Winter 2021
HUDSON VALLEY/BERKSHIRES/CATSKILLS
ON THE
Cover
House of Hygge HALTER ASSOCIATES REALTY Cover Story on page 62
Containment Policy A Container Home Prototype Is Built in Columbia County
Clean Power Guide
The Green Jobs Revolution is Coming to a Profession Near You
The Art of Living At Home with Artist and Gallerist Anne Sanger
Welcome Home To Endless Possibilities!
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The schematics for LOT-EK’s c-Home in Claverack, a prototype for a line of homes built from upcycled shipping containers. HOME PROFILE p. 38
DEPARTMENTS 6
W INTER 20 21 / 22
FEATURES
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20
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DESIGN PROFILE: KINGSTON DESIGN SHOWHOUSE
By Will Solomon
For its 2021 designer showcase, Kingston Design Connection partnered with the Kingston City Land Bank to transform a home in the midst of renovation into a showstopper that will eventually be sold below market rate as affordable housing. 30
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HOUSE OF HYGGE
Right in the heart of Woodstock, this striking Contemporary combines vintage and modern design that defies categorization but ticks all the relaxation boxes, from Finnish sauna to custom kitchen and sun-splashed music studio. Sponsored House Feature
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THE MAKER: PAUL O’CONNOR
AREA SPOTLIGHT: POUGHKEEPSIE
The city on the river has a flourishing cultural and dining scene that’s made it attractive to young people and creatives. 18
AREA SPOTLIGHT: GREAT BARRINGTON
This jewel box of a town has seen an influx of COVID expats. 72
BACK PORCH: HABITAT FOR HUMANIT Y RESTORE
Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore resale shops offer designers and homeowners upscale furnishings and decorations; the proceeds fuel the nonprofits mission of building affordable housing.
By Joan Vos MacDonald
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THE STUDIO: JOSH FINN
A former set builder wows with his eclectic design-build projects.
HOME PROFILE: CONTAINMENT POLICY
Designed by Ada Tolla, Giuseepe Lignano, and Virginie Stoltz of LOT-EK Architecture and Design, the c-Home in Claverack is a sensual and stylish prototype for a line of homes built from upcycled shipping containers.
THE SOURCE: PAVE HISTORIC DECOR ATIVE MATERIALS
Simplicity of approach defines the style of the High Falls woodworker.
By Peter Aaron, Photos by Winona Barton-Ballentine
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The real estate market is as brazen and bombastic as daytime TV. Always in stock: repurposed floors and handpainted tiles.
HOME PROFILE: THE ART OF LIVING
Gallerist and artist Anne Sanger transformed her Hurley home into an creative engine for her work, turning the former primary bedroom into a studio to fuel her passion for painting.
MARKETWATCH: SOAP OPERA MARKET
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THE MARKET I N D E X O F A DV ER T I S ER S / MAP OF THE REGION
CLEAN POWER GUIDE 45
The Jobs Issue
Produced in partnership with Sustainable Hudson Valley, the 2021 Clean Power Guide takes a look at the green energy workforce and its growing potential in the areas of wind, geothermal, and solar.
upstate HOUSE
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M A RK ET WAT CH
Soap Opera Market
I
f the Hudson Valley real estate market of the past couple years were developed into a TV show, it would be a soap opera. Last year, smack in the middle of the pandemic, it was bold and beautiful, with buyers snatching up homes at record prices and the young and the restless moving in from New York City and other boroughs. It almost seemed like another world, because of a serious lack of inventory. But we all were on a search for tomorrow, wondering if any Hudson Valley residents who hadn’t bought a home prior to 2020 would ever be able to afford it again. Good news though. We spoke with a few realtors who have seen a guiding light in a very complicated market, leading us back to some normalcy. But like any soap opera there are always a few twists and turns along the way. So what is happening and what can we expect next? “Once we hit June, we went from insane to just a normal busy market,” says Greg Berardi, owner and real estate broker of Berardi Realty in Kingston. “In my opinion, it’s completely understandable why the market started early and ended early this year. People have not been away on vacation for two years. The most interested buyers were pretty frustrated with the bidding wars and said they would be back to look again once the vacations were over.” And they are coming back with purchasing confidence. “Buyers are feeling more confident and asking for sellers to negotiate more than they may have a year ago,” says Rebecca Agosta, a real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway. “A hot property will only get a few offers now as opposed to a year ago when it would have gotten a dozen offers.” Lisa Halter, principal broker/owner with Halter Associates Realty in Woodstock, sees a definite shift in buying habits. “We are definitely sensing a shift away from panic buying and into long-term lifestyle reevaluations,” says Halter. “The days of purchasing sight unseen are probably over. I think buyers want to make the right choice and are taking a little longer to weigh all the pros and cons of a potential purchase.” On the new buid side, supply chain issues are still a thing, for both skilled contractors and materials. “Builders are booked solid, and there’s a considerable wait for lifestyle amenities like in-ground pools and spas, landscaping materials, and high-end appliances,” says Halter. Overall, the Hudson Valley remains a hotbed of real estate activity, with markets seeing an even bigger spike in interest. “Greene County, where the ski areas are, will probably hold strong right through the winter,” says Berardi. “The market in Athens, Coxsackie—including Sleepy Hollow Lake—are very hot right now,” says Vicki Wolpert, a licensed real estate associate broker with Keller Williams Hudson Valley North in Kingston. “Many young families are interested in Sleepy Hollow Lake because of the amenities. Coxsackie is doing well 6
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because of the development going on at the riverfront. Athens is always hot but not many homes come on the market, so it continues to go up in value.”
EDITORIAL
“The days of purchasing sight unseen are probably over. I think buyers want to make the right choice and are taking a little longer to weigh all the pros and cons of a potential purchase.”
CREATIVE DIRECTOR David Clark Perry david.perry@chronogram.com
—Lisa Halter, Halter Associates Realty But buyers aren’t just looking for single-family homes. They are looking for investments. “Singlefamily homes or Airbnb homes are probably the most desirable along with 4-plus unit investment properties—and the bigger the investment property, the better and the more desirable.” says Berardi. It seems like we have a new character that everyone is keeping their eyes on—the rental market. “Rental prices continue to rise as we see new people move into the area because of the growth in the Hudson Valley,” says John Quinn, licensed broker with Quinn Realty in Highland. “We are seeing a lot of professional people moving in, not only from New York City but from all over the country.” Halter explains one recent change in the rental market: a lack of desire for short-term rental (STR) properties. “As town after town enacts restrictions on STRs, buyers seem to have grown wary of relying on that income to subsidize their purchase,” she says. “It’s also become a very competitive and oversaturated market, so it’s a lot harder to be assured of tenants than it was even a year or so ago.” Steven Jones, a real estate agent with Keller Williams in Middletown, says that the long-term rental market is just as competitive as the housing market, with low inventory and high demand. “On average, it is now more expensive to rent than it is to buy,” he says. “For example, a place that cost you $1,600 a month to rent, that same size space could cost you $1,200 a month in the mortgage. This last year across the nation, the average home saw rapid appreciation. Renters lost out on an average of $52,000. So, with mortgage rates still historically low, and rentals scarce, more renters are starting to look into purchasing homes.” Mortgage rates might still be low, but keep your eyes on that storyline because things might be changing. “Mortgage rates are projected to increase slightly over the next year to maybe as high as 3.25 to 3.5 by the end of the fourth quarter next year,” says Jones. What the next year might have in store for us remains to be seen, but stay tuned because the drama of this show is gripping. —Lisa Iannucci
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Brian K. Mahoney brian.mahoney@chronogram.com
DIGITAL EDITOR Marie Doyon SPONSORED CONTENT EDITOR Jane Anderson CONTRIBUTORS Peter Aaron, Winona Barton-Ballentine, Anne Pyburn Craig, Lisa Iannucci, Kerri Kolensky, Jamie Larson, Joan MacDonald, Nolan Thornton, Will Solomon PUBLISHING CO-FOUNDER & CEO Amara Projansky CO-FOUNDER Jason Stern CHAIR David Dell Upstate House is a project of Chronogram Media.
ADVERTISING & MARKETING (845) 334-8600 MEDIA SPECIALISTS Kelin Long-Gaye kelin.long-gaye@chronogram.com Kris Schneider kschneider@chronogram.com DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Lisa Montanaro lisa.montanaro@chronogram.com MARKETING MARKETING & EVENTS MANAGER Margot Isaacs margot.isaacs@chronogram.com ADMINISTRATIVE FINANCE MANAGER Nicole Clanahan accounting@chronogram.com PRODUCTION PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Kerry Tinger kerry@chronogram.com PRODUCTION DESIGNERS Kate Brodowska, Amy Dooley
ChronogramMedia CHRONOGRAM MEDIA 45 Pine Grove Avenue, Kingston, NY 12401 (845) 334-8600 | fax (845) 334-8610 chronogrammedia.com All contents © Chronogram Media 2021
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THE S O U RCE PAVÉ H IS T O RIC DECO RAT IVE MAT ERIA LS
H
ow do you finish up your new home renovation? overhaul of your home. “People need to come to see how The answer might just be the last thing you stones are installed, their edging, the grout colors, the expected: with something old. Enter Historic patina, texture, and variation of the material,” says Emmi. Decorative Materials, a division of Pavé Tile, She continues, “A sample will never tell the true and Wood, and Stone Inc., co-owned by husband and wife whole story.” Emmi and Francois Micallef. The Micallefs are making One of Historic Decorative Materials’ most beautiful the old seem new again with their repurposed stone and offerings is their French Provincial 19th Century Cuisine wood floors and gorgeous handpainted tiles. de Monet Wall Tile Collection. The collection is painted by Historic Decorative Materials was formed when Emmi, Emmi on reclaimed terracotta imported from France. The an artist and high school French teacher, joined forces tiles are inspired by the Eduoard Monet’s home in Giverny, with her husband, a French tile showroom owner. The France. “His kitchen became iconic due to his own professional marriage proved greater than the sum of creativity. It transcends time and trends. François and its parts, and patrons flocked from all over to make a I never espouse trends,” says Emmi. This truly shows in trip down to the couple’s showroom near Northampton, the work of this magnificent collection. The hand-painted Massachusetts. But the majority of their business is tiles do not conform to a trend, they harken back to e-commerce. “I wanted our website to be as beautiful as timeless beauty. It’s quite telling that Emmi was inspired the products we salvage and create,” says Emmi. They by what a renowned painter wanted to look at every day. photograph every image posted on the website themselves. “Monet’s kitchen, with its terracotta hexagon floor, was When your business is beauty, there can be no room for nearly my apex that I followed to get to this point today,” the ugliness that a digital image can often provide in says Emmi. Even if the past is not being utilized directly, abundance. as is the case with this tile collection, the inspiration “As an artist himself, François installed every stone still comes from an ideal of beauty that was established and wood installation and wall vignette we have,” says decades ago, and that is still highly relevant today. Emmi. If they don’t love something after six months, they Francois makes trips to Europe multiple times a simply take it down. Their showroom is truly a monument year to meet with suppliers for their business. If you’re to beauty, and an essential visit if you’re doing a total renovating your home with Historic Decorative Materials,
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Clockwise from above: Reclaimed terra cotta tile from an 18th-century house in Sarthe, France. Kings of France 18th-century French oak flooring. Seventeenth-century Delft tiles hand painted by co-founder of Historic Decorative Materials, Emmi Micallef.
your new floor might be reclaimed Italian bluestone tiles or reclaimed terracotta tiles. Either way, your home will be steeped in attractive history. “The beauty comes from highly skilled artisans generations ago and today, where time and craftsmanship bring out the best of what these materials can offer,” says Emmi. With Historic Decorative Materials, the best of what the past can offer is presented in a way that would fit in even the most modern home. “Installing reclaimed materials with modern elements in a home—historic authenticity with clean lines, opaque natural materials against translucent or metallic ones, is a pinnacle of the beauty of contrast,” says Emmi. Pairing the old with the new is a key part of the Micallefs’ work. Emmi’s philosophy is simple. “Think of a mountain— with its opaque, rough textures against an ephemeral, blue sky,” she says. “This contrast creates a tension of beauty, holding space for both the mountain and the sky.” Emmi’s Monet-inspired tile collection, as well as her Delft tile collection comes to mind with this simple principle. Emmi’s precise depictions of ships painted in gorgeous blue on a white background on the reclaimed tiles are the epitome of her principle of the beauty of contrast. Home Design Materials can help make every inch of a home feel like a museum piece. —Nolan Thornton PAVEHDM.COM upstate HOUSE
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THE S T U D IO
A hope chest made from black walnut, white oak, and western red cedar.
J O S H FIN N
Below: A book-match butterfly coffee table made from cherry and ash.
