed in the future without damaging the buildings’ brick façades. And the housing of artists, who may use toxic materials or irritants in their work, requires special attention to indoor air-quality issues. RUPCO has engaged a specialized engineering firm called Building Science to map out ways to make the space as energy-efficient as possible, while keeping it healthy for its new inhabitants and maintaining the architectural features that give it historical character. O’Connor projects that the Lace Factory will be ready for its first artist-tenants to move in by June 1, 2015, with marketing to begin on January 1. If you’re interested in finding out more about the application process to rent an apartment, check out the Paint Can Opening at 11 a.m. on April 1, at the corner of Cornell Street and Manor Avenue in Kingston.

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Trendy or timeless? Local interior designers weigh in on what’s in and what’s out Sharyn Flanagan

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o what’s new in interior design? Or should we even care about trends? We asked four local interior designers what they think, and heard a range of responses.

“If it’s in, it’s out.” Allan Skriloff is a design consultant and space planner. His firm, Interior Analysis, is based in Woodstock. Skriloff is also an exhibiting painter, represented by the Carrie Haddad Gallery in Hudson. What are the design trends of the moment? To be honest, I don’t believe in trends. If something is in, then it’s out. Stick to classic, good design; it’s timeless. If you look at my website, you’ll see jobs on there that I did this year and jobs that I did 20 years ago, and you tell me: which is which? Are there things, though, that everyone seems to be looking for? The big thing now is stainless steel. It has its place, but not everywhere. Who wants an appliance to stand out? In Europe, all the appliances are hidden. The other big thing is glass tiles. But these things date a house; if you’re going to do something that is in, and fashionable, it’s going to be out. What is your process like working with a client? You guide a client but don’t dictate to them; you’re working for them. What I usually do is to go to their home to see their taste. And I tell my clients to go on www.houzz.com and find pictures of what they like. Buy magazines and tear out pictures and just make files up – they don’t have to be new magazines; go to a secondhand bookstore and get old copies of Architectural Digest, and tear out pictures of what you think you might want ... feelings, or colors ... It’s very interesting what people think they want when they start looking. A lot of the time it’s not what they thought it was going to be. If I’m working with a couple, I ask them to make up wish lists separately and then compare them. This way, if one person has a stronger personality, they can’t sway the other. And I ask them how they live – in the bedroom, for example, do you get up at different times? If you get up at the same time, closets in your bedroom are fine. If you have different schedules, you might want to be able to leave your bedroom and shower and dress without going back in the bedroom. People need to think of how they live within a space. That’s what a good designer does; show them how they can live within the space. Allan Skriloff, Interior Analysis, www.interioranalysis.com. “You have to accept that

PHOTOS BY ALLAN SKRILOFF

everything has a cycle.” Helen Piteo-Varrone, of Helen Piteo Interiors in Wappingers Falls, divides her design time about 50-50 between residential and commercial work, mainly in healthcare facilities and model home design. What are the current design trends? Blue is going to be our color in 2014, and navy is prevailing. It was peacock a few years ago, but this year it’s navy with lighter blues that all complement the navy tone. Last year it was green.

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How do you determine a trend like that? We attend the High Point Market a minimum of once a year. It’s the biggest trade show in our industry, held in High Point, N.C. in April and October. That is where we’re introduced to the latest and the greatest of what our industry will be showing in the retail venues; the fabrics that will be sold in furniture stores, the bedding that will be available. It’s where the buyers go. I attend the show so I can be cutting edge for my clients. The showrooms there do a dramatic job of it – they really impress the color of the season on you. I’m a typical designer, and now I go back to my clients and that blue is embedded on my brain. But if I didn’t attend market and didn’t know what was going to happen in 2014, and I decide to do orange for my clients, they’re going to have a difficult time finishing their accessorizing, because there won’t be orange at Macy’s or Bed & Bath. It’s my job to make sure my clients can accomplish a lovely home painlessly – it shouldn’t be too huge an effort for them to find those pieces. The retail industry drives what’s out there. In addition to color, what are other trends of the moment? I’m noticing a lot more clients now are interested in lighter-weight window treatments. I’m seeing more sheers coming back, light linens. It’s refreshing, and I think that’s stemming from the way we’re looking for more of a casual home at-

March 20, 2013 Home Hudson Valley

mosphere. But you still want impact and drama, so if I maintain light walls and light draperies, I would introduce rich fabrics into a space, and a little bit of glamor. Some of that antiqued mirror and crystal can kick up the glamor element and yet not be gaudy. Natural components are also very big now; wood, metal, animal hides ... and I feel light wood is making an appearance again. What do you tell a client who isn’t particularly interested in following the trends?

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You always want to make your client comfortable in their space, but they are spending money to hire a professional and obviously want to do it well. There’s always ways to accommodate what they want, but I’ll tell them the truth. My advice has always been to say, “We can take this route, but let’s transition it a little bit so that it’s still current and it’s not dated.” What do you think about the idea that as soon as something is trendy, it’s already on its way out? You have to accept that everything has a cycle. I

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have clients who say, “I don’t want it to be dated in 10 years.” Well, it probably will be. As much as you want to fight it, trends are everywhere. People see things on social media, on Pinterest, on Houzz, and you’ll see that everyone seems to like the same things. And I don’t want to fight that. I want to please my clients. If they see it on Pinterest and they love it? Sure, let’s do it for them. We don’t always have to be that different; we just have to accomplish something that gives someone a comfortable living space. Helen Piteo-Varrone, Helen Piteo Interiors, LLC,

20, 2013 8 | March Home Hudson Valley

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times it doesn’t.

“It sometimes involves trends and sometimes it doesn’t.” Edward R. Ellsworth is an independent interior designer and decorator based in Port Ewen.

How do you determine trends? I like to be abreast of what is on the market, so I do all the trade shows in New York; textiles, furnishings, the gift show – and they forecast what will be happening in the market. I forecast, too – friends will ask me what I think is coming up, and most of the time I kind of hit it on the head.

Do you pay attention to the trends in design? It’s never about me; it’s totally about my client. I get to know them and find out what their lifestyle is about and then come up with a plan for them. It sometimes involves trends and some-

What do you think the next big trend is going to be? Wallpaper is going to make a comeback like

there’s no tomorrow. And no one is prepared for it – if you want to open a new business, open a really good wallpaper store. The new patterns and textures are incredible, but none of the big stores have it in stock. And it’s not the old wallpaper – it’s elegant and simplistic, with subdued colors. That Sixties thing is over, all that George Jetson and Mad Men influence ... People are tired of the bright oranges and the robin’s-egg blue ... Once something is mass-produced it loses its edge and uniqueness. And the designs in fabrics have gotten tired ... I haven’t seen anything new in fabric design. Do you pay attention to the trends in colors? Colors come and go. I never really pay attention to those. The palette is about my client. Although, even though I say I pay no attention to it, I probably unconsciously do. You see what’s out there, and I do like to know what’s in the market. What is your process like when working with a client? I tell them what I think will work for them, but it’s totally about them. If your decorator is telling you what to do – run. It’s really about you. It’s not about them. What do you think about the idea that as soon as something is trendy, it’s already on its way out? I make it so that no matter what they do, and

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What do you think about the idea that as soon as something is trendy, it’s already on its way out? Consider how long you’re going to love something that’s trendy, and go for those items in interchangeable accents like pillows or artwork, which can be easily swapped out when you get tired of the trend. And it depends on the person’s budget, of course – some people think nothing of replacing a sofa every few years. But if someone is on a tighter budget, and wants something that’s trendy, I’d do a traditional sofa as an investment piece and then mix and match those fun little accessories in the trend colors with vintage and oneof-a-kind pieces for that “wow” factor. I also like to do repurposing and reworking of furnishings. Don’t feel like you always have to buy something brand-new to have something trendy. You can put a coat of paint on an old piece that might be in your garage and make it look new. Do trends tend to be regional? The way we live our everyday lives infiltrates what we tend to do in our home decor. Here in the Hudson Valley a lot of people tend toward a rustic influence because we’re in the country and we have a lot of that history and the rustic barns and all of that … But even if your style is contemporary, you might use a great piece of barn wood and make it into a cocktail table. Mixing in those one-of-a-kind pieces gives it more warmth and a homey feeling. Any other trends you’ve noticed? I think there’s a trend in downsizing; people are retiring and moving to condos, so they’re looking for furnishings that are smaller in scale. There’s a lot of that, but the other side of it is more people are living multi-generationally, turning part of their house into living space for parents or children, and they need designs for that.

