The crew arrives early to move the great room furniture down into the basement and then brings up the event furniture to set into place. The caterer arrives and chases everyone out of the kitchen to get the main service set up, then moves to the basement to get the overflow hors d'oeuvres and desserts staged. The band organizes over in the corner next to the fireplace and tunes up. Your honored guests arrive....later on you stand at the balcony and talk to them about what is important for everyone right now.
But then, we're getting ahead of ourselves.
The direction a home-site faces is important to many people, so let's note here right at the top that this home faces east. The photo above was taken with the morning sun on the front of the house, and illuminates and illustrates the near perfect setting this home enjoys. The slope of the roofline matches the tree line beyond, and the trees are on the edge of the Wallkill River, flowing from left to right behind the home.
Upsweeping brick walls, each set between two pillars on either side of the driveway entrance, frame the view of your home for your guests. Lamps atop the second pillar, as well as lampposts
along the sides of the driveway bring them to the circular-drive arrival at the front door.
The exterior of this home is talking to you, from the driveway entrance in. Brick and Stucco. Two building materials that have been in worldwide use for a very long time. This is so because people everywhere like the way they look, feel, and last, and also by what they communicate by their long-term reputation. Among the more expensive materials to build with, they are also some of the most durable. The colors of the materials you see here will last for a long time, long after the vinyl siding found on most similarly aged homes will oxidize and fade. The brick and stucco serve nicely to announce the quality of everything else found in this home. The design, systems and materials used behind
these two exterior finishes continues this timeless quality throughout the home.
You almost imagine a valet meeting you as you come down the driveway to the walkway and front steps of the home. Actually wide and deep enough for several groups of guests while waiting for that valet to bring their car to them following a gathering. Through the double-door entry into an intimate two story foyer, floored of granite, and overseen by a long and sweeping stairway leading to the master suite and the second floor beyond.
Program note: if you turn on the slideshow, it will open in a new window, and give you a display as large as your monitor will allow. The photos are sequenced along with the narrative below, for your reading and viewing pleasure...
And before we go on, it must be mentioned that this home is brand new construction, which you'll see in the photos. There are a few things left that you get to choose.
Except for the two story entry and great room, the
ceilings heights are set at ten feet, with eight inch baseboard below, with coffered or tray ceilings above in the living areas. Tall panoramic paned windows bring ambient light into all rooms. Recessed lighting is found everywhere throughout the home for soft evening light fill. Every bathroom and lavatory features floor to ceiling tile from Porcelanosa. Climate control can be economical via twelve different zones throughout the home. Eight of the twelve are used by the radiant heating systems in each of the bathrooms and entries - wherever you see a tiled floor, know that there is a radiant system heating it individually.
Four zones of high velocity Hydro-Air Heating, a gentle, less drying system becoming increasingly sought after here in the northeast for reasons including essentially invisible design. Four zones of air conditioning (4 separate systems entirely) to cool the home efficiently. Wired for sound and intercom with recessed ceiling speakers throughout the first level. Now, we could go on for awhile describing these quality details but won't - except for a mention that, room by room, they are described in detail over on the right column.
You're on the main level now, where the wood flooring spanning the entire first floor from one end to the other is oak hardwood, oriented diagonally, with a counterpoint inlay along the borders of mahogany, all awaiting your choice of finish.
Immediately to the right of the entry is a sitting area for arriving or departing guests to say their
hello/goodbyes or during the event for those wishing a quiet place to talk. To the left is a large formal living room anchored by a gas fireplace surrounded by granite, and centered along the long wall. Two or three seating areas would nicely fit inside this room, well situated for intimate mini-gatherings away from the main event.
Coupled with this room is the formal dining room to the rear of the home. A large round table would work well to provide the seating needed for a large household holiday or special gathering, and provide a forum where everyone seated can see everyone else at the table. You can imagine
the rousing conversation such an arrangement would provide. Should you prefer the long table format, no worries, as you could extend a long table for many well into the living room.
For the large events you'll have, the dining room - with access from two directions - could be the stage for all of the self-serve food items, either with a large round table in the center or via tables set around the perimeter of the room, as the event demands.
We come to the kitchen, certain to be a center-stage of the home. With access from three different directions, and a wrap-around serving bar with seating all-around, this could easily be the focal point of your events, be they casual or formal or just breakfast in the morning. Whether you're
a gourmet cook yourself, or like to have your dinner events and parties catered, this will be the place to be during show-time. Corner situated, Brazilian 'Giallo Vinciano' granite countertops (that's not a brand name, but rather the name of a granite formation unique to only two locations in the world - and a special one at that, with a fine grain, light brown and gold, with light speckling), surrounded by off-white antique-finish cabinetry with a rope and grape motif-relief trim above. You will find enough storage drawers, shelves, and cabinets here to store any collection of culinary tools and service you may have. Behind the camera view is a wet bar between the kitchen and dining room, and
a large walk-in pantry. To the right of the photo beyond the countertop is the eat-in kitchen, and then the "great" room. The informal eat-in dining area is large enough to be a second dining room itself.