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J
osh Finn may have grown up in the Hudson Valley, but his early career path and subsequent journey back to the region were roundabout. “I dropped out of college and bought a one-way ticket to England,” he explains, describing his early working life. “I wanted to travel more, and I was doing handyman-type projects [to support myself ].” A growing interest in woodworking brought him back to the United States, where he worked in a cabinet shop in New York City— and then to a furniture shop in Wales, a Shaker furniture shop in New Hampshire, a millworking shop near Burlington—and finally to Judith Ames furniture in Seattle. “It’s funny, I always sort of thought I would end up back here, throughout all my travels, but was never quite sure how that was going to happen,” he adds. But after meeting his wife, Finn relocated to the Hudson Valley and opened his own shop in 1995. Finn’s approach to the craft seems defined by his apprentice-style journey and an accompanying naturalness, which has fostered a distinctive perspective, simplicity of approach, and down-to-earth ethos. This is reflected in his work. “I like to use traditional joinery as much as possible,” he notes, mentioning mortise and tenon as well as dovetails—a legacy, in part, of his Shaker education in woodworking. As a designer, simplicity reigns as well: Finn likes to emphasize patterns, lines, curves, and shapes evocative of the natural world, and adds custom carving in this style to some projects. Despite his stripped-down style, the list of his creations is rather diverse. Finn makes a wide array of custom furniture: beds, bookcases, chairs, tables (including a current project, constructing a table for New Paltz’s new town hall), and more. He also has what he describes as a utilitarian side to his business—largely doing work in homes, including kitchen renovations, staircases, built-in furniture, bathroom vanities, doors and entryways, and other projects of varying complexity. “Every job has some sort of challenge,” he says. “Sometimes it’s design, sometimes it’s material, sometimes it’s the client. I’ve been doing it quite a while—and I like that, figuring it out. It’s problem-solving every day. It keeps me busy.” Sustainability also plays an important role in Finn’s approach to woodwork. “I feel like if you’re going to cut down a tree, and it took 70 years to grow that tree, hopefully the piece of furniture or whatever it is would be around at least for that long—so another tree has a chance to grow back,” he says. For overlapping reasons, he works to source as local-as-possible wood for his projects, so as to meaningfully stay connected to the forests that are inevitably contained within the pieces. In recent years, Finn has also taken up teaching. “I love what I do, and it’s really nice to pass along the skill that I’ve picked up over the years, and see people get captivated by being able to make something,” he says. “It feels very empowering.” In addition to introductory boat-building workshops at Wild Earth in High Falls—where Finn works with students to build simple canoes and row boats—Finn has participated in a program at the Mzuzu Academy in Malawi, a small African republic, teaching basic woodworking skills to high schoolers. “It just feels like an honor to be able to go somewhere and be part of a community for a time and just give to it,” he says, describing his workshops and relationships with students there. The program provides valuable vocational training in an underdeveloped country—and despite being unable to travel there the last two years, due to the pandemic, Finn is eager to make a return visit in 2022. Ultimately, what makes Finn’s work so compelling may simply be his plain love for the craft he practices. “It’s been over 37, 38 years, and yeah, I love making things. That’s just what I’ve been doing.” Josh Finn’s shop in High Falls is open by appointment. —Will Solomon JOSHFINN.COM
A curved white oak staircase with a cherry handrail.
Josh Finn in front of his studio in High Falls.
upstate HOUSE
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S U S TA I N A B L E • PA S S I V E • N E T Z E R O NEW HOMES • ADDITIONS 8 45 679 2130 • WILLIAMWALL ACECONSTRUC TION .COM
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To transform a school bus into a guest cabin, Paul O’Connor covered the walls, floor, and ceiling with cedar and pine; installed dimmable lighting; added plenty of integrated storage options as well as a tiny wood stove and a sleeping platform.
O’Connor and his wife create elaborate decorations for their house on Halloween.
TH E M AK ER PAUL O’CO NNOR
W
hether he’s designing a life-size elephant structure, retrofitting a school bus, or crafting a greenhouse from salvaged windows, Paul O’Connor likes to think of himself primarily as a problem solver. Throughout his varied career, the multitalented designer has drawn inspiration from the problems presented to him. Ask him to solve a design problem, especially a difficult one, and it sparks a creative vision. His career began with the creation of a sea monster for a pool display in a Poughkeepsie store. “They hired me to build a 20-foot pink sea monster, coming out of a pool with smoke coming out of its mouth,” says O’Connor. “I was only 20.” Stagecraft was so much fun that O’Connor delayed going to college. “My primary interests then were art and sculpture,” he says. “So, I started working for a special effects company and I learned a lot about casting and special effects. That led to a job working on Broadway scenery. I worked for a company that worked on some really big shows, like ‘Phantom of the Opera’ and then I learned a lot more about sculpture and fabrication. Set design and set construction involved all my areas of interest—painting, drawing, sculpture, materials and special effects.” Best of all, the work involved solving artistic and/or structural problems. “That’s most exciting to me and that’s why I like to do a lot of different things,” says O’Connor. “Theater was a very good avenue for that because it involved so much of that out-of-the-box thinking and no day is the same as the next. But I was not really compelled by the theater industry so much as the design work.” upstate HOUSE
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Clockwise from top left: A life-sized elephant whose interior is a puppet show theater that O’Connorr created for the Sinterklaas Festival. A sign made from welding vintage metals tools for a consignment shop in Catskill. Part of O’Connor process for working out details and sharing ideas is building scale models. “I have worked as a set designer and in scenery construction for years and it is an old habit,” he says. “This greenhouse is for a couple that have been saving windows for years. Incorporating used windows into this particular design is a dream I have also had for years.”
O’Connor also enjoyed teaching and for 20 years taught stagecraft and construction at Vassar College. Ask O’Connor how he would sum up his many talents and he finds it difficult to answer. The Poughkeepsie native is uncomfortable calling himself an artist and he retired from teaching last year. “Lately I’ve been quite interested in designbuild projects where I’m not only building them, but I’m designing them for people who want to make an addition to beautify their property or make their spaces more useful.” At his workshop in Bloomington, O’Connor fashions furniture; crafts architectural elements like Victorian pocket doors; and drafts projects, such as the timber frame gazebo he built for a couple who wanted a wine tasting pavilion to match their old house. A favorite recent project was retrofitting an old school bus, cladding the metal interior in pine with cedar accents, then adding a sleeping platform and welding in a mini stove. “Someone I know had this on their property and they have a beautiful backyard with a view of the Shawangunks,” says 14
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O’Connor. “They use it as a guest house and they go out there to watch the sunset.” He’s also designing a one-of-a-kind greenhouse in Red Hook. “They’ve been collecting windows for 20 years, hoping to someday build a greenhouse and then they found me.” After creating the extraordinary, O’Connor finds it satisfying to enhance the ordinary. “Theater is an inherently wasteful industry,” he said. “It was very exciting to me in a lot of ways and I loved teaching, but I like the idea of something being a little more permanent, of adding to people’s lives and homes. I think COVID had a lot to do with that. Everybody is looking at their spaces, wanting to be comfortable and upgrade, to use their space differently.” He does rely on his stagecraft experience to create sculptures for the yearly Sinterklaas Festival in Rhinebeck. “My thing was to do these large sculptural walk-in constructions where there would be an event inside. One year I made a life-size elephant that you could walk inside.” The interior, decorated to resemble a Moroccan
palace, was large enough to host a puppet show. “It was made from a lot of pieces, especially because it had to be assembled on site in one day and then removed at the end of the day,” says O’Connor. “It was a very logistical piece. It was big enough for eight to ten kids to be inside at one time.” Framed with wood, chicken wire, and muslin, finished with paint and glass eyes, the elephant took two months to build. It had a moving trunk that could tap children on the shoulder. The couple who asked O’Connor to build a greenhouse contacted him after visiting the festival. Looking at the elephant, it was obvious that O’Connor knows how to make things work. “Ever since I retired, these projects have sort of been coming to me,” says O’Connor. “People ask, oh you’re free? You do unusual things. How about looking at this project?” While O’Connor may be reluctant to describe himself as an artist, solving problems is an art he excels at. —Joan Vos MacDonald @PAOCONNOR1964
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COM M U N IT Y
POUGHKEEPSIE Little Water Place By Anne Pyburn Craig Photos by David McIntyre
P
oughkeepsie’s name is adapted from a Wappinger Native American word that means, more or less, “reed-covered lodge by the little water place,” presumably referencing a stream flowing into the Hudson. When Robert Sanders and Myndert Harmense Van Den Bogaerdt bought the land in 1686, folks promptly set about building a lot more there, notably including breweries, colleges (Matthew Vassar rather presciently started breweries and a college too), mills, and millineries. In the nineteenth century came the grand mansions of Millionaires’ Row, many of them now public historic sites, and the 1869 Bardavon Opera House, making the reed-covered lodge by the little water place the Queen City of the Hudson for a time. The 20th century brought Marist College and the Culinary Institute of America into the mix, along with IBM, which still employs 4,000 people in Poughkeepsie. A poorly considered arterial highway sliced through the city in the urban renewal era, cutting the waterfront off from the rest of town and siphoning off former downtown shoppers and diners to the suburban sprawl along Route 9, and 16
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the city has been fighting to recover economically ever since. There are still challenges aplenty: on a recent weekend, Poughkeepsie made the news for several shootings—but even as the grief resonated, so did hope, as “60 Minutes” aired a piece about the successful reinvention of the Trolley Barn as an art gallery, an old factory as the new digs of Scenic Hudson, and an abandoned building on Academy Street as a food hall with fresh eats, vendors, kitchen, brewery, and 28 units of much-needed housing being developed by the Baxter Building Corporation. Mayor Rob Rolison is pleased with how it’s going and excited about what’s next. Last summer saw the return of the three-day waterfront Riverfest after a 15-year hiatus. It was a resounding success according to Rolison. “We had great weather and thousands of people: seniors, families, visitors, residents, all just having a great time,” he says. Rolison is also excited about a project being undertaken by MASS Design Group, the redesign and rebuild of 316 Main into a mixed-use six-story building. “It was turned into a sort of modern flat-roofed building that didn’t match the architecture we’re proud of, and
it’s going to be much better,” he says. A homebuilding partnership between Hudson River Housing and the YouthBuild program run by Nubian Directions II, a youth enrichment and community empowerment nonprofit, will renovate three homes for the Northside Homeownership Program, while the city invests $4 million in upgrading portions of its 18 parks. A group of organizations called the 55 Montgomery Coalition is hard at work creating what will be the Youth Opportunity Union. “The YOU,” a county vision that will be located in the heart of the city at the former YMCA, is yet another MASS Design project that has Rolison excited. “The Y was our largest blighted building; it’s been a symbol of decay since 2009, and now the county has committed $25 million for a beautiful, functional new building there,” he says. There’s a housing study underway in partnership with Mid-Hudson Pattern for Progress that will help inform decision making, and a traffic study in partnership with the county and state will hopefully render some suggestions on solving, or at least mitigating, some of the issues created by that pesky arterial.
THE FACTS ZIP CODE: 12601-12604 POPULATION: 30,381 MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $43,794 PROXIMITY TO MAJOR CITY: 70 miles from New York City; 80 miles from Albany
TRANSPORTATION: The city is accessible by the Noxon Road exit of the Taconic State Parkway. Both Metro-North and Amtrak trains stop downtown. The city runs its own bus system, and the Dutchess County-wide LOOP buses also make stops.
NEAREST HOSPITAL: Both Vassar Brothers Medical Center and the Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital of Westchester Medical Center (formerly St. Francis Hospital) are located within the city.
SCHOOLS: The Poughkeepsie City School District has nearly 5,000 students attending six elementary schools, a middle school, a high school and a community learning center. Private schools include Oakwood Friends, Poughkeepsie Day School, Faith Christian Academy, and Our Lady of Lourdes High School.
Ira Lee, owner of Twisted Soul, a fusion restaurant on Raymond Avenue. Opposite: A view of the Mount Carmel neighborhood and the Mid-Hudson Bridge in the distance from the eastern end of the Walkway Over the Hudson.
POINTS OF INTEREST: Walkway Over the Hudson, Bardavon Opera House, Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum, Locust Grove Historic Estate, the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at
THE SCENE “Our art scene continues to flourish; the MidHudson Civic Center has had a facelift and it’s starting to get active again, which is lovely,” says Rolison. “And the food! My wife and I have been doing a lot of takeout, and between deli and pizza and restaurants, it’s been delicious. We have so many hidden gems—Italian and Latin of all sorts, Asian, Indian, African flavors of various countries, Oaxacan—diversity not just in cuisine but in atmosphere and price point. If you look at citywide, I’d say we have just about everything. Happily, we only lost a few restaurants—most have been able to stay open and worked right through COVID.” The city’s cultural life is also getting back up to speed, with the Bardavon and the Civic Center cautiously resuming live programming, in addition to new venues like Revel 32. Galleries old (Barrett Art Center) and new (Queen City 15) are mounting exhibits of national and regional artists and the Frances Lehman Loeb Museum at Vassar College hosts traveling exhibitions and shows of its own world-class collections.
THE MARKET “Poughkeepsie hasn’t escaped the boom,” says realtor Steven Domber of Berkshire Hathaway. “It’s starting to stabilize, but prices are holding steady, and there are still multiple offers and bidding wars on properties in good shape. If you’re looking, get pre-qualified and be prepared to move quickly.” At the time of this writing, pretty Colonials and ranches with three and four bedrooms were listing in the $300,000 to $450,000 range, with a few smaller homes under $300,000. Many of the available homes were located in the surrounding town, with not much available in the city proper—though you could still find a few condos under $250,000. Between $500,000 to $800,000, you’ll find stately four- and five- bedroom Colonials and some stylish modern homes. To get much fancier than that, you’ll need to venture out into the rolling farmlands of Eastern Dutchess County and beyond.