how they change it, the basis is still there. It’s about home and comfort. I love the creativity of it – and there’s nothing better than hearing my client say, “Oh, that’s wonderful.” Edward R. Ellsworth, 338-5085 “If it makes you happy, just do it. Whether it’s the trend or not.” Karyn L’Ecuyer is an interior designer and event planner. Her firm, Dynamic Interiors & Events, is based in Gardiner. What colors do you find trending at the moment? Clients are asking for a lot of blue, even in furnishings. They’ve been gravitating toward navy,

which looks pretty accented with different shades of blue or some of the violets that are out there. Neutrals are always popular, but even those go through trends; there’s been kind of a movement away from the browns toward gray – it’s a great updated neutral and you can bring in vibrant pops of color with it, or shades of blue. And while we’re seeing a lot of solids, it’s not just a flat color or plain piece of navy fabric – there’s some texture and some play in it, or tone on tone.

Do a lot of people pay attention to the trends? I have a lot of people who just want to be comfortable and updated. It’s nice to DIY a piece, make what you have fresh, or find that fun, quirky, unique piece without changing everything. Mix in some textures and patterns – a herringbone, or a tribal fabric; those are great in accessories because you can change them seasonally. Keep the comfort and ease of traditional style and the simplicity of switching things out. You know, if it’s comfortable in your home and it makes you happy, just do it. Whether it’s the trend or not, If you love it, and you’re happy, you’ll enjoy being in your home. Karyn L’Ecuyer, Dynamic Interiors & Events, 978-0410, www.dynamicinteriorsandevents.com

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Now that’s efficiency!

FILE PHOTO

Houses that produce as much energy as they consume is possible, builders say Violet Snow

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ven if you’re not concerned about climate change or the prospect of human beings gobbling up the world’s oil and gas supplies – two good reasons to conserve energy in our homes – you have to consider the fact that energy efficiency means long-run financial savings. As the cost of electricity and home heating fuel climb, many homeowners are find-

ing ways to reduce energy use or build new homes that use modern technology for super-efficiency in the energy realm. Zero net energy design is a rapidly spreading building concept. Two housing developments in the New Paltz area plan to use it. “They’re the homes of the future, here today,” said New Paltz realtor Wendie Reid. The builder, Anthony Aebi of Greenhill Contracting, has won an award from NYSERDA two years in a row for achieving the state’s highest heating energy ratings in his structures. “The concept is five elements he uses that create a zero net energy house,” explained Reid. “These are the materials he uses for the building envelope, plus high-efficiency windows, solar panels, geothermal power and heat recovery systems. This combination creates the ability for houses to produce more energy in a year than they con-

sume. You have to be conscientious and not waste energy, but you can get money back from Central Hudson for excess electricity generated by the solar panels, and there are no bills for heat.” The houses are made from steel-reinforced insulated concrete forms. The walls consist of concrete, poured from the ground to the rafters around steel rebar. Three-inch foam boards are placed on both the inside and the outside of the forms before the concrete is poured. The result is a virtually airtight, super-insulated structure that allows almost no hot air in winter or cool air in summer to escape. A ventilation system re-circulates and filters the heated or cooled air, adding some fresh air from the exterior. Solar panels on the roof provide for the electricity needs of the house, including power for the heat pump that heats and cools the house through a geothermal system. In winter, an antifreeze so-

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March 20, 2013 Home Hudson Valley lution collects heat from the earth and circulates through the house. Heat is conveyed underground in summer through the reverse process. With the solar array, said Reid, one is still connected to the grid, and there’s a constant give-and-take off the grid. “In summer, you create more energy than you use,” he explains. “In winter, you draw back from what you put in.” At The Preserve at Mountain Vista, the least expensive property for sale is a 2.36-acre lot whose price of $429,900 includes a 2,430-square-foot house with three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. “The price is comparable to stick-built homes,” said Reid. “But most of them don’t have the elements he provides, like triple-pane windows and low-flow toilets and faucets.” In addition, $23,500 in tax credit will be available because of energy-efficient items and materials used in the construction process.

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Greenhill will also be starting to build new homes this spring at Green Acres, a development within the Village of New Paltz. Prices there start in the high 400s.

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uppose you’re not interested in buying a new house, but you’d like to make your existing home more energy-efficient. Wyatt Roberts of the Woodstock firm Harmony Builders, a green construction specialist, said that there are ways to retrofit a house for energy savings, though of course building from scratch is easier. “We start with the low-hanging fruit,” said Rob-

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20, 2013 12 | March Home Hudson Valley

Hudson Woods Violet Snow and Paul Smart

W

ith advances in technology, there are many ways to go green when it comes to construction. There Hudson Woods, a development of 26 homes “set amidst forests and meadows with sweeping mountain views which offer modern design that blends seamlessly with the natural surroundings,� has finally broken ground decades after its first approvals. Now marketing its green qualities and upscale country attributes, the development showed up this winter in a New York Times feature. It is attracting interest from metro architects and second homers, mostly reportedly younger than the demographic others have grown used to in the region. “In terms of achieving net zero, we are offering our buyers renewable energy systems: wind and solar,� said Drew Lang, of Lang Architecture, designer of the upscale homes to be built at the 313-acre Hudson Woods, in the southern Ulster County hamlet of Kerhonkson. “All of our homes are wood frame and designed with passive heating and cooling in mind.� The 12-inch-deep roof cavity and 6-inch wall cavities are filled with opencell foam insulation, and four inches of rigid insulation goes under the slabs, creating a super-insulated envelope. The heating system is based on a high-efficiency, compact, propane-fueled boiler that feeds either slender wall-hung radiators or an in-floor radiant system. Windows are positioned for cross-ventilation and to capture sunlight and heat in winter, while long eaves create shade from the high summer sun. “We’re generally designing in a commonsensical, conscientious way towards healthy green living,� emphasized Lang. “It comes into play with everything we’re doing, down to crushing rock onsite to create gravel we’ll need for roads and driveways instead of trucking it in.� Even furniture options are local, with the model home featuring a kitchen island and pantry made from local black walnut and crafted by Hudson Valley furniture makers.

Other green options include electric-car charging outlets and an onsite windmill. Smart “nest� thermostats learn the patterns of the inhabitants and set temperatures automatically. The user can change the settings remotely via smartphone or PDA. Lots at Hudson Woods are sized from 2.7 to 7.95 acres. Prices range from $665,000 to $715,000 for the lot and the basic home package, a dwelling of 2,800 square feet with three bedrooms and two baths. “The last time this property was active was before I got into the business 12 years ago,� said real-estate agent Jeff Serouya a few weeks back. Serouya is marketing the homes for Westwood Metes & Bounds in Stone Ridge. “I heard there was a subdivision up there, but until Drew Lang [an architect from New York] bought it, it was lying dormant.� Mike Baden, chairman of Rochester’s planning board, recalls the earlier iteration of the development being a legal mess. “The original owners were trying to do two subdivisions simultaneously but never gave themselves right-of-way through the front subdivision to get to the back one, so there was no legal access,� he remembered. As far as he knows, he said, the parcel’s last owner sold to Lang after being unable to resolve the legal issues. They were resolved the past year. Hudson Woods said that its homes will be built as they’re purchased, with asking prices of $665,000 and up for threebedroom dwellings. “Based on the response thus far, it’s clear that Hudson Woods appeals to a diverse group and from my perspective as the designer and developer that is a true triumph,� Lang wrote in an email. Those expressing interest tend not to be folks from the financial industry, as was once a fashion for higher-end second homes in the Catskills, Serouya said, but “creative types in advertising and fashion, plus singles and families and every permutation of that.� He saw pent-up demand for second homes, partly because the rapid appreciation of real-estate prices in New York City has priced some people out of that market. Visit http://hudsonwoods.com/ for details.

