Dutchess Digs for Rent!

Yes, the Crib is now available for rent. If you might be interested in an upstate NY getaway, please see our VRBO listing. For those of you coming from said listing, here are some additional images. Floorplans at bottom of post...

view from backyard:

winter:

summer:





kitchen:



kitchen island w/ 36" range:



kitchen / dining / living room overview:



living room:



den w/ sofa bed:



tv in den w/ wii, playstation, roku (streams netflix and amazon video):



guest bedroom #1:

guest bedroom #2:



master bedroom:

master bathroom:



deck:

firepit

floorplan - 1st floor (click to enlarge):



floorplan - 2nd floor (click to enlarge):

Some Updated Photos...

xmas 2008

december 31, 2008...

interior updates...

mmmm, still needs work.

more...

Overdue Update

Well, hello there. Nice of you to drop by! We've been spending almost every lovely summer weekend at our place, and it's really beginning to feel like ours. Who would've thought there would still be so much to do after a year of construction. I guess it's the difference between making a house and making a home. Here are some updated pics.

Landscaping still has to happen, but Walter did install some pretty cool shale steps going up to the backyard from the driveway. We were surprised, but they look great. And inside the house...

Above is guest bedroom #1 so far. This is the room Bill got to decorate. It's coming along swimmingly. Much more zen than my bedroom below...

It's got a little further to go than the first one. And below is the master. Check out our massive bed. Apologies for the lackluster text, but Mad Men is on and I'm distracted. Bye Bye.

OK, this is Bill, editing Nina's post to add a couple of notes. Nina and I designed the bed above (and below), and had it fabricated by the same guy who built our dining table, fireplace cabinetry, mirrors and stair rail cap (more on the mirrors and railing below). The pictures don't really show how huge this thing is. It's a king size mattress, with an additional 12 inches of platform on either side, and about 18 inches at the foot of the bed to be used as a bench. Solid walnut construction with integrated light switches (the sockets above the bed will be replaced with custom AvroKo designed fixtures soon).


Below is our mater bath. Jay installed our mirror this week, made from reclaimed snow fence and aged brass. It's nice and long. In front of the mirror are a few edison bulbs.


A view down our upstairs hallway. At the end is a very cool antique copper wedding tray given to us by my boss. It's very happy in this location, marking the entrance to the master bedroom. Thanks Robin!


The walnut cap was added to the stair railing last week. It's quite a bit bigger than we had expected, but the grain of the wood is absolutely perfect. Beyond, you can see the only wallpaper in the house.


Finally, a shot of the living room. We now have a rug, an interesting version of a coffee table, and some objects for the fireplace cabinetry.


OK, that's all. Landscaping is the next big challenge, so look for some updated outdoor pics soon.

insta-yard

I'm putting up another post to show the overall panoramas we've been showing throughout the process. Above you can get a MUCH better idea of how it'll look when it's done. They've installed in-ground irrigation, lay some sod, and we have a landscaper on board to make the whole place look more like it did when we found it. Lots of tall grasses, some flowering plants, some ferns, and some trees that will turn pretty colors in the fall, like maples.


And yes, the pool is swimmable. It's insanely sweet. Plus, the views of the hillside from down in the pool are even better than expected. Love it.

We even have some wild monkeys.

Lawn & Pool

Hello folks. It's amazing what a difference some grass makes. Our backyard has been transformed from a giant dust bowl to my favorite place in the world almost overnight. We were up there this weekend with friends, swimming, cooking, and playing rock band. Below is a shot of Sarah and I relaxing poolside.


In the above shot, note that the lounge chairs are over on the patio. They will be moved to the grass on the side of the pool (near side in this photo). We're just keeping everything off the sod for a few weeks. We don't want to disturb the grass while it's trying to get roots into the top soil underneath.


Above is another shot of Sarah. This picture is taken from where one of the lounge chairs will be. It's a really pretty view across the pool and up the hill into the woods.

OK, that's all for now. Nina took some panoramic photos this weekend, so maybe she'll post those. We'll see you all upstate soon.

Memorial Day Weekend

What a weekend. The weather couldn't have been any better and we took full advantage of it. Friends came up on Saturday afternoon. Above, Sarah was hard at work making dinner for everyone. Below is a shot of our pasta with homemade meatballs.

On Sunday, we went wine touring to Millbrook and Clinton vineyards...

When we got back to the house, we grilled up some burgers and had a fire...

OK, on to house progress. The backsplash has been installed, but still needs grout. Pretty sweet finishing piece for the kitchen.

Our walnut entry closet doors were hung last week, and they're amazing. They slide toward the exterior walls and can be used to close off the den (see second picture below).



Here's a shot of the den. We moved the Eames chair upstate because the cats think it's a scratching post. The coffee table is made from reclaimed wood and steel.


Our fireplace is from a company called Spark.


Here's a closeup of the mirror over the fireplace. It's antique mirror glass with a custom frame. The frame is made from reclaimed snow fence from Wyoming. It's the same material we used on the walls in the powder room.


Our millworker Jay built us this dining table out of reclaimed oak that he's been storing for a while. There's even some old paint on the apron + legs. It's 9 feet long. Good for entertaining. It also has two shallow drawers hidden in the apron we can use for napkins and placemats.


The first of many dance parties happened on this deck.


The bluestone coping was installed on the pool last week. We're hoping to have grass in about 2 weeks.


Till next time.