Vassar College, Union Street Historic Neighborhood, Poughkeepsie Post Office at Mansion Street, Waryas Park, Dutchess Rail Trail
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utzo, crazy, bananas, absolutely insane. These are just some of the words professionals have been using to describe the real estate market in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, during the height of the pandemic in 2020. Now, a year later, the housing market in the quaint town and its bucolic surroundings has cooled from a raging, overflowing boil to just a raging boil. The pandemic was the inciting incident that sent New Yorkers streaming upstate and to the right into the Berkshires, but it was generations of cultural cultivation and good planning that has made the town of Great Barrington the dream relocation destination for so many metropolitan expats over the past two years. The influx of new residents and new capital is reinvigorating the town and all it has to offer. The Scene Great Barrington’s draw is a confident sense of place and an elegant, casual style that permeates its shops, restaurants, cultural venues, and community. Outdoor activities abound. A good hike up Monument Mountain or a healthy morning of skiing at Catamount provide great 18
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Berkshire Rejuvenation By Jamie Larson Photos by Bill Wright
rationalizations to come back into town to splurge at stores like One Mercantile, GB9, Out of Hand, or Barrington Outfitters. Nourish yourself at any of the local world-class restaurants like Cafe Adam, Prairie Whale and so many more. Arts and culture permeate the town’s extensive cultural district, captained by the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. Grab a drink in atmospheres that range from homey and casual at Barrington Brewery to upscale and innovative at Mooncloud. There are also four recreational marijuana dispensaries in Great Barrington if you swing that way. Betsy Andrus, Executive Director of the Great Barrington-based Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, says the influx of urban New Yorkers is influencing the way the town does business. Tastes and buying patterns are changing, centered less around casual tourism and more on quality items and experiences. “For the businesses, the more traffic the better. It’s always positive,” says Andrus. Andrus says the huge demand on a dwindling housing supply is running prices up in Great Barrington and its surrounding countryside but even at increased prices you get what you pay for. Homes here have a classic New England rural feel,
but are most likely going to be updated and stylish. There is not a lot of new construction and the makeup of neighborhoods doesn’t change much thanks to historical districts and environmental preservation easements, which proliferate due to active conservation organizations like the Berkshire Natural Resources Council. While these factors limit some options, they are also insurance against losing a view or seeing a neighboring farmer’s field transformed into a sea of McMansions. The Market Though the housing market has calmed down some, real estate agent Tim Lovett of Berkshire Property Agents, called the early pandemic rush on property in Great Barrington “epic.” Nothing stayed on the market for more than two or three days and often sold day one. “At first [in the beginning of the initial 2020 lockdown], no one knew what was going on, sales were slow, then there was this Friday in April,” recalls Lovett with a slightly traumatized wistfulness. “It seemed like the floodgates opened and all hell broke loose. Being a service industry, we tried to help as much as possible. People were moving out of fear.”
THE FACTS ZIP CODE: 01230 POPULATION: 7,027 MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $80,519 DISTANCE TO MAJOR CITY: Great Barrington is 137 miles from both New York City and Boston.
TRANSPORTATION: Reach Great Barrington by car via the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90; Exit 1, West Stockbridge to Route 41 South, or Exit 2, Lee/ US Route 20 to Route 7 South). There is Bonanza Bus bus service to Lee and Lenox, and there’s an Amtrak train service to Pittsfield.
NEAREST HOSPITAL: Fairview Hospital, 29 Lewis Ave, Great Barrington.
SCHOOLS: The Berkshire Hills Regional School District, based in nearby Stockbridge, is well regarded and there are a number of private schools within a reasonable distance. The closest are the Berkshire Waldorf School, John Dewey Academy, and Eagleton School.
POINTS OF INTEREST: Catamount Mountain Resort, Butternut Ski Area, Beartown State Forest, Monument Mountain, Mount Everett, Ashintully Gardens, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Daniel Art Center at Simon’s Rock, Mass Live Art, Barrington Stage Company, Vault Gallery, Bernay Marjoram + Roux was a welcome addition to Railroad Street when it opened in 2020.
Fine Art, W.E.B. Du Bois National Historic Site.
Opposite: Looking east on Main Street in Great Barrington. The pandemic caused “all hell to break loose” in the real estate market according to one local real estate agent.
One Mercantile, GB9, Out of Hand, Barrington Outfitters, Great Barrington Antique Center. Cannabis dispensaries include Theory Wellness,
According to the most recent Berkshire Realtors’ Berkshire Market Watch Report, there has been $629 million in real estate transactions over the past year, October 2020 to October 2021, in the county. More than half that total was made in the southern region of the county where Great Barrington holds sway. Countywide, by the 3rd quarter of 2020, the average residential sale price rose 24 percent compared to 2019, and rose an additional 20 percent in 2021. This is the highest ever percentage increase since tracking began in 1996. The source of the immigration is predominantly New York City with only an occasional buyer coming from the Boston metro area, Lovett says, adding that there is very little on the market in Great Barrington for under $1 million right now, and what there is goes quick. Properties over a million don’t last long either. “For years, we have thought the Berkshires were really well set up for a big migration,” Lovett says. “Great Barrington is such a great option for people looking to get out of the city. It’s smart, worldly, cultured, but also down-to-earth. It’s completely unpretentious.”
While COVID has had an incalculable negative impact on every region, this deluge of buyers has pumped new money into the local economy, new residents into the community, and new children into a highly regarded but previously shrinking public and private schools. Lovett says couples in their 30s with kids have been the most prevalent type of buyers through the pandemic. It’s a demographic that isn’t just here to shop and play, it’s a demo that will be foundational to the future of the region. While most are coming from New York City, they are also seeing young families moving east from California, driven out, in part they say, by climate change. The families are finding an equally beautiful landscape and a likeminded progressive community. “The ‘net net’ [of the pandemic] was an incredible silver lining for the Berkshires and the Hudson Valley,” Lovett says. “There’s a new energy and a new population that I don’t think will go back, thanks in large part to remote working. It’s a sea change. This migration has been a rejuvenation of the brand of the Berkshires.”
Rebelle, Calyx Berkshire, and Farnsworth Fine Cannabis Company. Dining options are many and include Barrington Brewery and Restaurant, Twoflower, Prairie Whale, Siam Square, Bizalion, Baba Louie’s, Café Adam, Naji’s and others.
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D ES IGN PRO FILE
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Above: Maryline Damour and Mel Jones, Jr of Damour Drake designed Anywhere But Here. Opposite: Haleh Atabeigi designed The Scrabble Room. For a full list of all the design participants in the 2021 Kingston Design Showhouse, visit Kingstondesignconnection.com.
THE CREATIVITY/ AFFORDABILITY CONNECTION 2021 Kingston Design Showhouse By Will Solomon Photos by Phil Mansfield
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reativity abounds in the Hudson Valley, but making connections is not always simple. “[When] I moved up here in 2016, I was looking to connect with other designers and makers and folks who do design builds, and it was just really hard for me to connect with people,” says Maryline Damour, interior designer at Damour Drake. “It turned out that a lot of people were in that same situation, people who had lived here for a long time, or people who had just moved here. A lot of people did not have a network of folks in that industry.” Damour took it upon herself to change that. After spending a year visiting design events and meeting other creative professionals, Damour founded Kingston Design Connection. The primary activity of the organization is the annual Kingston Design Showhouse, an event dedicated to design and construction in the Hudson Valley, which returns October 8-24. Now in its fourth year, the showhouse has become an integral venue for highlighting and developing collaborations between local designers and makers, as well as showcasing the distinctive architectural vibrancy of Kingston. Every year since 2018, creatives from the region and beyond—interior designers, contractors,
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Larysa Sandich of Nesta Studio designed the living room.
landscape architects, artisans, and artists—have come together to remodel a Kingston home. Each designer is given wide latitude to remake a specific space, and collectively they ultimately transform the properties into beautiful living spaces that are also artistic installations. By “building community through design”—the stated goal of the Kingston Design Connection— the showhouse serves as a vital link within the regional design industry. “I started it specifically for economic development reasons, as a mechanism for designers and makers and artists and contractors to connect,” Damour says. “The more we know each other, the more we can hire each other and support local businesses.” For Damour, allowing creatives and craftspeople to network and secure contracting and design jobs—while simultaneously inspiring local homeowners—has been a principal focus and achievement of the showhouse. Kingston City Land Bank Collaboration This local dimension has extended beyond purely creative collaborations: the showhouse has annually partnered with and donated proceeds to area nonprofits—including Hudson Valley Senior Residence, Family of Woodstock, and People’s Place, among others—as a means of giving back
to the communities in which they take place. This year, KDC is taking that a step further with a novel collaboration: the home to be exhibited was initially acquired and renovated by the Kingston City Land Bank (KCLB), a nonprofit that works to restore vacant and distressed homes in the city and affordably return them to the community at affordable rates. This year’s home will ultimately be sold as affordable housing below market value, in line with the KCLB’s mission. This collaboration is in many ways a natural outgrowth of the Kingston Design Connection’s mission. “The land bank, to me, was continuing the community development and economic development focus of our organization,” says Damour. “It’s just kind of extending our goal.” Daniel Kanter, a local designer and board chair of the KCLB, concurs. “It felt like a very natural partnership to work with a local design collaborative that brings in so much local talent,” he says. This particular partnership has been especially beneficial for both organizations: the KCLB has been able to focus resources on other projects, leaving the interior finishing to the 2021 slate of designers, while KDC has been granted an essentially blank canvas on which to create and exhibit designs.
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Jesika Farkas of Jesika Farkas Designs designed the kitchen. Opposite Aude BronsonHoward designed the dining room and the walk-in closet off the dining room (pictured).
This Year’s Model This year’s showhouse, at 174 Hasbrouck Avenue, is a roughly 1,300-square-foot, two-story brick side hall Victorian located in midtown Kingston, originally built in the late 1800s. The initial renovations completed by the KCLB were extensive and included major structural work: rebuilding the front porch and restoring the original balustrade; stabilization work including new piers, footings, support posts, and beam in the basement; and a concrete pour to strengthen the foundation. KCLB also did extensive interior work, including reworking the original floor plan; upgrading the electric, plumbing, and heating; refinishing of the home’s original hardwood floors; replacing windows in the historic double-hung style; and repairing the interior plastering. This overhaul has ultimately resulted in a shell to be finished by the showhouse’s participating designers, whose work will be on display from October 8 through 24. (Tickets can be purchased here.) The home’s kitchen and two bathrooms were complete custom build-outs guided by KDS designers, from cabinetry and appliances to fixtures, lighting, tile, and decor. In the rest of the house, designers worked their magic on the home’s bedrooms, living room, dining room, an “Anywhere but Here” Lounge, and a “Scrabble Room”—and outdoors, the yard got a full landscape design with a custom structure in the garden.
This year’s showhouse brings together 10 designers: painter Haleh Atabeigi; Nantucket-based designer Audrey Sterk; fashion, costume, textile, and interior designer Aude Bronson-Howard; interior designer Jesika Farkas; set decorator Stacey Anderson; interior designer Barbara Fisher; Brooklyn interior design firm Nesta Studio; interior design studio JMorris Design LLC; and landscape architect Jeff Keiter. While the designers do not all hail from the Hudson Valley, a connection will invariably be present. “I’ve only ever had one design brief: Every designer has to showcase an upstate maker in a very specific way,” says Damour, who will also be taking over one of the home’s spaces. “It’s an opportunity for the designer and the maker, or the artist, to actually partner—it makes a relationship, as opposed to just borrowing something from somebody.” Damour mentions her own collaborations in this year’s showhouse with Anna Svoboda-Stel of Germantown Laundromat, who created a custom daybed cover and bolsters, and Hudson Valley-based Eric Archer, who contributed painted woodcarvings. Other designers collaborate with Beaconand New York City-based Robin Rice Gallery to curate artwork for their spaces, including the powder room and the living room. upstate HOUSE
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The exterior design and landscaping was done by Jeff Keiter. The outdoor patio was designed by Stacey Anderson of Nest Design Studios.
Affordable Design The backdrop to the showhouse’s collaboration with the KCLB is the worsening citywide and regional housing crisis. According to the Ulster County Board of Realtors, the average home price in Ulster County increased 44 percent from January 2020 to January 2021, a trend that shows no immediate signs of abating within Kingston or the broader Hudson Valley. While design is not typically associated with affordable housing, both Damour and Kanter see strengthening the link as essential. “Designers have expressed the desire to do work like this, [but] they just don’t really ever have a venue to do it,” Kanter says of the distinctive collaboration. “Design is not a thing that’s reserved for the rich, it’s something that is available to everybody depending on their skill level and desire to do it and access to the ideas and inspiration and know-how to make their spaces their own.” “Showhouses tend to be very aspirational,” adds Damour, pointing out that they are usually sited in large houses and mansions. “This year, as well as the first year, we chose a very middle-income house in a middle-income area in Kingston,
a smaller home. The idea is always to make sure this is inclusive—by the kind of house and by the kind of neighborhood that we pick, and then also to make sure this is inclusive of the people that we accept as participants.” Both Kanter and Damour express hope that this type of connection—between a hyper-local land bank and the broader design community—can serve as a template for future collaborations, both locally and nationally. “Housing is a particular issue in Kingston but it’s an issue, period, around the country,” says Damour. “I would love to see this become a model for how land banks can think creatively about how to work on providing housing for people.” Kanter feels similarly. “It’s a cool opportunity to try a model that, to my knowledge, has never been done elsewhere, of showing that you can integrate local good design with projects like this, that typically do not benefit the kind of population of folks that our organization serves,” he says. “We just thought that it was a really exciting and new way to do this work, and one that is potentially replicable elsewhere. It’s a big experiment to see if and how this can work.” upstate HOUSE
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SP O NSO R E D
NATURAL INSTINCTS
This season, use nature-inspired color to bring the outdoors in.
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ooler weather encourages us to cozy up inside our homes. But by the middle of winter, we’ve had all the hygge we can stand, and we’re itching to get back outside. Instead of feeling stuck within those walls, why not bring some of those outdoor elements indoors? For inspiration on how to include nature-inspired elements in your home, we turned to the pros at Williams Lumber and Home Centers, an authorized retailer of Benjamin Moore paints. With multiple locations, including two design centers in Pleasant Valley and Rhinebeck, Williams has been the go-to for home improvement in the Hudson Valley since 1946.