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March 20, 2013 Home Hudson Valley ments, but it’s in a 40-degree room. Build a little room, and you’re only asking it to go from 75 to 120 degrees.” Insulation of the main part of the house can be beefed up by drilling into the exterior walls and injecting foam or cellulose insulation. Moisture buildup, however, can become a problem in such a situation. A deep energy retrofit would run into considerable expense and inconvenience, as it would involve tearing off the exterior walls to seal the building properly, add insulation, and replace windows. The cost would be comparable to building new. o determine what steps might make your home more energy-efficient, and to get assistance to carry out changes, energy audits — free for most homeowners — are available from NYSERDA, the New York State Energy Re-

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20, 2013 16 | March Home Hudson Valley work with a contractor and determine the savingsto-investment ratio. I like to see a seven-to-nine-year payback. New windows might be ten to 20 years, but sealing around windows might be seven to nine.� Strong finds some homeowners reluctant to upgrade if they expect to move before enough energy savings accumulate to pay back their investment. One option available is on-bill financing, in which monthly loan payments are added to the utility bill. “We move all the time, every five years on the average,� she said. “With on-bill financing, the bill stays with the property even if you move.�

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Changing marketplace Post-recession real estate has new players and offers new attitudes Susan Barnett

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January 2014 report from the New York State Association of Realtors trumpeted the glad tidings of a resurgent housing market in 2013, which marked a six-year high in annual closed sales. Though well below pre-recession levels, the median sale price of $227,000 was the highest since 2008. The spring rush has started early for many of us who sell real estate, particularly those who work with second-home buyers. But it’s not the same real-estate market that flourished before the bubble burst. There’s a new crop of buyers, an entirely different mortgage climate. The wish list buyers are bringing is now tempered not only by the economy but by the weather. No surprise there. Stefan Bolz, with Westwood Metes and Bounds, said that Ulster County is seeing an influx of buyers from Brooklyn. A seven-bedroom Victorian in uptown Kingston can be bought for less than $250,000. Compared to Brooklyn, that’s a steal. Of course, the reality is that there are taxes to pay, the buyers will probably need a car or maybe two, and utilities don’t come cheap. But still, all that space! Bill Sidoriak, owner of Flemming Realty, said he’s seeing a lot of Los Angeles buyers. “If they’re doing business on the East Coast, buyers not only get a place in the city for when they’re here, but want a beautiful place in the country with some privacy.� Barbara Carter, with Quinn Realty Group in Highland, said her buyers were looking for a bargain. “They are willing to pay less and get less in order to keep properties affordable,� she said. “Buyer confidence is returning, but they have seen what has happened in the past and are realistic on the spending limits they are setting. They are also willing to wait for what they want.� Sellers seem slower to recover from the beating their home values have taken in the past few years. Many of them are choosing to stay where they are rather than dive into a turbulent housing market. “I see many homeowners deciding to remodel or adapt and stay in their homes rather then list them for sale,� said Carter. “This may continue the low inventory that we saw in the fall.� Hilary Smith, a licensed salesperson at Freestyle Realty, sees the same issue. Her home turf is Shandaken, and she’s seen the Esopus Creek and its tributaries transformed from a selling point to a turnoff. “I’m hoping to see this change with the warmer weather, but it’s stale out there!� she said. “When you’ve got multiple buyers with similar profiles and barely a dozen houses to show them because anything in floodplain is out, it’s tough.� She elaborated. “Between Irene and Sandy and the changes proposed and planned for the federal flood insurance program, both full-time and vacation-home residents are opting away from

uncertainty and avoiding properties located in a FEMA floodplain. What used to be one of the premier features for Catskills real estate has become a big no-no.� Bolz is finding that second-home buyers, the ones who once flocked to waterfront properties, are now looking for a house that helps pay its own way. Houses, even weekend houses, with a guest house or apartment are desirable.

G

ary DiMauro, owner of Gary DiMauro Real Estate and my employer, said that many buyers are demanding turnkey properties. “Buyers are searching out properties that meet 99% of their needs,â€? he said. “That means sellers are having difficulty selling properties as is unless those properties are bargain-priced fixeruppers. The properties that are stylishly renovated or newly built and simultaneously priced appropriately are selling within a very short marketing time of 30 to 60 days.â€? Hilary Smith said this market’s buyers are looking behind the dĂŠcor. “Energy efficiency is in,â€? she said. “Whether it is a smartly-renovated older home or new construction, buyers are opting for lower utility bills and smaller footprints. For the same reason, smaller is now better.â€? Although there’s a lot of buzz about tiny houses, she added, “it doesn’t seem like this trend has started to result in actual buyers for tiny houses or land to put them on.â€? Bolz sees a resurgence of the humble ranch. “Retro ranches are hot: ranches that have been upgraded with cool tiles, moldings and floors, sleek kitchens and bathrooms. One-story living is back.â€? Mortgage rates are still relatively low, but buyers, particularly self-employed buyers, are finding it tougher to qualify. The pre-qualification letter, once the accepted coin among sellers concerned about a buyer’s ability to obtain financing, is giving way to the pre-approval letter, a more reliable predictor of a buyer’s ability to buy. And that means a solid credit score and the income to back it up.

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DiMauro detected big interest in the cash sale, due in large part to the tough mortgage market. “I attribute this trend due to the fact that buyers don’t want to park so much cash in equities, and if they do have the money they certainly do not want to subject themselves to the unreasonable and irrational scrutiny of lending underwriting practices which became so strict after they were so lax,� DiMauro said. “In fact, the careless lending practices of the early 2000s partly contributed to the housing market collapse. Conversely, the industry’s knee-jerk reaction to the collapse has hindered its recovery.�   he structure of the local real-estate business seems to be shifting, too. Agencies like Win Morrison and Coldwell Banker Timberland are actively recruiting new sales staff, betting that bigger is better. But some agencies are choosing to stay small. DiMauro, who has an established boutique business in Columbia, Greene and Dutchess counties, recently joined the Ulster County Board of Realtors. He said he picks and chooses what his company represents. “There was a time not that long ago when I questioned if we could be profitable refusing to list every property we were asked to list,� he explained. “Could I actually build on a business model that picks and chooses what properties we want to list, that interest and excite us? Thankfully, the answer over the last few years has been decisively yes.� Staying focused is a formula that’s working for Flemming Realty, according to Sidoriak. “I am completely against getting bigger,� he said. “It’s all about service. I downsized completely in the past year, to where it’s just me now. I’m involved in each and every transaction. It’s worked extremely well for me. I had very high volume last year.�

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20, 2013 18 | March Home Hudson Valley

Living with rats

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R

ats can be dangerous,” says the helpful website of a large municipality. Really? I can think of several young friends who have raised the domestic variety as docile, entertaining and improbably cute pets. However, when the wild ones invade your home, as has happened to our family on more than one occasion, it’s an entirely different story.

“

So, with no holds barred, here’s the hoary tale of how our personal home-improvement plan progressed from normal maintenance, dreams of upgrades, and the standard seasonal warfare against the incoming mouse brigades to the realm of shock and awe that I fondly refer to as the Rat Wars. I’ve really wrestled with this one. It’s the size of the creatures that does me in. When one is just about to doze off on the living-room couch, it’s particularly unpleasant to be disturbed by the pitter-patter of not-so-tiny feet. Then there are the droppings, the very large droppings. Oh, the horrors! But let’s back up a minute and start from the beginning. Once upon a time, a hurricane blew into our

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neck of the woods. Remember that time? Then a second one arrived a year later. The streams swelled their banks. Surrounding mountainside creeks gushed down through the woods while bordering lowlands, roads and homes of both human and animal kingdoms flooded. As people and critters alike were displaced, this apparently included the local Rattus Novegicus, more commonly known as Norwegian wood rats, who made their homes along the banks of the Esopus Creek just down the hill from our place. I imagine it all started with a disgruntled group of them, wandering about in search of a new and drier habitat. They might have been looking for food and a safe warm place to rest their weary little paws. Trudging uphill, our rats stumbled onto our cozy neighborhood, replete with chicken coops -- a real draw for rats -- and older homes, too. Many domiciles, boasting old fieldstone foundations and cellars that aren’t quite air-tight, are just like ours. The poor little dears struck gold, safety and sustenance. So began the battle.