Outdoors, behind the dining room - kitchen - eat-in area is a massive Trex-System deck that overlooks the view through the meadow behind the home to the Wallkill River. You will see a great
view of all this in the slide show. If you haven't seen the slide-show yet you may want to
go there now. Photos that will size-expand to fill the size of your monitor, and resolution as good as you can get via internet.
The great room is a ballroom-sized space that, almost on it's own, defines this residence as one uniquely designed for entertaining. Standing there, you can easily imagine a large number of guests enjoying themselves and having a really great time here in this home. Combined with the deck outside, the large extended kitchen area, and the balcony overlooking the great room from two sides, there will be no tripping over other guests here.
Of course, this is a living space too.... and it has been set up for maximum comfort and utility, with a gas-fireplace framed on three sides by Anderson windows with transoms and capped by arched
windows, and covered overhead by skylights above. Media hook-ups in three locations are situated both high and low to provide for minimal cable mess and clean appearance.
A hallway away from the great room takes you to two rooms designed for use either as guest or in-law bedrooms or as a personal or professional office. One at the end of the hall, could be used as an office in which to meet clients, as it has a separate entrance at the rear of the home coming from an extended parking area at the end of the driveway. The other office area, situated at the front of the home, between the two entrances, could be used as a second office, library, or conference room.
The second entrance in front features granite flooring, and there is also a third entry tucked in there leading into the laundry, which would also be ideal as a mud-room, shoe and raingear removal
space. A full bath and a powder room / lavatory complete the tour of the main floor.
A full and half-bath are found on the first floor, appointed with floor to ceiling tile - as are all bathrooms throughout the house. The shower features the Porcelanosa shower column, and a hand-held bidet.
Ascending the stairs, the arched balcony openings overlooking the great room impress as you come to the landing, and continue around the corner to a sitting area that is adjacent to the master bedroom. Six bedrooms comprise the upper floor, and we'll not bore you with a words-eye description of all of them but will give you a taste of their configuration. Four bedrooms share two full baths, with each pair in a Jack & Jill format. One bedroom is a standalone room with it's own full bathroom. There is no shortage of bathrooms in this house. All rooms are situated along the hallway where the stairway from the great room arrives. All bedrooms are floored and awaiting choice of carpet, hardwood is available for additional cost.
The master suite is another story. Three windows in a bay arrangement cover one wall and overlook the rear of the property. At the entry to the suite is a marble surrounded gas fireplace. Double high/low media hookups as in the great room. Featuring two linen closets, and then a walk-in closet that would be large enough to serve as a bedroom in many homes, where a huge center island could fit easily.
There isn't much more that you would want in a master bath than you'll find here, and there is no sense repeating the lengthy list you'll find over on the right. You may be wondering what that thing in the shower is though... Manufactured by Porcelanosa, it is described as a "thermostatic shower column with fixed and
flexible shower jets..." You might have a tough time ending your shower after you get in there.
Floor to ceiling Spanish ceramic tile, again from Porcelanosa, and the same Brazilian granite countertops featured in the kitchen. You might as well begin, continue, and end your day staying right here.
The sweeping staircase leading to the upper floor from the entry is just around the corner from the master suite.
The house comes with an enormous unfinished basement, a walkout via double French doors exiting to a paver patio. You could house a rather large hobby down here, say just for fun, winemaking.
With the equipment used by winemakers - a press, fermenters, casks and stillage, it could be an impressive little operation. Of
course this is just an entertaining example to get the ideas running. Other large scale hobbies we have seen in homes in the area are a wood worker's furniture making shop, a precision tool & model shop, you name it - any of it would fit here nicely.
The three car garage! Can't forget that. This one comes heated, and has the coolest low profile openers (Wayne-Dalton iDrive) you've seen. Man cave? Maybe - but that could be the basement too. So many choices...
You have eleven acres here, and much of it is naturally landscaped - that which you view to the rear of the property leading out to the Wallkill River. Now, if you go back to that photo at the top and imagine a lush green lawn leading down the house and beyond - a beautiful setting for your home. Then again, if you are
that special winemaker, you could plant grapes over the entire property - wouldn't that look spectacular? So many choices...
Weather generally moves west to east, and here, with the home's location on the east side of the Wallkill River, you will have a cooler breeze, when it blows, because the breeze will be coming over and across the river (a continually moving body of water) - just before it arrives at the rear of your home. Open the windows and let the breeze move through...
Conveniently located less than five miles from major shopping - clothing, home improvement, office supplies, and multiple groceries and specialty delis. If you are relocating to the area to work at the Orange Regional Medical Center, your drive to work will be less than four miles.
If you have read this far, it is very likely you'll want to see more. That can be easily arranged... Please call us and we'll set your appointment as soon as it is convenient for you. Call us at 845-629-4878