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Start by keeping your area clutter-free. Minimal decorations infuse a sense of light and air into the home, and help your creative color choices really shine, according to Kim Williams, SVP of Retail Operations at Williams Lumber and Home Centers. “Minimalistic features evoke nature and add a dash of comfort, warmth, and texture into your home, while creating a calming ambience for guests to enjoy. Create a relaxing and Zen home oasis by bringing touches of the outdoors in this season,” Williams says. Natural Materials Focus on the raw beauty of organic materials by playing with different combinations of texture and wood finishes. Start by bringing in artisan-crafted furniture and accents made with natural materials to instantly add an earthy feel. Rattan and wicker chairs or stools and sisal rugs incorporate a tactile element: Try pairing them with earthy décor accents like clay, terracotta, and globally inspired fabrics. Take a cue from what’s outside your windows in the warmer seasons, and choose a paint color that complements your landscape. Enhance with Light Bring the outdoor vibe inside by choosing colors with pale and mid-tone hues of green, yellow, and blue. “These colors work best to complement a botanical-
inspired story inside your home,” says Williams. Opt for colorful neutrals such as the soothing Fernwood Green 2145-40, a refreshing tone like Crystalline AF-485, or Soleil AF-330, a sunny color that’ll lift your mood. Finish also has an impact on both the light in your space and the color itself. Williams recommends using an eggshell or matte finish for your wall—they absorb more light than a glossier finish, lending a softer feel to a room. To see how the light plays with colors during the day, buy a few Benjamin Moore Color Samples in your potential shades, brush them on the wall, and just live with them for a few days. Understanding the way light moves through your home makes working with light easier to manage. If your room has lots of natural light and is southfacing, many colors will look great and tend to have a warm glow. Northern-exposure light tends to be cooler, so rather than force a warm color to work, experiment with colors on the cooler side of the color wheel (greens and blues—Palladian Blue HC144 from Benjamin Moore’s Historical Collection is a Hudson Valley favorite), and then bring in warmth through artificial lighting. Botanical Trends We often forget about the beauty of plants. A simple way to transport nature inside is to mimic
the shades of live plants or fresh flowers. It’ll be a mood lifter and can help make your space feel more serene. Try combining printed cushions in your color scheme with wall art and prints in your favorite floral patterns. If you have a color in mind but are unsure which tone you want, use Benjamin Moore’s Color By Family tool to help you narrow your choices. Bright and Light The sun may be hard to find some days, but you can create a space that enlivens the senses with the warmth of sunshine all year round. Try adding some pretty yellow tones on your cabinetry and walls. Antiquity OC-107, Golden Straw 2152-50, and Marblehead Gold HC-11 are some great options for an interior dose of vitamin D. “You can visit one of our seven locations, but you can also use Benjamin Moore’s Color Portfolio app to visualize any of their colors in your existing space. The app is great for comparing colors from the comfort of your home. After you’ve selected your perfect color, you can order the paint online and come pick it up at the store,” says Williams. “It’s a wonderful time-saver, especially when you want to travel less during the winter.” Visit the Paint Department at Williams Lumber and Home Centers to learn more, and “Nail It Right The First Time!” upstate HOUSE
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PRO FIL E
Anne Sanger sourced many of the furnishings for the first floor of her home from local retailers. The wingback bar chairs are from Exit 19 in Kingston, the chandelier is from Madame Fortuna in Narrowsburg, the bowl on the dining room table is from Upstate Capitol Market in Kingston. Sanger loves the open-plan layout. “It’s a living room, it’s a dining room, it’s a kitchen—it’s loft living essentially,” she says.
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THE ART OF LIVING A Hurley home is a gallery owner’s colorful canvas
By Peter Aaron Photos by Winona Barton-Ballentine
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am passionate about living with art in the home,” says Anne Sanger. Step just a few feet inside her immaculate, Craftsmanstyle house in the forested Ulster County town of Hurley, and it’s abundantly clear that the artist and gallerist isn’t kidding around. Look around the home’s bright, expansive, first-floor main space, and you’ll immediately see that it’s filled with vividly hued original artwork—made by others as well as Sanger herself—and crisp, clean-lined, functional furnishings curated to beautifully offset the owner’s ever-changing art collection. Her nine-year-old beagle, Vladimir, naps on the muted-print rug in the lounge area, sweetly oblivious to it all. “I’m lucky enough to have found a house with lots of wall space, alongside these incredible windows.” It was in 2016 that she found the 2,000-square-foot, three-bedroom, three-bathroom home. “I bought the place basically turnkey in 2017,” recalls the Midwest-born Brooklyn transplant. “I just painted the interior walls after moving in— and bought most of the furnishings online during a blizzard, sitting on a mattress in an empty house.” Community Connection Blizzards have a way of following Sanger around during moves. One was also raging the winter day in 1994 that she moved into a Williamsburg apartment after graduating from art school in Cincinnati. Settling into a career in the fashion industry as 32
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an illustrator, Sanger bounced between Brooklyn and London for the balance of the ’90s and into the ’00s. In 2014, she sold the Brooklyn Heights apartment she’d bought in 2003, using the proceeds to briefly rent a Midtown Manhattan studio and biding her time while she set her sights on real estate listings in the Hudson Valley’s more wooded spots. “Besides being such a beautiful, quiet area, there’s just so much [artistic] talent here,” says Sanger, who commuted to the city one day a week to her job at American Eagle Outfitters and telecommuted the rest of the week for her first three years in Hurley; during the pandemic it was telecommuting only until she stepped away to concentrate on freelancing and her artistic pursuits. “I had gotten to be obsessed [with the Hudson Valley]. I’d been renting a little cottage in Hurley for a while before I bought this house, and was taking long weekends up from the city for workshops at the Woodstock School of Art. But after years of working for someone else, I needed to do something for me. I needed to paint. And along with having the space and the natural light to do it in—which isn’t easy to come by in New York—obviously it was really important to me to be somewhere where I could be connected to a really good arts community.” Soon after the move she broadened her new community connection while realizing another long-held dream: opening an art gallery. Sanger’s Pinkwater Gallery, in the historic Stockade District of nearby Kingston, was launched in September 2019. Named for one of her own series of abstract
The primary bedroom features two paintings Sanger made years ago. “I like to keep my early work around me so I can remember where I came from,” she says. The name of her Kingston gallery, Pinkwater, is taken from the Pepto Bismol pink color of the painting over the dresser. The midcentury bedside tables are from Green in Saugerties.
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Formerly the primary bedroom area, the upstairs has been remade by Sanger into a roomy artist’s studio. It’s divided into three stations—oils and acrylics, illustration, and pastels—for different aspects of her work. The favorite part of her studio isn’t glamorous, but serves Sanger well. “I put in a slop sink,” she says, “which is the best thing ever for an artist to have in their studio.
paintings and focusing on paintings, drawings, photographs, and small sculptures by other local artists as well, Pinkwater presents wares that have been, as its website explains, “selected specifically with an eye toward beautifying a home.” Pieces by many of the artists shown at Pinkwater, painters Melanie Delgado and Joan Ffolliott and Sanger’s fiber-artist mother, Suzanne Sanger, for example, grace the gallery’s walls as well as her home’s. So, then, is her home an extension of the gallery—or vice versa? “It’s intertwined,” she muses. “Sometimes I kind of use the house as a lab, to see how something looks before putting it up in the gallery. With the gallery I mostly want to tap people who haven’t really shown much before and to build up a back stock of their work. The pieces by the artists showing at Pinkwater go in waves, filling in the [inventory] gaps there as they create their work.” An Abundance of Art Constructed in 2003, the home is situated on 1.5 thickly wooded acres, with a huge back yard for Vladimir—named for Lolita author Vladimir Nabokov—to amble around in. The rustically beautiful rock formations that once made the region a center for the quarrying industry border the property and are also found throughout the surrounding woods. A sprawling deck, recently refinished and shaded by tall pine trees, offers plenty of space and seating areas for al fresco dining and entertaining, while a barn-like outbuilding has storage for gardening supplies and other implements.
Inside, art is literally everywhere. Colorful, framed-andmatted images, mainly pieces of the type that give Pinkwater its contemporary abstract signature aesthetic, line the walls of the downstairs hallway and two bedrooms, one of which serves as Sanger’s. “Originally, it was kind of a peach color, like the inside of a womb or something,” she says, with a roll of her eyes. “I repainted it in a bluish color by Benjamin Moore called Gentleman’s Gray. I know some people might shy away from darker colors, but it makes the art pop and makes me so calm that I just sleep like a baby in here.” Done up in blue and white tile and boasting a formidably deep soaking tub, the en suite bathroom has a French provincial look. Repainting also did wonders for the wood-paneled hall bathroom, which features a tall walk-in shower. “It was just this sort of lodge-style, stained wood, very doughty to me,” say Sanger, who redid the chamber in a navy hue, bringing a feel that’s both classy and calming. “It’s amazing, what a few simple coats of paint can do.” Perhaps the piece de resistance, however, is the upstairs space. Formerly the primary bedroom area, it’s been refashioned by Sanger to become the roomy artist’s studio she’d long pined for during her Big Apple days. With an adjoining seating area that contains a day/guest bed, the peaked-ceiling atelier has large skylights that saturate her easels and work areas with warming sunlight. The floor’s original bathroom sink has been replaced with a sizeable slop sink to make cleaning up after painting and drawing sessions easy, while the open edge of the loft-like space looks down on the first-floor main space through massive wooden ceiling beams. upstate HOUSE
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Clockwise from left: The bar cart is a repurposed library table Sanger bought at Exit 19. The painting, Bijoux, by Sanger, was recently sold. “I decided to put it up and live with it until I have to deliver it,” she says. Sanger and her beagle Vladimir on the front steps of the house. While Sanger changed many aspects of the house, she kept the bathroom as the previous owners left it. “It looks like an old French granny lived here,” she says. “It’s delightfully old-fashioned.” There’s a skylight over the bathtub perfect for stargazing according to Sanger.
A Haven from the Outside World The lower level, connected to the floor above by a graceful, woodand-steel spiral staircase, remains Sanger’s favorite part of the house. “I love the open-plan layout, the ways I’m able to arrange the furniture to define the different sections,” she says. “A lot of the people in fashion eventually move into [doing] interior design, and through the gallery I also work as a consultant to interior designers when they’re looking for art for clients.” At one corner is a generous, updated kitchen area with a large counter and seating; opposite it is a lounge area with sleek, matching gray couches from Article.com and several items acquired from Uptown Kingston shops, such as the slate-topped Mid-Century coffee table from Exit 19 and, sitting atop it, the large stoneware bowl from Upstate Capital Market. Across the room, above the retro dining set, hangs a groovy late ’70s/early ’80s chandelier, picked up from Madame Fortuna in Narrowsburg. Much like the other parts of the artfully remade home, it has the feeling of somewhere you want to relax in and forget about the outside world—a feeling shared by its owner and her guests, wholeheartedly. “When I first bought the house, I think a lot of my New York friends sort of wondered if I was crazy for moving to the middle of the woods,” says Sanger, with a laugh. “But then they come to visit. They hear the owls and the coyotes at night and hang out on the deck or around the fire pit. And they just never want to leave.” 36
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BENCHES BY RENNIE CANTINE T H E
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PRO FIL E
CON TA I N M ENT POL I C Y A Soulful Shipping Container Home By Joan Vos MacDonald
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The c-Home, created by LOT-EK Architecture and Design and built with six upcycled shipping containers in the Columbia County town of Claverack, is a prototype for a series of container homes the firm is bringing to market.
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ince their invention in the mid-`50s, shipping containers have transformed more than shipping. These industrial artifacts are supplying raw material for cutting-edge sustainable architecture like the c-Home, constructed in the Columbia County town of Claverack. The c-Home was designed by Ada Tolla, Giuseppe Lignano, and Virginie Stolz of LOT-EK Architecture and Design, a company known for making sustainable, soulful architecture from industrial and infrastructural objects. To fashion the simple yet sophisticated c-Home, the firm upcycled six 40-foot used shipping containers. Rather than reconfiguring the containers, they are simply stacked in the way they are already designed to be on a ship, making construction efficient and affordable. “With a simple gesture and cost-effectively, that’s how c-Home was born,” says Virginie Stolz. “We challenged the structures of the container less, so we don’t have to reinforce them too much, which is costly. We went back to making them a very simple structure, but we made beautiful openings and beautiful space on the inside. Very simple and very smart. That’s how we built the first one in Claverack.”
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The ground floor of c-Home is open plan, with the living, dining, and work areas all spilling into each other. The two sets of stairs lead to the two bedroom suites on the second floor. The floor is made of thick plywood that’s barely sanded and treated with water-based sealer for a natural look. Opposite, above: The c-Home’s exterior was finished with a clear glossy sealer to highlight the warm natural rust color. The wooden deck separates the house from another container used as a storage shed. Below: The baby’s room features low-to-the-ground furnishings and subtle hues inspired by the surrounding landscape.
A Prototype The innovative home is a prototype, the first of its kind, but the structure already serves as a comfortable home for a couple and their young child. Having grown up on a farm, the homeowner purchased the land with the intent to develop a farm complex, but first she needed to build a house and there was little time to waste. “She called us because she did not want to go through the whole hassle of the design process,” says Stolz. “There was a timing issue, a desire to go fast and when she saw our design in a book, she fell in love with it. It was a rendering in a book. It was not built, so she was the first one to build it.” The sleek design of the container with its diagonal glass facade appealed to the homeowner, but she was also motivated by the desire to minimize the use of new building materials and to recycle, which the c-Home design satisfies. The house was designed as phase one of a much bigger project, a farm where the homeowner plans to give classes in cooking and gardening. Next, she will build cabins on the property to house guests. LOT-EK’s succinct timeline suited her agenda. With no design process involved, the entire construction took less than a year. “The 10 to 12 weeks of pre-fab is enough time for the property to prepare access needed and the foundation,” says Stolz. After acquiring the necessary permits, the house was prefabricated in New Jersey then transported to the site and installed in 2019. Made out of Cor-Ten steel, the containers are
sturdy enough to withstand a rocky sea voyage. “Everything that it’s made out of is extremely durable,” says Stolz. “If you think of them on one of these ships crossing the seas, they are meant to be filled with cars and other heavy stuff that moves. They are built to endure that, so they are extremely regulated.” Layers of insulation keep the home’s temperature cool in the summer and warm in the winter. “Some walls that are between containers on the inside—that separate the rooms and where the corrugation is visible—don’t need to be insulated,” says Stolz. “Every wall that is toward the outside is completely insulated.” The exterior of the ribbed containers was finished with a clear glossy sealer to reveal the natural rust color, but containers can also be coated with marine paint in a variety of colors. It’s a warm yet distinctively modern look. Into the Great Wide Open “People fall in love with the outside,” says Stolz, “but when you look at the floor plan, you also fall in love with the layout. It’s very open.” The home features 1,920 square feet of indoor living space on two levels. On the ground level there’s a living room, dining area, and kitchen. On the level above there are two bedroom suites each accessible by its own stairs, each with a full bathroom and walk-in closet. The comfortable size, along with private access, makes either room suitable as a home office or guest room. upstate HOUSE
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A slab of richly hued wood serves as a headboard in one of the home’s two comfortable bedrooms.