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ost rural homeowners in these hills and even the recently arrived second homeowners realize quite quickly that as early fall wears on and as the temperatures begin to drop we have to manage our seasonal rodent problem. In the case of mice, one can hardly blame these small vulnerable creatures for coming indoors, though it’s just not a good idea for them to co-exist with us in tight quarters. Customarily, homeowners resort to keeping cats to help manage the problem, cats who would faithfully deposit the little dead bodies of their prey on the master’s doorstep. “Oh, thank you, Bootsie, a gift!” we’d mutter gratefully while disposing of the seasonal carnage. After the last of our cats was replaced by a pooch, we resorted to purchasing poison and placing it carefully to deal with the mice. That seemed to work, though there was a telling aroma that lingered on. We sometimes found a cache of poison pellets socked safely away in unusual places, like the linen closet or even a desk drawer. An old-time employee at Houst’s in Woodstock once warned me about this behavior. My savvy friends from the city rely on mouse-

March 20, 2013 Home Hudson Valley traps while eschewing poison. One of them even possesses a neat little electronic device that emits a high frequency to chase the mice away. They claim mice don’t like it, he says, and they take off. I’ve never tried one. It’s at the next level of rodent terrorism that the picture changes on a more profound level. It all began innocuously enough. Imagine our surprise, the first time we spotted the very large droppings of these newcomers, the suspected Rattus Novegicus. “This doesn’t look like mouse poop,” I said that day. “It’s too big.” Then I found more. My attitude progressed from disgust to horror as thoughts of Hantavirus and even gruesome images of the bubonic plague came to mind. “We have rats?! How could we have rats?” I shuddered. We had rats. They were in my kitchen. There was evidence. Then late one night, we spotted not one but two of the creatures. They were the size of a small cat! Even the dog wanted nothing to do with them. My inner drama queen did not take this very well. For the sake of the family, I tried to keep the musing of my overactive imagination to myself as the phrase “pitter-patter of tiny feet” took on new meaning. I resolved that we would be stoic and prepared for battle.

A

fter more than 34 years of country life, one becomes accustomed to the rituals and chores of season change, the challenges of living in a century-plus-old house, the maintenance of which we could barely keep up with after weathering the economic downturn and raising a sizeable family on a country income. You have to take certain things in stride, so I tried. Mustering confidence, off I went to the hardware store to purchase more and stronger varieties of poison. I decided I couldn’t deal with snap traps. It took weeks if not a month of faithful placement effort for this strategy to work. Then, finally, the rats were gone. And yes, it was beginning to smell. I searched for and disposed of the bodies, tried air fresheners and incense. I assured the kids on their visits home from college that this too would pass. Gradually the smell dissipated, but not before the rats returned, again. After the third rat resurrection, something in me snapped. I was on crutches recovering from a knee surgery. I couldn’t do this any more. I worried about the wiring, the contamination, the nightly forays these creatures and their progeny made beneath and into my kitchen cabinets, the drawer below my oven, and eventually into the living room and under the couch. I didn’t want the kids to come home. I just wanted to run away. The night I saw not one but two crossing over the kitchen sink, illuminated by the incoming light of the full moon shining through the window; the morning I realized they had jumped, yes, jumped, up on the kitchen table, I cracked. That was it, the final straw. These creatures were brazen and smart. They weren’t interested in the poison baits. They were venturing to new places, able to squeeze their very pliable little bodies through very tiny holes and

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follow the house piping to God knew where. It was clear, we needed professional help and we needed it now. The Internet is full of advice, some of it helpful. But it was the local pest-control guy who came finally came to our rescue. His advice: “Change the poison you’re using.” He gave us some samples, great big sticky stuff on a large black plastic backing with the instructions to place them in the cellar and other nooks and crannies. We were to check them daily. If necessary, we were to bait them with a little peanut butter. Within a week, the remaining rats were dead. While donning my rubber gloves and shoving their remains into a garbage bag, I wondered whether I should cremate their bodies. The image of this sort of bonfire somehow didn’t seem right.

| 19

I

t’s been a long haul, but we seem to be in the clear for now. I’ve been cleaning nooks and crannies for some time now, using cleaning solutions that I admit aren’t the friendly organic green stuff I’d prefer to use. I’ve recently chatted with an organic pest-control outfit from Albany just to investigate new strategies for future onslaughts. They suggest buying the largest size snap-traps possible, gluing them on to cheap patio tiles as an anchor, baiting the traps with peanut butter or chocolate, and paying a local teenager to dispose of the bodies if one is at all squeamish. I hope it doesn’t come down to that. I hope the rats don’t return. But if they do we’ll be ready. I’m not going through this again.

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20, 2013 20 | March Home Hudson Valley

Plumbing the depths for great pipe work

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ack when Kingston’s Common Council mandated that all plumbers who work within city limits be registered, they probably weren’t thinking about how that registry might be used. But in some ways, one unanticipated consequence of the law is that the list can also be used as a Yellow Pages, of sorts, to help citizens throughout Ulster County find skilled plumbers. Here presented without commentary is Kingston’s plumber list for 2013.

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Tim Harkins, Harkins, Tim Plumbing, 59 O’Neil Street 1B, Kingston, New York 12401. (845) 382-2052. Robert Heinlein, Heinlein Mechanical System, 157 Hilltop Road, Saugerties, New York 12477. (845) 246-5414. Frederick Heppner, 61 Tammany Street, Kingston, New York 12401. (845) 331-7682. John Horvers, H.V. Plumbing & Heating, 174 Clifton Avenue, Kingston, New York 12401. (845) 339-2973. Clint Kershaw, Mr. Rooter Plumbing, 75 West Road Pleasant Valley, New York 12569. (845)

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City of Kingston’s active licensed plumbers Robert Brian Allen, 790 Lucas Ave. Ext, Hurley, New York 12443. (845) 224-5516. John Basil, 273 Chestnut Hill Road, Woodstock, New York 12498. (845) 679-1075. Carlton Bell Simplicity, LLC, 156 Downs Street, Kingston, New York 12401. (845) 339-1397. David Black, Dave’s P & H, P.O. Box 123, Germantown, New York. 12526 (518) 537-4074. Rian Bradley, R Bradley Renovations, P.O. Box 3875, Kingston, New York 12402. (845) 4308348. Jacob Briggs, Jake Briggs Plumbing, 110 Grant Street Kingston, New York 12401. (845) 3382114. Michael D. Brinkman, Pro Services, 54 Elizabeth Street Suite 28, Red Hook, New York 12571. (845) 876-3991. Daniel Bruyere, Woodcock & Armani, 6500 New Venture Gear Drive, E. Syracuse, New York 13057. (315) 425-7100. Francis Carey, Carey P & H, 194 Canal Street, Eddyville, New York 12426. (845) 339-3790. Joseph Clausi, Clausi P & H, P.O. Box 1172, Port Ewen, New York 12466. (845) 338-6357. Scott Cleveland, Cleveland P & H, P.O. Box 515, Hyde Park, New York 12538. (845) 229-8988. William Conner, M & B Plumbing & Heating, 3460 Cooper Street, Stone Ridge, New York 12484. (845) 331-7231. Stephen Deolde, Deolde P & H, 199 Millers Lane Ext, Kingston, New York 12401. (845) 339-9177. Jason Dileo, 7867 Main Street, Hunter, New York 12442. (518) 263-9833. Stephen Eckelman, Dutchess P & H, 28 Reservior Road, Staatsburg, New York 12580. (845) 8768255. Brad Eichhorn, Advantage Plumbing & Heating, 9 Dover Court, West Hurley, New York 12491. (845) 679-6758. William Ellsworth, 74 Harding Avenue, Kingston, New York 12401. (845) 706-6719. David Estroff, Estroff P & H, 81 Old Mine Road, Kerhonkson, New York 12446. (845) 389-0692. Kenneth Finke, Ashley Mechanical, 27 Emerick Street, Kingston, New York 12401. (845) 3311652. Christopher Forgione, 375 Delaware Avenue, Kingston, New York 12401. (845) 380-4115. Jay Gakenheimer, Gakenheimer Plumbing, 414 Dutchman Drive, Saugerties, New York 12477. (845) 246-8493. Anthony Giangrasso, Community P & H, P.O. Box 678, Highland, New York 12528. (845) 6918295. Stephan Goralewski, 9 Shufeldt Street, Kingston, New York 12401. (845) 249-1095. John T. Grace, J T Grace Homes Inc., 2859 Eaton Road, W. Wantagh, New York 11793. (516) 8097786. Roland Green, Green, Roland P & H, 604 Otis Street, Kingston, New York 12401. (845) 3395510.

878-8001. Rex Kiniry, Kiniry P & H, 27 Spaulding Lane, Saugerties, New York 12477. (845) 246-3153. Eugene Knoth, Knoth Heating & Mech., 14 Hinkley Road, Shandaken, New York 12480. (845) 688-5901. Bryan Koch, Koch P & H, 3115 Route 32, Kingston, New York 12401. (845) 339-1614. Steve Lefevre, Hot Water Solutions, 31 Stone Road, West Hurley, New York 12491. (845) 3391513. Paul Lendvay, 77 School Hill Road, High Falls, New York 12440. (845) 417-1039. Jeff Lowe, Lowe, Jeff P & H, 101 Smith Avenue, Kingston, New York 12401. (845) 331-2480. Patrick McGuire, 65 Dewitt Mills Road, Hurley, New York 12443. (845) 338-7785. Gary Mecabe, Mecabe P & H, 165 Stickles Terrace, Kingston, New York 12401. (845) 338-4707. John Miller Jr., JH Miller P & H, 896 Elting Road, Rosendale, New York 12472. (845) 658-8314. Brian Murphy, 443 Route 212, Saugerties, New York 12477. (845) 246-2917. Todd Natale, Universal Pipe Fitters, 186 Mohonk Road, High Falls, New York 12440. (845) 687-

March 20, 2013 Home Hudson Valley 8100. James Noble, Noble P & H, 39 Roosevelt Avenue, Kingston, New York 12401. (845) 331-4696. Joe Nolan, Joes P & H, 132 Dutchdown Road, Saugerties, New York 12477. (845) 247-9055. Gary Otis, 27 Alcazar Avenue, Kingston, New York 12401. (845) 331-2557. Michael Passardi, P.O. Box 1386, Pittsfield, MA 01202. (413) 443-4402. Michael Perry, Perry, Michael Contr., 67 Latham Circle, Saugerties, New York 12477. (845) 2461252. Kyle Persico, Persico Plumbing & Heating, 465 Old Stage Road, Saugerties, New York 12477. (845) 399-7354. Larry Quick Jr., Main Drain & Flow, P.O. Box 1041, Port Ewen, New York 12466. (845) 3312500. Christopher Reed, Reed, Chris Plumbing, P.O. Box 457, West Park, New York 12493. (845) 384-6182. Aaron Rice, Rice P. & H., 338 Mettacahonts Road, Accord, New York 12404. (845) 626-5088. Carlos Rodriguez, Csr Services Corp DBA Roto, 54 Dott Ave, Albany, New York 12205. (518) 438-3831. Peter Ryan, Kyally Holding LLC, 550 State Route 42, Shandaken, New York 12480. (845) 3994829. Edward Sawick, Sawick, Edward P., 17 Stahlman Place, Kingston, New York 12401. (845) 3388533. Stephen Sharp, Lambert P & H, P.O. Box 544, Hyde Park, New York 12538. (845) 485-8012. Paul Sinnott, 6 Garden Court, Saugerties, New York 12477. (845) 590-1560. Stuart Smedes, Smedes P & H, 18 Meadow Drive,

Red Hook, New York 12571. (845) 758-9892. Bruce Smith, 33 Pine Creek Drive, Catskill, New York 12414. (845) 750-6011. John Smith, Heckeroth of Woodstock, P.O. Box 374, Clintondale, New York 12515. (845) 6792413. Mark Stauble, Stauble P & H, 26 Sterley Avenue, Saugerties, New York 12477. (845) 246-3462. Richard Strain, CB Strain & Son Inc., P.O. Box 3418, Poughkeepsie, New York 12603. (845) 454-0600. Carl Sumliner, All About Constr., P.O. Box 1902, Kingston, New York 12402. (845) 339-0226. Tom Sutton, Sutton, Tom P. & Elec., P.O. Box 196, Mt. Marion, New York 12456. (845) 246-7906. James Taylor, Taylor, James P & H, P.O. Box 363, Clintondale, New York 12515. (845) 883-6004.

| 21

Denys Thompson, Woodcock & Armani, 6500 New Venture Gear Dr, E. Syracuse, New York 13057. (315) 425-7100. Cliff Tienken, Tienken, Cliff P & H, P.O. Box 139, Malden on Hudson, New York 12453. (845) 246-9288. Keith Turner, Turner’s H & P, P.O. Box 1422, Olivebridge, New York 12461. (845) 687-2430. Edward Wolfe, Go Green Express Home Svc., 145153 S. William Street, Newburgh, New York 12550. (845) 562-6722. Eric Zielke, EZ Does It Plumbing & Heating, 3638 Atwood Road, Stone Ridge, New York 12484. (845) 687-0954. Lee Zolden, Zolden, Lee, Inc., 381 North Street, Middletown, New York 10940. (845) 343-2261.

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20, 2013 22 | March Home Hudson Valley

COURTESY OF WINERACKS.COM

Fruit of the vine How could a custom wine cellar enrich your home? Jennifer Brizzi

H

ave you ever thought of having your own wine cellar? Imagine a place in your own home dedicated to the storage and enjoyment of wine. Think not of the dank vaults of “The Cask of Amontillado” but

of a place of perfect temperature and humidity to store carefully collected beverages – and perhaps a showy and appealing area for enjoying them. There are many options when it comes to keeping that good stuff in good shape and ready to taste, from basic climate-controlled storage in a retrofitted closet to a whole basement area with display cabinets with etched-glass doors and a tasting area with glassware. But before you jump in and lay out that space in a new construction or renovation, there are many considerations to think of first. Chris Kehoe, of Kehoe Kustom in Warwick, says there are a wide

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lster Publishing is an independent, locally owned newspaper company. It began in 1972 with the Woodstock Times, and now publishes the New Paltz Times, Kingston Times and Saugerties Times, plus Almanac Weekly, an arts & entertainment guide that covers Ulster and Dutchess counties. In recent years we’ve added websites for these publications, plus special sites dedicated to tourism, health, business and dining. Check them out at hudsonvalleytimes.com. Ulster Publishing has a mission: to reflect and enrich our communities. Our content is 100-percent local - locally written, photographed, edited, printed and distributed.

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variety of choices. The first consideration, Kehoe says, is your goal for the space. “The first question for the customer would be, what is the purpose of the room? Is it just for storage? Will you use it as a display area? Will you have tastings, too?” Kehoe points out that custom wine storage increases the value of your home. When it comes to display space, the firm offers decorative elements like glass entry doors to the cellar, perhaps with an arched trellis that doubles as display for larger bottles, curved arches over counters or walk-thru, or dramatic waterfall designs and slanted highreveal rows that showcase the labels of special bottlings, illuminated by recessed lighting. Racks can be single- or double-deep, bins and cubes diamond-shaped, and shelf cabinets quarter-round. Keeping some wall space free for art and a tabletop area for decanting can be attractive as well. A variety of woods will also affect the look of the wine cellar (as well as the price). Wine Racks in Tillson has been designing custom cellars from environmentally responsible raw materials since 1992. The cellar consultant you deal with is also the designer. To make sure you’re both on the same page, this person will provide a three-dimensional rendering of the room rather than a line drawing. This person will also advise on the materials, from lighting to doors to flooring. Custom racking with features like fluted moldings, drawers, cabinets, special display shelves and other decorative elements is available. A budget for the project is a good starting point. Accurate measurements of the space will help de-