Diagonal panels of windows cross the structure to provide light and ventilation, while large decks expand the open living space outdoors. An additional container, used for a storage shed, serves as a screen, creating an intimate courtyard for an outdoor table and chairs, while an external staircase provides access to the green roof and deck. Inside, extensive use of wood and metal design elements echo the contemporary appeal of the exterior. “For us the very important finish is the floor,” says Stolz. “It’s a very thick plywood, one-and-a-quarter-inch thick and very durable. It’s mounted on joists underneath, screwed on to planks, with screws that are visible on the outside. These are things that we like seeing, so we didn’t replace the wood, we didn’t cover it. We only barely sanded it until it was smooth and beautiful, then treated it with a water-based sealer to keep the natural look of the floor, which is beautiful. That gives an amazing vibe to the house. Because of the floor, because of the little bumps in the floor, because of the corrugation, you have a feeling that the home is new, it feels really warm.” Every partition between rooms is also made out of the same wood, including the walls that separate bedrooms from bathrooms and closets. “The wood is very present and steel from the containers was cut to generate the space between the rooms,” says Stolz. “The stairs are also made of steel and the steps are the same wood used throughout. The hardware throughout is also metal. The heavy industrial look is something that we like a lot.” Under the white ribbed ceiling, pale natural wood, metal, and rattan furnishings mirror the architectural elements. A tree-cut table centers the dining area, surrounded by chairs crafted from wood and metal. A child’s crib in pale wood stands before an expansive stretch of glass, almost as if it exists in the middle of the woods. A slab of richly hued wood serves as a
headboard in the bedroom and visually relates to the natural landscape outside. “We can feel people are definitely making a move out of city areas, but the houses out there are not what they are looking for,” says Stolz. “They are not modern enough. There’s a lot of land instead. The majority of the time the design process is a long process, but with the c-Home we can basically condense that time. If you like it, it’s ready. Just push the button for fabrication after we get it approved by the city or town.” LOT-EK is currently in the permitting process for their second C-Home build, in Saugerties, a 1,280 square foot twobedroom home. The c-Home comes in different models and new plans continue to be developed. For example, the Claverack house is bigger than the house sold on the c-Home site, with that model consisting of only four 40-foot containers. The smallest studio model (320 square feet) starts at $70,000 (for prefabrication only, without additional options like a green roof or solar and geothermal) and the larger 3-bedrooms/3-bathrooms (1,920 square feet) starts at $385,000. LOT-EK is currently designing a home that’s entirely on one level for a couple who don’t want stairs and the containers can also be used to create a smaller space, such as a studio for an artist. “Basically what makes it exciting is that you fall in love with the floor plan, with the look,” says Stolz. “You can add some options, some features and make it your own by picking the colors and orienting it on the property for the best light and view. It is fun. Such simplicity is the future because you can have it in a short amount of time. It can take less than a year and that’s unusual.” For many homeowners, the c-Home, inspired by shipping containers, may help shorten the journey to finding an environmentally conscious home. upstate HOUSE
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JEFF WILKINSON, R.A. 13 CHAMBERS STREET NEWBURGH, NEW YORK 12550
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CLEAN POWER GUIDE
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
THE JOBS ISSUE
A collaboration between SUSTAINABLE HUDSON VALLEY and upstate HOUSE | WINTER 2021/22 •
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Have an electric bill? You can sign up for community solar.
Community solar is great for those who want to avoid installation costs, own shaded lots, or rent. •
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The Clean Energy Marketplace allows Central Hudson customers to choose from a list of reputable local solar farms and compare savings. Power generated from your share of solar panels will be applied to your electric bill as credits. While the amount of power generation varies based on season and weather, customers save an average of $10-$20 per month based on yearly subscriptions. Any time of the year is a good time to subscribe! • online at upstatehouse.com
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U.S. CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY—STATE OF THE INDUSTRY Introduction to the Numbers
IT’S GO TIME
Economic conditions related to the Wind energy added about 2,000 jobs by such as construction laborers, electricians COVID-19 pandemic, along with the previous the end of the year, while clean storage and HVAC technicians as well as factory administration’s animosity toward clean companies added nearly 1,400 jobs. The workers producing Energy Star appliances energy, resulted in the first decline in cleanBY MELISSA biggest EVERETT, increases were in clean vehicle DIRECTOR, and energy efficient lighting and building PH.D. EXECUTIVE energy jobs in America since E2 began manufacturing, with about 6,200 jobs materials. SUSTAINABLE HUDSON VALLEY tracking such occupations nearly a decade being added in hybrid electric vehicle re you obsessed with kicking the in total clean energy employment behind fell by nearly 29,000 jobs Solar employment ago and the only decline on record sincefossil fuel habit? manufacturing and anothernation 6,000 added in Impressed by the California and Texas—and the Mid-Hudson is one of as residential solar companies in particular E2 began producing its annual Clean Jobs fully electric technologies vehicles. sophistication of renewable the top five regions for concentration of clean energy were sidelined early in the COVID-19 entering the mainstream, like highworkers. America reports. efficiency solar panels andThe coldgrowth climate in heat pumps? New ambitious and generous in its funding those areas was inYork partisdue pandemic. Or obssessed with saving money and controlling your of these opportunities. NYSERDA funds eligible Yet data indicates that clean energy jobs to positive policy changes in numerous energy budget? Whichever applies, now is a fine time employers for the first three to four months of a new The Biden administration’s plans to increase were more resilient and are recovering statesbytoadopting expand clean energy to translate interest into action energyhire’sand salaryclean and cost-shares 90 percent for clean energy energy efficiency and weatherization efficient, systems for or market internships as private companies. more quickly than overall economy. Byrenewable energyvehicles, asyour wellhome as the signalat nonprofits as well business. It is also a great time to look at the potential This year, the focus of the Clean Power Guide programs; its plans to boost renewable June of last year, more than 620,000 clean sent by Joe Biden and other candidates for working in these growing fields as you build your is on the jobs available now—and the many more energy and its proposed investments in energy workers had lost their jobs since the for president during the 2020 career back better. that election, are expected in the next few years—as the state the nation’s power grid and Welcome to the fourthincluding annual Clean Power Guide, federalvehicles government scalemodernizing up climate action COVID-19 pandemic began spreading widely promises of moreand electric a collaboration between Sustainable Hudson Valley programs. We’re highlightingtransportation key growth sectors such with more electric system three months earlier, accordingand toChronogram analysis Media. and wind this energy. It also resulted We publish as a special as solar,from wind, and geothermal that are a major focus vehicles and charging stations will also 5 section in Upstate House,increasing online, and in 10,000 for electric for implementing New York’s Climate Leadership of unemployment data by E2 and partners. demand vehicles and provide a much needed shot in the arm for throughout the Community Protection Act. We look at specific After losses peaked at the endfreestanding of May copies for readers manufacturers’ gearing up and to meet that region, throughout the year. We amplify the impact jobs, career pathways, training resources, andcompanies post-COVID 19. clean energy 2020, jobs grew by more thanwith 11 special percentevents wheredemand. you can come into direct funding programs. And we ask a hard question: How At the same time, President Biden’s plans good are those jobs? compared to about 9 percent contact across with the experts who are ready to help you take the steps you are ready for and many understand For the consumer, we’ve got special treat Still, cleanyour energy related sectors toa invest $100too.billion in workforce training U.S. economy overall. In fact, by the end of options. Tom Konrad is one of the most knowledgeable were hurt badly and are still suffering. No will help create new career paths to clean 2020 more than half of the clean energy The green economy is quite broad. It encompasses people in our region on small-scale renewable sector energy, or subsector hardertechnologies than for millions energy efficiency and renewable clean was hitenergy for homeenergy and business, and the of Americans. jobs lost between March and May had transportation, natural resource marketplace trends you need to understand. Tom has energy management, efficiency, where nearly 272,000 been regained, leaving the number of clean low-impact buildings and infrastructure (and built his knowledge as a writer for AltEnergyStocks, Whether all of that translates to jobs, were lost in 2020. Energy efficiency energy jobs lost since COVID 19 about that go intojobs theat materials them), recycling-based and shares it generously—both as a volunteer energy however, remains dependent on what is thefields biggest industries, and more. In these therepart are of the clean coachenergy with New Yorkers for Clean Power and as chair 307,000. Congress does with the Biden administration expanding opportunitiessector. in management, marketing, of the Marbletown Conservation It also has the widest variety of jobs,Environmental information technology, training, HR and other Commission, which is working with Sustainable proposals. employing workers in everyday occupations professional fields, as well as technical career paths. Hudson Valley to implement the town’s 100 percent
A
At the end of 2020, there were 153,000 clean energy jobs in New York—putting the state third in the
Renewables Action Plan. Read, enjoy, strategize.
FIG.US 1 // U.S. CLEAN ENERGY EMPLOYMENT by sector 2020 CLEAN ENERGY EMPLOYMENT by sector 2020
ENERGY EFFICIENCY: 2,107,174
RENEWABLE ENERGY: 492,891 TOTAL: 3,048,603
CLEAN VEHICLES: 273,630 GRID & STORAGE: 137,872 FUELS: 37,036
This graphic is from Clean Jobs America 2021, a report issued by E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs). More analysis can be found at E2.org.
6 // E2 CLEAN JOBS AMERICA 2021
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Q&A
What’s New in Clean Power? AN INTERVIEW WITH TOM KONRAD
The electr-hybrid Ford 2022 F-150 Lightning
O
ne of the most knowledgeable people in our region on small-scale renewable energy technologies and the marketplace trends, Tom Konrad is a financial analyst, portfolio manager, and writer. He has a PhD in mathematics from Purdue. His study of chaos theory led to his conviction that knowing the limits of our ability to predict is much more important than predictions themselves, a lesson he applies to climate science. He’s a volunteer energy coach with New Yorkers for Clean Power and chair of the Marbletown Environmental Conservation Commission.
As an energy coach, what are the most exciting developments in clean energy and efficiency technology that you have seen in the last year? I’m excited about the new range of electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, like the Ford F150 Lightning and the Toyota RAV4 Prime. They are now allowing people who would never consider buying a compact car to experience the incredible responsiveness of driving electric. We’re on the cusp of having electric vehicles that meet every driver’s needs. They are not just as good as gas powered vehicles; they are better. 48
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The same is true for electrics replacing small gas motors like lawn mowers and leaf blowers. A year ago, I cleared a foot and a half of fairly heavy snow from my driveway with my new electric two-stage snowblower. It was even able to handle the piles of compacted snow left by the snowplows better than my old gas blower.
What are the most persistent questions that households and business owners have about switching to renewables?
People come at this from all sorts of angles. Often, it’s a narrow question, like “Should I use geothermal or air source heat pumps?” Or, “What is the best electric vehicle?” The answers to these questions depend on their needs and how much they can pay, so they usually end up in a much broader conversation than they probably expected. What I really like is when someone comes to me asking about solar or an electric vehicle, and I’m able to get them interested in heat pumps or induction cooking while also answering their original question.
Heat pumps have come into the mainstream quickly. What
is most important for people to understand as they consider these technologies? When are air source heat pumps the best choice and when should people consider geothermal? Most people will find that air source heat pumps are the most economical choice. While they are slightly less efficient than geothermal, the upfront cost is much lower. But people should know that the air filters need to be cleaned regularly (I’ve had multiple people complain to me that their heat pumps just are not working properly only to find the problem was fixed when they clean the filter.) It’s also very important to make sure that your home is well insulated and air sealed before relying on air source heat pumps…they can have problems keeping up in older, poorly insulated, or drafty buildings. The outdoor units need to have protection from snow piling up around them. The normal way to do this is to attach them to the wall of the building, but if it is a stud wall, you may get noisy vibration when the heat pump is working hard in the winter (this is seldom an issue in the summer in air conditioning mode.) If at all possible, the outdoor unit should be attached to a masonry wall rather than a stud
wall. If that’s not possible, consider ground mounting, especially if there is an overhang or a deck to offer snow protection. Geothermal is the best choice for people who can afford the upfront cost, or are in hard-to-insulate houses that have a high heating load and already have air ducts.
Solar is a commodity now and the prices have fallen. What are the biggest issues around quality, and the consumer choices that people should keep in mind?
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Because of falling panel prices, more than half the cost of a home solar installation is actually labor and other soft costs like marketing and overhead. For that reason, there is not a lot of incentive for established installers to offer substandard equipment. Find a local installer with a good reputation, like the ones Sustainable Hudson Valley vets for our Green Group Purchase program and you are unlikely to go wrong.
What are your go-to sources of information to keep on top of electric car choices?
For electric cars, I like the Plugstar Shopping Assistant [Plugstar.com].
Solar is sexy. Efficiency is earnest. People can be daunted when it comes to doing the foundational work of making their buildings more efficient before they invest in renewables. What’s your advice?
Upgrading your home’s insulation and air sealing is a lot less sexy and trickier than most of the other upgrades we are talking about, so I totally understand. Part of the problem is that every building is different, so there is no one-size-fits-all recommendation. But if you don’t address a leaky building before upgrading your heating and cooling, you will pay more for the system and it won’t work as well. For many people, the best strategy is to hit the most critical spots. In many buildings this means spray foam around the above ground portions of the basement walls (the rim joists) and a lot of blow-in cellulose insulation in the attic. The walls are less critical, and can be addressed when there are opportunities during other remodeling projects. If you are adding or replacing siding, that is a great opportunity to add a layer of continuous insulation on the outside of the walls. If you need a new roof, you may be able to insulate the ceiling from above in buildings that don’t have an attic. If you open up the drywall in any wall, make sure you don’t miss the opportunity to cut down on air leaks and add insulation.
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The Climate Act: Tackling the Hard Parts January 20, 4:30-5:30pm on Zoom New York’s Climate Leadership and Protection Act (CLCPA), passed in 2019, is one of the most ambitious climate laws in the world. It requires New York to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and no less than 85 percent by 2050. To get there, epochal shifts will need to happen across industries. On a practical level: What is it going to take actually to weatherize all those buildings? How are we going to get all that solar built? How can we ensure that underserved communities participate in the scoping of the CLCPA and benefit from its climate justice provisions? Join us for a virtual event celebrating the launch of the latest issue of the Clean Power Guide and a look at the practical implications of implementing the CLCPA. Moderated by Brian K. Mahoney, Chronogram Media editorial director; with Melissa Everett of Sustainable Hudson Valley; and special guests from the worlds of industry and policy innovation. Find more information and resources at Sustainhv.org and Upstatehouse.com.
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The World of Wind Opportunity Profile: Wind Power
BY DAVE CONOVER, PROGRAM DEVELOPER FOR SUSTAINABLE HUDSON VALLEY
W
ind technicians are on the front lines of the growing renewable energy sector as they repair and service wind turbines and troubleshoot problems on site. Working in the field, sometimes traveling from site to site, these highly skilled tradespeople get to use both head and hand capabilities. People interested in this position must be comfortable outdoors and with heights, be physically fit, and be versatile with computers and tools. These jobs are already in high demand, and the sector is growing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that wind technician jobs will increase by 68 percent this decade. About 1,400 new job openings are anticipated annually. The median wind tech salary range is around $56,000, and some companies offer sign-on bonuses. Beyond a high school diploma, some specialized training is required. Companies like General Electric, Vestas, and Orsted—those that employ large numbers of wind technicians—have well developed training programs. Wind technician training is also available at some community colleges, and may be part of a two-year associate’s degree program. Programs vary considerably. Some private institutes offer certificates after a
six-month intensive training while others offer a combination of online coursework followed up with an intensive boot camp of hands-on practice. A typical curriculum features units on: • wind energy basics and terminology • safety procedures, OSHA 30 and first aid/CPR • mechanical skills including tool use and troubleshooting problems • basic electrical and hydraulic theory along with practice on the use of meters and other equipment • climbing and rigging • radio communications As New York expands its commitment to offshore wind, training center initiatives are being funded by NYSERDA. These include the New York Offshore Wind Training Institute program through SUNY’s Farmingdale State College and Stony Brook University, and a training program at Schenectady Community College. These institutions are developing a plan to disburse up to $3 million in funds to support skills development in disadvantaged communities. A new National Offshore Wind Training Center, located at Suffolk Community College, recently received $10 million
from the developers of New York’s Sunrise Wind project. The Center of Excellence for Offshore Energy at SUNY Maritime College in The Bronx is developing training courses as well. In New York State, many jobs are based in high wind potential areas such as Long Island and western New York. Offshore Long Island is a hotbed of wind energy activity with several new projects planned to come online that will help New York meet its ambitious renewable energy goals.
UP AND AROUND THE INDUSTRY The world of wind also employs meteorological technicians, who chart weather patterns and help choose the best sites for wind turbines. There is also work in construction and site preparation, where tasks range from brush clearing and pouring of foundations to creating access roads. Of course, there is more highly specialized work involved with design and manufacturing wind power components, as well as research into future technology. As the industry grows, so will jobs in administration and management, finance, IT, sales and marketing, customer support, and maintenance of systems. For information on wind energy training programs, go to Windexchange.energy.gov/training-programs.
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BREAKING INTO THE CLEAN ENERGY FIELD I graduated from Wells College about a year ago. I studied sustainability—such a broad field—for the first few years, I really did not know what I wanted to do. But as I looked at the economy and the immense use of fossil fuels, I began to think that the economic disparities around us can be brought back to fossil fuel use and environmental degradation, which are the basis for so much economic activity and capital inequality. So I focused my last three semesters on delving into the fossil fuel industry and how to replace it with efficiency and renewables. Coming into my senior year, I was talking with my advisor, who brought up the idea of working with a HeatSmart program. These are feisty, state-funded campaigns to get home and business owners excited about shifting to efficient electric heat pumps to get off fossil fuels. I decided to apply for an internship with HeatSmart Tompkins—a creative program in Tompkins County working to eliminate fossil fuel use in the home—and worked with them for about a year. That was game changing. I learned a lot about how building infrastructure is generally designed to depend on fossil fuels. I wanted to find a way to retrofit existing buildings to be more comfortable and affordable while eliminating fossil fuel use. That set in motion the next steps as I met a lot of wonderful people who talked me through the facets of the industry. I considered taking classes to become a heat pump technician, but then I learned that ICF International was taking over the management of NYSERDA’s statewide Clean Heat program, and hiring. I was able to apply and get an entry-level analyst position that offers a lot of exposure to Clean Heat campaigns. My work is tracking progress of campaigns and contractors, which lets me see how all the elements work together. Aiming high for an internship with an innovative, well connected organization was the key. —Dana Grover
WHERE THE WIND BLOWS I’ve always enjoyed hard work, but I’m always surprised at how tired but rewarded I feel at the end of the day. I’m a resource wind technician for Vestas Americas. This year I have been in Montana, Missouri, California, Oregon, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and more, so I live in hotels. We replace big parts of the turbines when they go down and rebuild the turbines. I work six days a week, usually 10 to 12 hour days. You do that for two months and then you get some time off. I reinvented myself at the age of 40. I was a bartender for 20 years, worked in big cities in upscale dining. I went back to school for six months, to Kalamazoo Wind Technician Academy. It was an immersion experience, using the tools and working on turbines. I graduated in mid-June and was working by July. There is a lot of learning through the work as well, especially in the bigger jobs. The majority of the people I work with are younger; some came out of the military or wandered around for a bit, but some of my co-workers are in their 50s and the most knowledgeable people I’ve ever met. There’s a lot of mentoring in our company and a process you can learn through. —Brian Rhoades
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Heat and cool your home with the power of the earth. HOME HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING An all-in-one home heating and cooling solution
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FROM THE GROUND UP
OPPORTUNITY PROFILE: GEOTHERMAL
BY JOHN CIOVACCO, PRESIDENT OF AZTECH GEOTHERMAL
T
he geothermal field offers a variety of occupations and roles in the installation, design, and maintenance of geothermal systems. Let’s start with installation. There are two main components to a geothermal heat pump installation: the inside work and the outside work. The inside work involves the installation of the heat pump itself, done by mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineers, project managers, and technicians. The outside work makes a thermal connection to the ground, done by drillers and excavators with piping support from HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) technicians. The inside work is very similar in design and installation to an air conditioning system, so it is not difficult to train designers (often engineers) and installers (technicians) that are presently involved in HVAC to design and install the inside components of a geothermal heat pump system. The outside work requires specialized design and installation procedures that are less common, so it requires a bit more training and experience to get both the design and installation right. Some HVAC designers and/or contractors learn this new “ground coupling” skill and can put both pieces together for projects. Several specific trainings are offered by the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA). The most common is a threeday course with a written test to become an IGSHPAaccredited installer. For design professionals, IGSHPA and the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) offer a 40-hour course with a more rigorous test and required design experience to become an
IGSHPA/AEE-certified geothermal designer. A relatively new certification to help encourage good installation practices is a 20-hour course with a test and required field experience to become an IGSHPA-certified geothermal inspector. Aside from these industry-specific courses, college engineering courses and trade school coursework in HVAC are the foundation for much of what needs to be learned to design and install geothermal systems. Building electrification is a well-defined trend, which will drive increases in all types of heat pump installations, including geothermal heat pump systems. New York State’s energy and environmental policy, supported by 2019 passage of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, anticipates that heat pumps will make up over 90 percent of the HVAC equipment sales in the state by 2050. This is further supported by increasing utility rebate levels and the continuation of federal tax credits for geothermal heat pump systems. While we have a good stable of design professionals and HVAC contractors to do the inside work, the workforce supporting the outside systems will need to increase significantly to support the demand for the most efficient heat pumps systems available today. Specifically, drilling capacity today to install vertical heat exchangers will need to grow by an order of magnitude to keep pace with demand projections for new construction and existing building conversions. Traditionally, geothermal heat pump systems have been installed in suburban areas by small companies, many with fewer than 10 employees. These companies often struggle to maintain
staffing, especially with today’s tight job market, and don’t often have diversity, equity, or inclusion policies beyond legal requirements. As we see more large geothermal projects taking place, larger HVAC contractors are engaged and have more sophisticated hiring practices, often with emphasis on diversity, in order to meet bidding requirements sometimes found on larger projects. Compensation is quite good for even entry level jobs involved in the design and installation of geothermal heat pump systems. Entry level HVAC technicians commonly start above $15 per hour, and experienced senior level technicians can easily make over $30/hour. Skilled drillers and excavators are also well paid. Many large geothermal projects may use union labor or have a prevailing wage requirement, which commands a higher wage for workers. Installing geothermal systems is just plain old hard work at times! Heat pumps are heavy and need to be moved and installed in all sorts of places in buildings. Heat pumps are high-pressure refrigeration systems powered by electricity and require training and appropriate safety equipment to work on safely. There are inherent risks when working with heavy equipment, like drilling and excavation, which also are covered by OSHA safety standards and related training. If the hands-on aspects make you weak in the knees, there is also growth in jobs related to design, inspection, sales and marketing, finance, and management. As geothermal systems become more popular, there will also be an increase in landscaping to bring the grounds back to their original condition.
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FROM FIRST SIGHT, TO LAST LIGHT In NY State, the sun shines for everyone.
With community solar, New Yorkers can save money every month on their electric bills by accessing locally generated clean energy from solar farms across New York State. Choose a local community solar project, pick a plan that works for you, and start saving! FIND A COMMUNITY SOLAR PROJECT AT NYSERDA.NY.GOV/COMMUNITYSOLAR 56
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Solar
SURVIVING A PANDEMIC IN THE SOLAR INDUSTRY
A
t the beginning of 2020, the solar industry was poised for growth. Then it was hit by the same work-busting but necessary shutdowns that decimated restaurants, cultural venues, and other businesses whose work is specific to a place. Workforce numbers fell 6.7 percent from 2019, down to 231,474, according to the 2021 annual Solar Jobs Census. While it’s possible to put solar panels on a roof without customer contact, it is not so easy to sell those panels, nor to get the attention of distracted people. Those reductions impacted every occupation in just about every state, and companies are still recovering. Still, the industry installed record amounts of solar, thanks to increased productivity—a result of larger systems being built, on average, and an easier sales process as the technology is mainstreamed. “We did have significant layoffs for a few months, then we started ramping back up with site visits as soon as that was possible,” says Jason Iahn, vice president of Lighthouse Solar in New Paltz. “Soon, we were booking consistent business and now we are pretty much nonstop. There are other challenges now, like shortages of components, but there’s a lot of upside with the infrastructure bill. We are optimistic.”
BY MELISSA EVERETT Anthony Sicari, president of Modena-based New York State Solar Farm, found an opportunity to pivot powerfully during the shutdown. “Everything went digital for the first time, and it made solar the way it should always be: easy to access,” he says. The company made constant use of Zoom, drones, and customer photographs of their spaces to do touchless assessments and system designs. “Even our sales and operations meetings went remote,” Sicari says. “For us, it brought everyone together.” At Rhinebeck-based SunCommon, the shutdown forced adaptation and brought efficiencies through online marketing campaigns. “More efficiency means more time to innovate,” says Madeline Brydges, senior manager of digital marketing. “We were able to spend more time building our business acumen and training our teams on new products like the Tesla Solar Roof, even running a pilot to become the first certified installer of this new technology.” For customers, too, the change opened eyes to renewables and resilience, building enthusiasm for battery storage as well as solar panels. “For the first time ever, people’s homes became their offices so their electricity usage went through the roof. They were looking at their utility bills and wondering how they could save. Commitment to following
through was much higher. And it was much more interactive; people saw the people behind the company,” says Sicari. This boost in efficiency and innovative thinking can only help as the solar industry goes into growth mode. To reach the 100 percent clean electricity goal set by the Biden administration, the solar industry expects to need over 900,000 workers by 2035. To prepare for this rapid expansion (and keep its existing workforce), the industry has been paying greater attention to diversity, inclusion, and wages. The Solar Jobs Census notes that 10.3 percent of workers in the industry are unionized, a level similar to other construction trades. While wages are not always competitive with those of fossil fuel and nuclear power workers—many employed by larger companies—solar wages are on par with similar trades such as electrical work. In particular, the industry is actively courting veterans. A key certifying agency for solar installers, the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners, has just released a new, streamlined eligibility criteria for veterans wanting to take the professional exam as a certified installer, who can now count relevant military experience as on-thejob training.
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Jobs
Can Green Jobs Be Good Jobs? BY ELIOT CRESSWELL, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE
C
an green jobs be good jobs? There’s no guarantee. But with thoughtful and deliberate action, we can ensure that those securing our future against the climate crisis can also secure their family’s future with good wages, safety standards, opportunity for advancement, health care and retirements benefits, access to quality child care, and all the things workers should be able to take for granted in the 21st century. Green jobs cover a wide range. There are solar installers, wind technicians, geothermal system designers, and others who work on renewable energy systems all the time. The green economy also depends on electricians and line workers who might work on renewable energy projects or electrical grid upgrades for part of the year, then transition to various other building and construction projects. And bringing energy efficiency and renewable power to the entire economy creates green job opportunities across industries, from agriculture to cryptocurrency. What makes a job a good one? At least three factors: 58
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• Benefits: What does the job provide for the worker? • Results: What does the job produce for the market and the world? • Access: Who can obtain, retain, and succeed in the job? According to the 6th annual Clean Jobs Report by E2, the median hourly wage for clean energy jobs in 2019 was $23,89, compared to $19.14 for the economy overall. While average clean energy wages are lower than the averages in the fossil fuel industry, clean energy jobs are three times more plentiful. When it comes to the things we most commonly associate with good jobs—family-sustaining wages, benefits, safety standards, regular schedules, representation for workers, and opportunities for advancement—the American labor movement has led the way for generations. In alignment with the labor movement and to elevate existing pro-worker policies, Climate Jobs NY and the Center for American Progress have identified five job-quality recommendations specifically for green jobs. • Labor peace agreements, binding contracts between unions and major employers which
limit both strikes and employer intimidation of the union • Prevailing wage requirements requiring that government-funded projects provide wages and benefits at least comparable to others in the industry and/or region • Worker boards to monitor and upgrade wages and working conditions • Expanded access to apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs. • Enforcing workplace health and safety laws. For all these strategies to be widely accepted, “we must expand the understanding, use and applications of renewable energy,” urges Mary Jane Bertram, Workforce Development Institute’s Hudson Valley Regional Director. “In doing so, we must also expand access to the technology, training, and opportunities.” So, can green jobs be good jobs? If we prioritize worker empowerment, equity, and inclusion as called for in the CLCPA, they can. If we do not, we it will be harder to attract and retain the quantity and quality of worker necessary to achieve our energy and climate goals.