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March 20, 2013 Home Hudson Valley termine the bill, too. You provide a simple sketch with the walls’ dimensions and ceiling heights, the location of doors and windows measured accurately and labeled with dimensions, as well as the location of beams, poles, pipes, soffits, plumbing, electricity and air ventilation. This information helps shape the design. How much room can you devote to your wine cellar? What total number of bottles do you want to store? What sizes? All 750s? Magnums? Nebuchadnezzars? Half-size bottles/splits? Bin racks and cubes can accommodate all sizes, as can custom storage appropriate to the percentage of different-sized bottles. “Then the room has to be prepared correctly,” says Rob Hazelton, vice president of Wine Racks. “It needs to be built out, with insulation and environmentals.” Long-term wine storage should be free of vibration, direct light and heat. Also, because of the cooler and more humid conditions in a basement, that level of the home is ideal; any built above grade needs extra insulation and sealing. A corner with two exterior walls is perfect for a wine cellar. Wine Racks recommends a room adjacent to the wine storage area that is at least as large as it is, to accommodate the exhaust of the cooling unit. This venting area should be kept lower than 85 degrees F. The wine storage area itself should be maintained at an average temp of 55 degrees F. Any lower may slow down the wines’ development, and higher can negatively affect the wine, especially the longer it’s stored. An acceptable humidity level is 50 percent or above, with 60 to 70 percent being ideal. Any higher numbers may encourage mold to form on the bottles and corks. A vapor barrier is critical for maintaining the humidity level, keeping the lower or higher humidity of the rest of the home away from the wine. Walls and ceilings, especially in areas with high summer or temps or low winter ones – like the Hudson Valley, especially this year – need to be well insulated according to Wine Racks’ specs. Concrete walls and floor require a paint-on sealant for any cracks. Doors to the wine storage area should be exterior grade and solid core, weather-stripped and sealed. Decorative glass doors need to be tinted to keep out light and thermopaned for further temperature control. The locations of all plumbing fixtures, electrical switches and lighting are also important. “It’s up to the consumer to make choices based on their preferences,” says Hazelton. He explains the difference between a passive cellar, without climate control, which he recommends only for an entry-level cellar with 100 bottles or less, for someone who will be consuming the wines relatively quickly rather than storing them long term. “I would strongly discourage the passive cellar for 200-plus bottles,” he adds. The demographics of their customers are trend-

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ing younger. The lower end of consumer age was about 35 years old, and now it’s 25. “The consumer a lot younger now,” Hazelton says. And because of the huge surge in craft brewing, systems are now being designed just for beer. Traditionally 70 percent of Wine Racks business has been homeowners. “But that’s changing,” Hazelton says, “as more wine and liquor stores are dusting off after the recession and putting money back in their businesses.” As for what to put in that beautiful cellar, that’s

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up to you. But Hazleton says Wine Racks can help. “We have a total turnkey staff here, with experts on wine happy to make recommendations. Melanie Neucall here was a winemaker and our president was a sommelier, so we are glad to make suggestions.” If you’ve ever visited the wine cellar of a highend restaurant or winery and seen what promise those attractively displayed and well-stored wine bottles can offer, you may want to re-create that in your home.

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20, 2013 24 | March Home Hudson Valley

Homeowners can benefit by either leasing or purchasing solar panels for their home, and assistance is available from NYSERDA.

Solar choices Prices keep coming down, but tax subsidies are also declining Violet Snow

W

hen Jason Spiotta and Todd Koelmel, proprietors of Solar Generation in Woodstock, began installing solar panels eight or nine years ago, “most of our customers were early adopters,” explained Spiotta. “They were into technology and not that concerned about price and efficiency. They were just excited that the technology existed.” Since then, the solar landscape has changed.

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With advances in technology and a growing economy of scale, prices have dropped. Leasing has become an option. Recently, reported John Wright of the Albany installer Hudson Solar, New York State legislation has enabled attractive financing options, bringing solar power within reach of more homeowners. A typical residential system, said Spiotta, would be eight kilowatts (kW), costing around $28,000. NYSERDA, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, has been supporting solar power for years with rebates. As prices have gone down, however, so have the size of the rebates, which will eventually be phased out. At the moment, the rebate is a dollar per watt, so our hypothetical homeowner would receive $8,000 from NYSERDA. New York State also offers a tax credit, conveyed as a reduction of income tax liability. The credit is currently set at 25 percent of the post-rebate cost, with a cap of $5,000. The federal tax credit is 30 percent, also post-rebate, with no cap. (The federal tax credit, unless the legislation is changed, will be going down to 10 percent in January 2016. Spiotta predicted “a bottleneck of people trying to get systems in before that.”) In this case the tax credits would total $11,000. So the 8kW system, after taxes and rebate, would cost the homeowner $9,000, a savings of almost 70 percent. Spiotta estimates that it would take six to eight years for such a system, at that price, to pay for itself in energy savings. Excess power produced by the panels is purchased and stored by the utility company, to be drawn upon at night or on cloudy days. If the residents use less than the excess generated, the utility bill is reduced accordingly. Once the system is paid for, depending on how frugal the residents are with power in the home, electricity will typically be anywhere from free to half the amount of the usual utility bill – at least until the solar panels need replacing. A good-quality solar array, Spiotta said, should last about 25 years.

L

oans are also available through NYSERDA. While a loan increases the cost over time, it can be paid back as a charge on the customer’s utility bill, linking the solar system to the house. If the home is sold, the remainder of the loan is paid back by the new owner. Leasing the system is another option. Spiotta has mixed feelings about that route. “There are national companies that have turned solar for homes into a big banking business,” he said. “They have figured out a way where they can own a system on a residential customer’s roof, taking advantage of a homeowner’s real estate to put up the company’s system and sell the company’s electricity to the homeowner.” With no upfront installation cost, the homeowner gets clean electricity and pays the leasing company a monthly charge that is slightly less than what the utility formerly charged. While Spiotta is glad to see this system spreading solar technology, he sees it as ultimately exploiting the homeowner, who could reap much greater long-term savings as the owner of the equipment. Furthermore, the economics of the business dictate the use of affordable rather than high-quality materials. “After 10 years of the lease, how will the panels hold up?” Spiotta said. “What does that do to the industry and the reliability of the technology? When you purchase a system and put trust in a local installer, getting someone who puts a lot of thought into it, you’ll be maintaining a sure system.” He has set up a few leases himself, but always with high-quality equipment.

F

or New York State residents who are thinking about solar but still intimidated by the investment, three supportive new initiatives are in the works through the Public Service Commission, according to John Wright of Hudson Solar. One challenge has been the tendency of the NYSERDA rebates to drop without warning. “If we propose a system,” said Wright, “you need time to think, get financing, cut trees down, maybe get a new roof. Two months later you call back,

March 20, 2013 Home Hudson Valley

cloudy days. At this point, batteries are expensive and have to be replaced every five years or so. Given the toxic components, disposing of dead batteries is not an environmentally friendly process. To maintain power with a bank of batteries storing solar energy, the homeowner has to be conscious of the weather and careful about how much energy is being consumed in the house. “You have to know what the lights mean on the inverters,” observed Spiotta. “If it’s cloudy for a week, you have to be aware of the energy you’re using.” Some customers choose to remain connected to the grid but install batteries for backup in case of a power outage, instead of a generator. Spiotta said the battery backup is more expensive than a generator. “Unless you’re in a place where you lose power frequently, it’s not the best environmental choice. But there are always advances in solar technology, and with the work on electric cars, we’re about to see the same kind of progress in battery technology.” One solar company is offering a sort of compromise, an inexpensive addition to the regular solar array, called “a secure power source.” Spiotta explained, “It’s one outlet connected to the solar array. When the power goes out, this outlet will provide a small amount of electricity when the sun is out – enough to charge a cell phone and run a refrigerator. But it’s not going to pump water or heat the house.”

On or off the grid?

DION OGUST

Solargeneration’s Todd Koelmel and Jason Spiotta.

“

get calls from people saying, I want to be off the grid,” said Jason Spiotta of Solar Generation in Woodstock. “Some people just mean they want to be net-zero, producing as much energy as they use. But off the grid

means not connected to the power system, completely self-reliant. It’s a different lifestyle choice.” For most people, being off the grid is not a realistic expectation, said Spiotta. Batteries are required to store energy for use at night or on

you’re ready to go – and the rebate has dropped. This legislation will set aside funding for the rebate for a given time period. As NYSERDA gets closer to burning through the money, we can easily monitor the level of the fund and give the customer a deadline.” A second project, approved by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and set to roll out in 2014, is the Green Bank. This fund will back loans initially, in order to get banks comfortable with lending for solar projects. “A lot of community banks are not willing to step out and try new products and vehicles,” noted Wright. “They’re comfortable with home equity and car loans but not with energy improvements. The Green Bank will give them peace of mind that New York State will back a portion of the loans. They’re developing a financing template, so if there’s a default, the bank won’t have to cover 100 percent of the loan.” The NY-Sun Initiative, although less relevant to homeowners, has been a boost for the local solar industry and may ultimately make solar power more accessible for everyone. The program is a public-private partnership that secures funding for large-scale solar projects. Wright’s company has completed several jobs through the initiative. At Triform, a Columbia County nonprofit community for people with mental disabilities, Hudson Solar built a mini solar farm that powers the entire community, including several buildings, classrooms, a recreation center and a cafeteria. “It reduces their operating costs and gives them the independence to become more sustainable,” Wright said. Through NY-Sun, he has also installed a solar

field in a private compound in southern Ulster County. Such projects have enabled Hudson Solar to add 15 full-time, skilled employees in the last year and half. Statewide, 3,500 jobs have been created for solar engineers, installers and project managers.

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Due to a spike in the price of natural gas used at power generating facilities in December, the cost of electricity in the Albany area has doubled. “That’s more motivation to move to solar,” said Wright. “Every time electricity prices go up, the economics get better for solar.”

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he latest Onteora Central School District 2011-2012 budget proposal does not include massive layoffs as might be seen in other districts, but does feature the elimination of six teacher positions and reductions to part-time of another five, among job cuts in many sectors. The cuts are seen as a reaction to declining enrollment, but also contribute to a total plan that increases spending by only 0.87 percent, that would translate, based on revenue figures, to a 3.9 percent levy increase. At the Tuesday, March 22 board of education meeting at Woodstock Elementary, school officials presented The Superintendent’s Recommended Budget to trustees that includes an increase in spending to a total of $50,477,497. If the board adopts the budget at its April 5 session, voters will be asked to vote on the budget on May 17. If voters reject the budget proposal, a contingency (or austerity) budget could be put in place that would eliminate $121,785 from the equipment budget line, as mandated by the

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VOL. 12, NO. 43

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$1.00

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2012

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A miscellany of Hudson Valley art, entertainment and adventure | Calendar & Classifieds | Issue 48 | Nov. 29 —Dec. 6

Continued on Page 9

Hugh Reynolds:

Amayor’s farewell

Working Families boost Gallo

Hillside Manor bash for Hizzoner

All-natural remedies bring real help

INSIDE

alm m@nnac arts & entertainment guide, calendar, classifieds, real estate

NEWS > 6

COUNTY BEAT > 19

No fake

NEWPALTZX.COM

90 Miles to present “I Remember Mama”

11

KINGSTON TIMES

Coming to terms

Gallo 697, Clement 691 (so far). Polacco 228, Turco-Levin 207.

LLOYD:

Mountainside Woods debate

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011 VOLUME 6; ISSUE 38 ULSTER PUBLISHING, INC. WWW.KINGSTONX.COM

Page 9

Lloyd voters to decide on term limit extensions for town supervisor, clerk & highway superintendent by Erin Quinn

O Robert Angeloch drawing in Monhegan, in this John Kleinhans photo. by Kate McGloughlin

O

n Friday, March 18, 2011, on the morning of the full Super Moon, legendary artist and cofounder of The Woodstock School of Art Robert H. Angeloch, died quietly at home. To his professional credit, over 75 one man shows, 25 illustrated books, notable awards from the likes of The Pollack-Krasner Foundation, the founding of an esteemed Woodstock

art gallery and art school, and the fervent admiration of generations of devoted art students. To his personal credit, he leaves a lasting legacy of art, beauty and a sustaining example, having led a life of purpose with unwavering determination and accomplishment. Born on April 8, 1922 in Richmond Hill, New York, Angeloch served in the US Air Corps and Army during World War II where he was a pilot,

studied to be an engineer and ended up in medical school. He studied at The Art Students League of New York from 1946-1951, where he first began painting with Yasuo Kuniyoshi and printmaking with Martin Lewis. He spent the summer of 1947 learning the craft of making woodcuts with Fiske Boyd and it was that summer that Angeloch first studied nature working out of doors. For this reason he recently Continued on Page 13

Blaze of pages Phoenicia Library goes up in smoke by Violet Snow

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he Phoenicia Library was gutted by fire in the early morning hours of Saturday, March 19. Within three days, plans were already in place to open a temporary library on Saturday, March 26, in the building recently vacated by Maverick Family Health, across from the Phoenicia post office. “It’ll be a bare-bones operation,” cautioned library director Tracy Priest. “We’re restoring minimal services, but we want to open our doors. People can return library books and pick up books they’ve ordered from interlibrary loan. From the Mid-Hudson Library System, we’re borrowing a computer and components we need to check books in and out. We’ll open at 10 a.m., and Letter Friends, the early literacy program, will happen at its normal time, 11 a.m. We’re looking eventually to have a small lending library, which may be on the honor system, since all our bar codes were destroyed in the fire.” Writing classes and other programs scheduled for later in the spring will be held as planned. It looks like at least a couple of computers will be donated for use by patrons. The blaze was reported to have come from an electri-

cal fire, which started in the back of the building. “We don’t have a full report on the extent of the damage,” said Priest, who visited the building after the fire with the insurance adjuster and Town of Shandaken supervisor Rob Stanley. “The adjuster said there has to be a second claims adjustment because it’s considered a major loss. We don’t think any books or materials will be salvageable. But because of the location of the fishing collection, we may be able to clean some of that and save it.” The Jerry Bartlett Memorial Angling Collection includes more than 500 fishing and nature books, plus an exhibit of fishing rods, lures, fly tying gear, and photographs. “The books are a mess,” said Priest. “Everything is fused together and melted. What’s in the front of the building has been damaged by smoke and water, but everything there is like we left it. Then you cross a line towards the back, and everything is black. There’s a hole of the ceiling of the children’s room, and you can look right up into my office upstairs. Everything from my desk is on the floor Continued on Page 7

LAUREN THOMAS

Pictured is the cast of 90 Miles off Broadway's upcoming production of "I Remember Mama". Top row, left to right: Dushka Ramic as Aunt Jenny, Wendy Rudder as Aunt Sigrid, Zane Sullivan as Nils, Joel Feldstein as Papa, Wayne Kreuscher as Uncle Chris, Julia Cohen as Katrin, Ken Thompson as Mr. Thorkelson and Sherry Kitay as Aunt Trina. Bottom row left to right: Chloe Gold as Dagmar, Kim Lupinacci as Mama and Carly Feldstein as Christina.

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INETY MILES OFF Broadway will present “I Remember Mama” at the New Paltz Reformed Church on Nov. 2, Nov. 3, Nov. 9 and Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. The play will also be performed at the First United Methodist Church in Highland on Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. The story shows how Mama,

with the help of her husband and her Uncle Chris, brings up the children in a modest San Francisco home during the early years of the century. Mama, with sweetness and capability, sees her children through childhood, managing to educate them and to see one of her daughters begin a career as a writer. Mama’s sisters and uncle furnish a rich

background for a great deal of comedy and a little incidental tragedy. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $8 for students on opening night only, $12 for seniors/students and advanced sales and $10 for members/groups. For additional information, e-mail email@ninetymilesoffbroadway.com or call 256-9657.

N TUESDAY, NOV. 6, not only will residents vote on numerous contended races -- most notably being who shall become the president of the US -- but there will also be a plethora of local votes cast for federal, state, county and municipal political leaders. In the Town of Lloyd, the only local referendum on the ballot is for voters to decide whether or not the town clerk, town highway superintendent and town supervisor should have their two-year terms extended to four years. These are all separate referenda, as suggested by Lloyd supervisor Paul Hansut, who said that he wants to give “voters a chance to weigh in on each and every position, and not lump them all together, as many towns have done in the past.” The idea behind the four-year term, according to Hansut, is to give those elected to office “enough time to get familiar with the nuts and bolts of the job, Continued on page 12

The big read One Book/One New Paltz to read & discuss The Submission by Erin Quinn

W

Pictured are some of the members of the One Book/One New Paltz committee (left to right): Jacqueline Andrews, Linda Welles, Maryann Fallek, John Giralico, Shelley Sherman and Myra Sorin.