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LOCAL CLIMATE SOLUTIONS Check Out Our Climate Lab: A new section of our award-winning online news magazine covering solutions for regional climate impact. Become a member of the The River Newsroom and receive climate reporter Lissa Harris’s weekly Climate Lab newsletter packed with thoughts on climate news and links to what she’s reading.
Stay smart. Join us in the lab. therivernewsroom.com PART OF THE
FAMILY
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Understand the Paths Forward
Delve Into Department of Energy Career Maps These information packed graphics identify types of jobs in the very fluid fields of green building, solar and wind energy, and show points of entry and pathways of advancement. The fields are not always structured as formally as old-fashioned industry, but these maps give you a starting point for investigating the opportunities. Green Buildings Career Map greenbuildingscareermap.org Solar Career Map irecsolarcareermap.org Wind Career Map energy.gov/eere/wind/wind-career-map
The Department of Energy’s interactive Green Building Career map.
Opening it Up! It isn’t enough to have good jobs for some. To make sure that green economy opportunities more widely available, there is a good, growing and generous support system for job seekers.
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YouthBuild trains out-of-school young people (16-24) in construction trades and leadership skills, working with community organizations such as Nubian Directions in Poughkeepsie. Nubiandirections.org Citizens for Local Power’s Kingston-based Green Jobs Internship pays a diverse group of interns for 24 hours of work spread over several hands-on and classroom learning experiences to provide a strong overview of green jobs from the inside and a personalized network. Citizensforlocalpower.org SUNY Ulster and SUNY Sullivan offer a suite of courses in solar installation, building performance, green construction, and more. SUNY Ulster has even secured funding from NYSERDA to make the basic Building Science Principles Certificate of Knowledge prep course (taking around 18 hours) free as an online training that
prepares you to work in building energy efficiency. Sunyulster.edu/continuing_education/ industrial-tech/green-careers.php Sunysullivan.edu/green-buildingmaintenance-and-management/ NYSERDA has committed over $32 million for clean energy training through educational institutions and companies. They offer special programs supporting clean energy internships with 90 percent cost-share for eligible workplaces, and on-the-job training to cover new employee’s first months at work. Email wfinfo@nyserda.ny.gov for more information. NYSERDA has just announced an ambitious Climate Justice Fellows hiring program that will support 150 workplaces in hiring and mentoring professionals whose job is to bring clean energy benefits to disadvantaged communities. Nyserda.ny.gov
HIGH SOCIETY The culture of cannabis, from Chronogram
Chronogram covers the emerging cannabis scene. Stay in the know with the latest
Life is better at the lake.
impact, dispensary openings,
Welcome home to the private community on Copake Lake. This move in ready, Ranch-style home offers 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, and 1.04 acres. Just a short walk, or golf cart ride, and you’ll be on your paddle board, kayak, or boat enjoying the water. There’s plenty to do at the lake in the Winter, too. Inside offers granite counters, an updated kitchen and baths, and a true en-suite showcasing two walk in closets, a cathedral ceiling, and a private deck. The whole house Generac is a useful addition easing the mind for travel or days away. $398,000.
cultivation tips, and more.
davalarealestate.com • philmont, ny • 518-755-2385
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S PO N S O R E D HOUS E FE ATURE
HOUSE OF HYGGE
FROM A FINNISH SAUNA TO A CUSTOM INTERIOR, THIS WOODSTOCK CHARMER CHECKS ALL THE RELAXATION BOXES.
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Above: The property (center bottom in this image) is surrounded by trees, yet it’s only a short walk from the heart of downtown Woodstock. Opposite, above: Charcoal-tone cedar siding and bluestone pathways are a striking contrast to the woodsy yard, and hint at the bespoke interior. Below: The living room is a remarkably flexible space, filled with light from large casement windows and French doors that also provide a stunning view of Overlook Mountain.
T
his striking contemporary in the heart of Woodstock has been lovingly reinvented. From thoughtful renovations to fine European touches, this circa 1915 turnkey home combines vintage and modern design in ways that defy categorization. Cedar siding, stained a dramatically deep charcoal, envelops the contemporary Colonial. A vintage front door leads to a cedar entry hall with a locally milled, rough-cut oak floor. Transom windows surround a hand-plastered ceiling, pouring light into the entry. Pass under an aged, arched beam held up by rust-colored iron columns, and head left into the rustic kitchen that truly is a work of art. Handcrafted mahogany tables with butcher-block tops hold cookware and chef’s essentials—there are no cabinets to clutter the flow. A shapely, castiron farmhouse sink has a window view above it, and it shares a wall with a large refrigerator,
a dishwasher, and another mahogany table. Reclaimed beams bisect the ceiling, and mahogany boxes run along the ceiling’s perimeter, holding recessed bulbs that supplement the sunlight during the day and cast a moody tone at night. The highlight of the kitchen is the entire wall that’s made of bricks from Hutton Brickyards in Kingston. In front of it sits a stunning Etienne Caumartin Cooker, handcrafted in the French Alps with a custom, sky-blue finish. With an expansive cooking surface including an indoor grill, and two ovens, this range is a gourmand’s dream. A door in the kitchen opens to a walk-through pantry big enough for a family’s worth of groceries and appliances. The pantry leads into a heated office/workshop that sports custom-made garage doors, along with windows that are original to the home’s 1915 build. Off the kitchen is a cedar-lined dining area; both rooms have poured-concrete floors with radiant heat, a welcome touch in the winter. If you want upstate HOUSE
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Above: You’re not seeing double— or quadruple: The hallway leading to the studio/second primary bedroom is lined with mindblowing infinity mirrors. In the living room, an oversized Danish Morso stove is tucked into a whitewashed brick wall that’s topped by a pegged beam. The wood-fired stove has often served as the primary heat source for the house. Custom woodwork covers supplemental baseboard heating.
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to warm more than your toes on a frosty day, slip into the roomy, indoor Finnish sauna, which has a handy shower for a post-sauna rinse. Next to the sauna, mahogany-trimmed sliders open from the dining room into the backyard and let light pour in. Across from the kitchen is a large living room. Cedar paneling and oil-rubbed pine floors complement floor-to-ceiling windows that bring the woodsy outdoors in. Custom wood covers cleverly disguise baseboard heating, which is supplemented by an oversized Danish Morso wood stove. Hand-built bookshelves and a window seat urge a timeout to read. Follow the staircase in the living room up to the second floor and you’ll find four bedrooms. The primary bedroom is a large, light-filled space that once was two rooms. In addition to a cute ensuite bath and built-in bookshelves, there’s a door leading to a currently unfinished rooftop area that begs for a balcony. Two smaller bedrooms are perfect for kids, with a shared hall bath. Heading to the final room? Prepare to have your mind blown: You’ll pass through a hallway encased in infinity mirrors, then enter a sun-splashed studio. It has had many iterations over the years—a recording studio, second primary bedroom, and prime hangout spot. There’s a step-down soaking tub in one corner, and mahogany sliders out to a large, vine-covered deck with breathtaking views of Overlook Mountain. Add a wine fridge in the room, and you’d have little reason to ever leave. Encompassing about three-quarters of an acre (included in the sale is an additional 0.11acre parcel), the property features a bluestone pathway and stone walls in front, and a bluestone patio out back. You can sit by the pond and admire the water lilies, cattails, and friendly wildlife visitors. Or you can kick back and soak in that mountain vista. And while the house is in a private, quiet area, you’re just a short walk away from the boutiques and shops that have helped fuel Woodstock’s reputation as the most famous small town in America.
35 Elwyn Lane, Woodstock $ 9 4 9,0 0 0 Listed by Johanna Trimboli, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson Halter Associates Realty (845) 853-4230 Halterassociatesrealty.com
Top: A cedar-paneled dining room has radiant heat underfoot and a woodsy view out of mahoganytrimmed sliders. The door to the right opens into a sauna. Middle: The wood-encased indoor sauna is a welcome respite on a frosty day. A built-in overhead shower cools things down when you’re done. Bottom: The living room includes this comfortable space—including bookcases and a custom window seat with storage—that can be configured as a home office, children’s play area, or study spot. upstate HOUSE
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You’re closer than you think to finding your dream
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WOODSTOCK 845 679-2010 I KINGSTON 845 331-3110 I HALTERASSOCIATESREALTY.COM 66
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FEATURED ON THE COVER
Hudson Valley Properties Millbrook Real Estate SERVING ALL COUNTIES IN THE MID-HUDSON VALLEY
$3,900,000 | Gardiner | Own a Piece of the Mountain Mountainside retreat on 19.3 acres with priceless views of the Shawangunk Ridge. It’s magical! The seemingly impossible dream is realized in this custom contemporary Arts & Crafts 3,500 sq.ft. estate perched at the Gateway to the Shawangunks, a perfect vantage point for panoramic views and access to the world renowned Trapps climbing cliffs and 7,000 acres of Mohonk Preserve with miles of historic carriage roads and trails. MLS#20213753. Terry Jacobus m: 845.389.0745 | o: 845.255.9400
$2,499,000 | Clinton | 215+ Acres This property has it all: views, pasture, forest, water, wildlife galore and an orchard, all bordering on Wappinger Creek. Falling within the Millbrook post office district, there is a site development concept for cluster housing along with a larger parcel division. Property crosses the Clinton/Washington line with quick access to surrounding towns and easy commuter access to Taconic State Parkway and Route 82. Perfect for subdivision or private estate. MLS#398262. Diana Wiemer m: 845.234.0038 | o: 845.677.3525
$2,175,000 | Saugerties | Legato at Catskill Terraces Legato is a 3-bed, 3-bath home to be built by the renowned team at Studio MM Architect and HV Contemporary Homes. A grand 2-story entry and stair link public and private spaces, while an open plan first floor features floor-to-ceiling windows that blur the line between interior and exterior. Carefully curated outdoor living areas maximize sweeping views of the Hudson Valley. 2,732 sq.ft., 5.42 acres. Other designs available. MLS#20213634. Jeff Serouya m: 845.626.5000 | o: 845.687.0232
$1,600,000 | Beacon | Reinvented 1800’s Factory Stunning condo-style living that commands attention with original details and modern updates. One of the most unique condo factory buildings in Beacon across from the waterfalls at Roundhouse, just off Main St. Enjoy NYC living in this 2-bedroom, 2.5-bath unit with every upgrade you could imagine. Amazing light, elegant details and private elevator. Relax on the 14x45 bluestone patio with views. Close to fine dining, shopping and hiking trails. MLS#403504. Michele Rios m: 845.242.5762 | o: 845.244.2164
$1,575,000 | V/Rhinebeck | Stunning 3,200 sq.ft. New Victorian-Style Home This modern home on nearly 1/3 an acre with a private backyard welcomes you inside with classic appearances of an older home like the expansive wraparound porch. The home features 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths and a full unfinished basement. 500 additional sq.ft. above the 2-car garage is approved for a separate bedroom, full bath, plumbing for a kitchen and separate entrance. Perfect for extended family, office or possibly income producing. MLS#404589. Kimberley Miller m: 845.399.3222 | o: 845.223.0736
$1,545,000 | Pine Plains | 106 Acres of Natural Beauty Plenty of room to roam on this gently sloping 106-acre property with several magnificent building locations. Wander through the incomparable beauty of open fields, lush pine woods and hardwood forests that open to far-reaching views of the surrounding farmlands and hills. Watch the sunset beyond your own tranquil pond on this idyllic property. An additional 101-acre parcel is also available. MLS#401637. George Langa m: 845.242.6314 | o: 845.677.3525
$1,500,000 | LaGrange | Escape from the City to the Quiet Life Spectacular 4-5 bedroom, 5-bath home on a private 14.33 country estate. The first floor offers a formal living and dining room, 2-story great room with wood burning fireplace, den/office and the kitchen, where no expense was spared. A new 18x22 screened-in porch overlooks the resort-style Gunite heated saltwater inground pool, hot tub, waterfalls, slide and patio. Hardwood floors, central air, security system and whole-house generator. MLS#402881. Blake Michaud m: 845.797.3627 | o: 845.905.8743
$1,469,000 | Pine Plains | Beautiful Building Site Picnic enveloped by the pastoral beauty of your own waterfall on this 101-acre property featuring pine, groves, hardwood forests, open meadows, gorgeous vistas and a lovely pond. Venture into the woods and meadow on foot or horseback and return to your custom designed home tailored for the country lifestyle you deserve. An additional 106 acres are also available if you desire an even larger private estate. MLS#401639. George Langa m: 845.242.6314 | o: 845.677.3525
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Hudson Victorian
$649,000
Two-story c. 1900 Victorian townhouse in Hudson, 1 block from Warren St. & close to Amtrak. 3 BR/2 BA renovated home. Wood floors, bright living room w/ exposed beams & brick FP, dining room, large deck & fenced-in private gardens. Main floor office & bath w/ washer/dryer. Original bannister, attic space with round top window. Garage & 2 off-street parking spaces.
❚ Harriet Shur 518.965.2144
Hudson River Classic
$725,000
Perched on the Hudson River banks w/ 132’ span of wide-open river views, one of the widest in New Baltimore. 1850 center hall Colonial w/ original Greek Revival details. Large open kitchen with wood stove, living room w/ wood-burning FP. Glass veranda. 4 BR/3 BA (1 ensuite) on 3 levels. Nearly every room has views of the river and forever nature preserve on the opposite banks.
They may be selling quickly, but we keep restocking the finest properties on garydimauro.com.
❚ David Ludwig 917.365.1894
Rhinebeck Pink House $975,000
Stunning 1860s Victorian with wrap-around front porch & original details. 4 BR/2.5 BA. Many upgrades & improvements. Sunroom, dining room with French doors to office. Lower level media room & wine cellar with bar & wood stove. Deck for entertaining & large backyard with fenced garden, shed & fire pit. On quiet street close to the Village.
❚ Alison Vaccarino 845.233.1433
Stuyvesant Farmstead $610,000
3 BR 1870 farmhouse with woodstove in living room & walk-up attic, in-ground pool & pool house with Catskill Mountain views, kitchen & bath. 9+ acres with 12 stalls, center aisle barn with run-in shed, 7 paddocks, 8 gates & 5-acre hay field. Currently a creamery w/ cheese room, commercial kitchen & farm store. Option to purchase the turnkey artisanal goat cheese business.
❚ Oliver Helden 518.444.2109
Georgian-Style Home $1,995,000
A true feat of architecture, grand 4338 sf home, built in 2006, is sited on 4 wooded acres. Stone walls & stone steps approach. Brick fireplace in living room, country kitchen. Recreated 1800s-style details like carved doors, wainscoting & staircase. 4 BR/4 BA. Wood floors on all 3 levels. Views of the Catskill Mountains and your private pond from 2 levels of porches & every western facing room.
❚ Cynthia Fennell 914.409.5144
Milan Contemporary Retreat $1,995,000
Private 31 acre retreat in Milan. 4 BR/3.5 BA open floor plan with stone FP, eat-in kitchen, deck & private pond. 1st floor primary suite. Wrap-around mahogany porch, screened-in dining area. Finished basement w/ BR, family/workout room, bath. Modern 2-story entertaining studio w/ FP, projection screen & bath. 3 rooms upstairs, 2 baths. Swimming pool & outdoor shower.
❚ Lillian Lin 917.270.9336
Hudson 2-Family
$725,000
Fully renovated 2-family 3 BR/2 BA in Hudson. 1st floor 1 BR/1 BA apt. Upstairs 2 BR/1 BA duplex with vaulted ceiling & clerestory windows. Wood floors throughout, new kitchens & baths. Freshly painted exterior with newer windows, boiler & roof. Natural gas heating & cooking, AC. Fenced landscaped courtyard w/ stone patio.
❚ David Ludwig 917.365.1894
Saugerties Gem
$639,000
Renovated 2512 sf 4 BR/2.5 BA home in Saugerties. Wrap-around porch, spacious open floor plan & new white oak flooring. Eat-in designer kitchen with custom cabinetry, quartz counter tops, new appliances. Dining room, light-filled living room with bay windows. White oak staircase. Primary BR with walk-in closet & luxe ensuite bath, walk-up attic, mudroom. 3.77 wooded acres.
❚ Oliver Helden 518.444.2109
Tivoli NY • Hudson NY • Catskill NY Rhinebeck NY • Kingston NY 68
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online at upstatehouse.com
garydimauro.com
Thinking of buying or selling?
We’re the key to your best move. Backed by more than a century of collective experience, deep market expertise and the resources of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Hudson Valley Properties, the Clement, Brooks & Safier Team delivers stellar results for our clients, despite the challenges of the pandemic. On track to close more than $95 million in 2021 sales by year-end, putting us in the top half of 1% of all Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices broker teams nationwide, we’ve already set sale-price records in multiple Hudson Valley markets for our seller clients. And for buyers, we’ve made deals happen – at prices that make sense – even in the most heated multiple-offer situations. Let us show you how our proven skills can pay off big for you. Call or text 845.337.0061 to learn more and The CBS Team. Back row: Harris Safier, Associate Real Estate Broker; Donna Brooks, Associate Real Estate Broker; Robert Airhart, Real Estate Salesperson. Middle row: Stephan Hengst, Real Estate Salesperson; Hayes Clement, Associate Real Estate Broker; John (Jack) Kralik, Associate Real Estate Broker; Jesse Chason, Real Estate Salesperson. Front row: Patricia Dantzic, Real Estate Salesperson; Jamie L. Corts, Real Estate Salesperson; and Victoria Bourbeau Pomarico, Real Estate Salesperson. Not pictured: Kate Terkelson, Real Estate Salesperson.
get the key to your best move yet.
Visit us at: www.greathudsonvalleyhomes.com
Great HudsonValley Homes
$3,300,000 | Rosendale | Lakefront Masterpiece Take refuge on your own 8-acre lake, one of the last ones still in private hands in the Hudson Valley. This 41-acre estate has 2 handcrafted houses: the multi-level lake house overlooking the water, rock ridges and forests, plus the unique mahogany-paneled Admirals House, a wonder of design and efficiency, tucked out of sight for privacy. A one-mile road surrounds the lake and connects it all. 5 minutes to Kingston; 15 minutes to New Paltz. MLS#20213800. Robert Airhart m: 917.304.3864 | o: 845.340.1920
$1,900,000 | Saugerties | Luxury Compound Set back off the road and up a long driveway, this sprawling compound features 16+ acres of outdoor space and 4,200 sq.ft. of one-level living. The beautiful dining room, gourmet kitchen and family room flow seamlessly into each other and the rest of the house. Outside, you’ll enjoy a beautifully landscaped backyard oasis with wood-burning fireplace, full bar area, custom inground pool and beach volleyball court. MLS#20213411. Donna Brooks m: 845.337.0061 | o: 845.255.9400
$799,999 | Clintondale | An Outdoor Oasis Move right in to this 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath newly renovated colonial. Natural light, hardwood floors, a roomy and newly equipped eat-in kitchen are some of the highlights inside and the ‘wow factor’ amps up even more outside. The landscaped backyard features a heated saltwater pool and pool house with inground hot tub and sauna. Minutes to the NYS Thruway and New Paltz shops and restaurants. MLS#20211459. Donna Brooks m: 845.337.0061 | o: 845.255.9400
$545,000 | Red Hook | No Wait for This One! This lightly lived-in Cortland townhouse at Hudson Valley’s hottest new village-style community, Tradition at Red Hook, feels brand new but without the 12-month wait for new construction. Featuring 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, with private fenced courtyard, 2-car garage and rear driveway. It’s also bright and sunny, with a beautiful view of Tradition’s common green. A long list of add-ons make this a great deal vs to-be-built units. MLS#20213925. Hayes Clement m: 917.568.5226 | o: 845.340.1920
16 HURLEY AVENUE, KINGSTON, NY 12401
upstate HOUSE
| WINTER 2021/22 • 69
INDEX O F ADVERT IS ERS INDEX O F A DVERTI S E R S Adirondack Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Gary DiMauro Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
NY for Clean Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Amalgam Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Glenn’s Wood Sheds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
NYSERDA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Barbara Carter Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Halter Associates Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Phinney Design Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
Hammertown Barn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Pinkwater Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Hudson Valley Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67, 69
Herrington’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Pioneer Millworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Berkshire Waldorf School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Herzog’s True Value Home Center . . . . . . inside back cover
Quatrefoil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Brown Harris Stevens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Hudson Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Rennie Cantine Overlook Benches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Cabinet Designers, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Hudson Valley Agents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Roman Professional Engineering / Roman Driveways . . 42
Central Hudson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Hudson Valley Construction Group Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
RYCOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
CM Painting & Pressure Washing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Hudson Valley Green Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Scott Swimming Pools Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . back cover
Conklin Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Hudson Valley House Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Staged Ryte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Country House Realty & Red Cottage Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Janson Scuro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Stinemire Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Dandelion Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Jeff Wilkinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Stone Ridge Electric Co., Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Davala Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Larson Architecture Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Studio SFW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
English & Harms Specialty Painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Lighthouse Solar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
vonDalwig Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
EvolveD Interiors & Design Showroom LLC . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Malcarne Contracting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
WaterFurnace International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Exposures Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Mise en Scene Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Whalen Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Finch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Natural Energy Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Williams Lumber & Home Center inside front cover, 28, 29
Freestyle Restyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
New Energy Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
William Wallace Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Pittsfield Kinderhook Coxsackie Windham
Chatham
Cairo
GREENE
MA Stockbridge
Hudson
Catskill
COLUMBIA
Hunter
DELAWARE
Lenox
Ghent
MASSACHUSETTS
Fleishmanns Livingston Margaretville
Shandaken Phoenicia
Sheffield
Saugerties Woodstock
Ashokan
Red Hook Millerton Kingston
Rhinebeck
ULSTER
CONNECTICUT
Sharon
Stone Ridge
Liberty
Millbrook
Hyde Park Fallsburg
DUTCHESS
New Paltz
Ellenville
SULLIVAN
Highland
Monticello
Salisbury
Kent
Poughkeepsie
CT
LaGrange
Thompson
Wappingers Falls Pawling Beacon
Newburgh Middletown
Cornwall-on-Hudson
PUTNAM
ORANGE Harriman
Peekskill
Warwick Stony Point New City
M A P O F TH E REG I ON 70
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ROCKLAND Nyack
Yorktown Heights
Croton-on-Hudson
WESTCHESTER Ossining Tarrytown
Danbury
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White Bridge Farm c1775 Old Chatham N. 7BR. 8BA. 160 acres. $15,000,000 Web# 21112461 Nancy Felcetto & Robin Horowitz 917-626-6755
2.
Pleasantview House Catskill NY. 6BR. 4BA. 6.4 acres. $850,000 Web# 21298071 Chris Pomeroy 917-838-4692
3.
c1830 Hudson River Estate Hudson NY. 4BR. 3BA. 39 acres. $1,795,000 Web# 21381606 Dale Steward & Samantha Mathis 310- 867- 0372
4.
Chic Modern Country Claverack NY. 4BR. 4BA. 16 acres. $1,875,000 Web# 20644918 Jean Stoler 518-755-4298
5.
Rare Hudson NY Carriage House Hudson NY. 6800 Sf. Mixed use. $1,048,000 Web# 20240609 Nancy Felcetto & Robin Horowitz 917-6216-6755
6.
Country Oasis Kinderhook NY. 4BR. 4.5BA. 16 acres. $1,495,000 Web# 21332825 Nancy Felcetto & Robin Horowitz 917-626-6755
7.
High On Hudson Hudson NY. 3BR. 2BA. .68 acre. $695,000 Web# 21084163 Nancy Felcetto & Robin Horowitz 917-626-6755
8.
Perfect & Private Country Escape Ancram NY. 3BR. 2BA. 1.6 acres. $495,000 Web# 21333396 Michael Stasi 732-241-1723
9.
116 Historical Acres Catskill NY. 4BR. 1BA. 325’ Creek Frontage. $795,000 Web# 20645544 Sterling Swann 518-929-7805
10.
Mountain View – Micro Farm Windham NY. 5BR. 3BA. 40 acres. $499,000 Web# 21031346 Stephan Delventhal 646-761-3633
11.
Hudson Jewel Box Hudson NY. 3BR. 2BA. $425,000 Web# 21359477 Dale Stewart & Samantha Mathis 310-867-0372
12.
West Wind Hill Wassaic, NY. 6BR. 8BA. 66b acres. $6,900,000 Web# 21197812 Joseph Lorino 212-452-4513
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upstate HOUSE | WINTER 2021/22 • 7 1 All information is from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, prior sale or withdrawal without notice. All rights to content, photographs and graphics reserved to Broker. Equal Housing Opportunity Broker.
B ACK PO RCH Habitat for Humanity ReStore
Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore location in Kingston.
F
or furniture lovers in search of their next piece or accessory, Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore locations may have the perfect selection. These resale shops offer designer furnishings and decorations that are donated by homeowners and sold at a more affordable rate than their original retail prices. All of the proceeds directly benefit Habitat, which helps local residents secure affordable housing. Like most of the Hudson Valley, ReStore has also been impacted by the influx of former city dwellers and weekenders taking up permanent residences. They’re also donating their unwanted pieces. Interior designers, homeowners, and even production designers are benefitting from the luxurious donations. “We’re starting to get a more eclectic variety, which is much more interesting for shopping,” says Lee Anne Albritton, manager of the Ulster County ReStore location in Kingston.
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This summer especially, Albritton noticed an uptick in inventory. Most items that ReStore accepts must have no necessary repairs. They also try to take things that are popular among buyers. Lately, that’s included secretary desks, couches by Crate and Barrel, Thomasville Furniture dressers, and other midcentury modern style pieces. For DIY lovers, building materials including hardware, doors, and unused tile scraps are also available. In the Hudson Valley locations especially, local artists often donate their work. “We get a lot of curio pieces,” says Albritton. “It’s that cool brass monkey that you might place just perfectly on a shelf.” The opportunity to find one-of-a-kind items makes Kate Cummings, the owner and designer of Freestyle Restyle, a frequent shopper. Her designs center around repurposing what’s already in the client’s home, but she visits ReStore for pieces that
can add character. She shops the store’s lighting, end tables, and even dishware. Over the years, Cummings has acquired items dating back from the 1920s through the 1950s. “You never know what you’re going to find every week, because so much new stuff is coming in. It’s the thrill of the hunt,” she says. Donations can be made in person at any of the ReStore locations, and larger items can be picked up by the organization. In addition to the Ulster County location, there are three other ReStore shops in the Hudson Valley: Wappingers Falls, Hudson, and Newburgh. There’s lots of potential to find something that’s just right. “If you drive by and one’s open, don’t keep going,” says Cummings. “You better stop.” —Kerri Kolensky ULSTERHABITAT.ORG
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