Phoenicia Library after the fire.

HAT WOULD HAPPEN if the selected architect for a 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero turned out to be a Muslim-American? How would people react to the news, particularly those families who lost loved ones in the terrorist attack? There are no easy answers to the questions raised by award-winning author Amy Waldman in her debut novel The Submission, chosen as this

PANCAKE HOLLOW SHOOTING PAG E 9

year’s One Book/One New Paltz readers’ selection. In Library Journal, Sally Bissell remarks that this book is an “insightful, courageous, heartbreaking work that should be read, discussed, then read again.” This is exactly what One Book/ One New Paltz will attempt to do as it embarks on its seventh year of a communitywide reading program filled with events, reading groups, panels and featured authors and actors. One Book is a Continued on page 12

A cut above

Esopus papercutting artist extraordinaire Jenny Lee Fowler

W

hen Jenny Lee Fowler moved from Oregon in 1997, she decided to mark each snowfall that first winter in the East by cutting a snowflake out of paper. Being a person who makes things by hand, it seemed like a fun thing to do. Then, like the icy flakes that drift lazily on the wind before becoming a full-fledged storm, the act of cutting paper snowflakes took on a momentum of its own as Fowler became fascinated with the folk tradition of papercutting. One day, her father-in-law asked her if she’d ever done a portrait, like the silhouettes created by folk artists. Her interest piqued, Fowler dared herself to cut 100 portraits of people. Beginning with friends and family, she later moved on to cutting portraits of strangers, who would sit for her at the campus center at Bard, where Fowler worked. “I practiced a lot and found that I totally loved it,” says Fowler. “It kind of surprised me because I’d thought of silhouette portraits as these kind of ‘stuffy’ things, and then I realized that they were really cross-sections of people at a moment in time. I started to see them as more dynamic.” Fowler came across a passage in which one of the early papercutters called silhouette portraits “a moment’s monument,” a description that she finds particularly apt. “They really do capture a little moment, and even the same person can have a different portrait the next day,” Fowler explains. Artful papercutting is now Fowler’s niche, and the Continued on page 13

Beauty of the beat PHOTOS BY PHYLLIS MCCABE

K

INGSTON’S CORNELL PARK HOSTED THE ANNUAL DRUM BOOGIE FESTIVAL LAST SATURDAY,

where dozens gathered to get their drum on. At left, Hethe Brenhill of the Mandara ensemble, dances in the sun. At right, a member of the Percussion Orchestra of Kingston (POOK) gets in the rhythm. For more pics, see page 10.

THEATER ON A TRAIN ‘Dutchman’ uses Trolley Museum’s subway car as unusual stage for play exploring sensitive topic of interracial relations. Page 16

TEEN SCENE “The Den” to open in Midtown, giving youths a place to dance, gather and do something positive. Page 8

FIGHTING FOR MIDTOWN Challengers in Ward 4 Common Council race say incumbent isn’t doing enough to help Kingston’s poorest neighborhoods get their fair share. Page 2

fall home improvement special section

BIG ‘O’ Organizers say second annual O-Positive fest will more art, tunes, awareness and health care to Kingston’s creative community. Page 14

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20, 2013 26 | March Home Hudson Valley

What’s being built?

DAN BARTON

Smiles abound as County Executive Mike Hein and then-Kingston mayor James Sottile cut the ribbon for the AVR housing project back in 2010.

Ulster County development reflect diverse approaches Paul Smart

T

he big development projects such as the massive Belleayre Resort in Shandaken and the Williams Lake Project down in Rosendale are often in the news. The riverside AVR project in Kingston and Ulster and the new wine-village proposal in Highland are inching forward at various levels of approval. Casinos get talked about, of course, along with potential hotels in and around Kingston, the possible rebuild of the former Granit resort in Kerhonkson, and some mysterious massive China City of America down in the southern Catskills. But what about the old-style residential market of 1-, 5- or 10-acre lots? Has that market started to rebound yet? What about the subdivisions and townhouse developments that were getting readied when the real-estate market tanked in 2008?

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“There’s not much new out there as far as subdivisions go,” reported Dennis Doyle, director of Ulster County’s planning department. He cautioned that his department doesn’t always hear of development plans when they are first proposed. “What we’re seeing are older projects playing catch-up now, from the big AVR development in Kingston – which just signed a developer’s agreement with the city this week, to a wine village down in Lloyd and Park Point in New Paltz. Otherwise there’s a few lots getting developed here, a few lots there, and more people doing renovations themselves.” VR Realty Corp. first proposed a large housing complex with a mile-long promenade along the Hudson River, to be built on the former Tilcon property on Kingston’s northeastern border with Ulster, in the early 2000s. With the housing market dried up, the company held back for several years on submitting final site plans for the first phase of its proposed mix of 1,658 town homes, apartments, detached singlefamily homes and commercial uses. But now AVR is starting now on the brick-and-gravel promenade, which is funded in part by a state grant to the municipalities involved. The improvements

A

will better showcase the benefits of riverside living. “A progressive, environmentally conscious developer with a reputation for exceptional quality and value” is how AVR defines itself on its corporate website. “Dedicated to creating the most positive home-buying experience with a primary commitment to the environment, AVR is a market leader in green building techniques and practices that result in cost savings, reduced maintenance, and an engaging environmental experience for our homeowners. AVR is proud to be a 100 percent Energy Star Builder.” That approach sounds quite familiar to those in the highlands between Olive and Rochester, in a neighborhood with such tiny communities as Samsonville, Mettacahonts, Riggsville and Palentown. own south near the Orange County border in Shawangunk, developer Lee Titus is also trying to revive his long-stalled 31lot subdivision on former farmlands outside the hamlet of Wallkill. He’s bumping into changed circumstances such as the state’s new regulations for protecting wetlands. The result has been a standoff. The planning board is asking for revised plans, including smaller home footprints and the dropping of one troublesome plot, and Titus is talking about his need to retain profitability. Some other proposed developments near the border between Sullivan and Ulster County have shifted their focus in the past two years from gated large-lot leisure communities to townhouses. Some locals fear these could be sold to Hasidim

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March 20, 2013 Home Hudson Valley seeking to move out of Brooklyn or Kiryas Joel in Orange County. “The whole scene is hugely changed from what we were seeing in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when everyone wanted subdivisions,” Doyle explained. “There are changing patterns becoming evident now. There’s a backlog of unbuilt lots out there, and others looking for a different sort of real estate. I’m hearing the second market is more robust than it has been a while, which changes the nature of subdivision development.” Several local planning boards confirmed what Doyle was observing. Woodstock has seen only very minor subdivision activity for the past few years, and very little new building beyond renovations. The same has been largely true for Shandaken and Olive in the northwest of Ulster County and for the Rondout Valley towns of Marbletown, Rochester and Wawarsing. In Rosendale, there’s a lingering 100-lot subdivision in progress. A village project is being touted in Saugerties. A conference center is planned for the old creamery on Route 9W in Esopus. The real estate-market, as represented by data from local brokers and multiple listing sites, show gradually increasing price averages and lessened sell times. In Marbletown, now as much a second-home community as Woodstock or Shandaken traditionally have been, supervisor Michael Warren said he’s detected a spike in real-estate sales. “We budgeted about $76,000 for mortgage taxes but we’ve received something like $100,300 for the year,” he said in an interview earlier this winter. “I watch the sales closely, but it’s impossible to tell from the sales reports if the buyer got a mortgage. This was a significant jump, but our mortgage-tax receipts are still only half what they were in the heyday,” before the crash in 2008. With second homes, he cautioned, some potential buyers are finding mortgage financing hard to get. More importantly, Warren added, rising prices without new construction mean shifts in local finances and school-aid formulas. Local governments are trying to understand what the changing real-estate market might mean for them.

| 27

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