The contents auction takes place today in Monticello, regardless of weather. I so wanted to go and pay my last respects to an establishment that was very much part of my childhood and teen years. It seemed fitting to carry some Kutsher’s remnants in my new shop. But alas, I’m too wimpy to drive up to Monticello in the snow so it ain’t gonna happen.

Zay gezunt, Kutsher’s.

Here’s what’s being auctioned off.

The famous sign!

Hot tub

These awesome tables and chairs

Even better chairs!

Loads of dishes

The post So Long, Kutshers appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

This memory was triggered recently and thought I’d share…

The year was 1970something. A ramshackle bungalow colony named “Greenview” in Spring Glen, NY was the summer getaway for a cluster of cousins coming up from points south. The colony was on it’s last legs. The pool water had a dirty greenish tint and the paint was peeling on every bungalow.

We did have some good times at that dying colony. It was nearly 40 years ago, but I remember the ice cream truck being a highlight of the day. I recall saving at least one frog from that pool. And hikes up the mountain with Bubbie, who wasn’t my bubbie but everyone called her that. We shot pool at the local arcade and went to The Homowack for pinball and bowling. That’s about all there was to Spring Glen, apart from the general store and post office.

Oh yeah, there were the other bungalow colonies.

One night we got word that “Rosenblum’s” was coming to beat us up. If I recall correctly, it was just a girl named Tammy and maybe her demonic brother Keith. We didn’t know them. Tammy was just somewhat of a bully and she happened to get bored one day so she thought she would threaten us. Well, my older cousin Lisa (she was already a teen!) rose to the challenge and scared Tammy off.

Yeah, that was the big rumble. A substantial drama in the life of us 10ish year olds.

Well, wouldn’t you know it, the following summer Greenview finally shuttered its doors. And can you guess where we ended up? Yep, Rosenblum’s. It was a much nicer colony that’s still in existence today. Turns out Tammy wasn’t so bad after all. The first time I hung out with her in her bungalow, she smoked a cigarette and then her mom walked in, smelled it and started to question ME about her daughter’s habit. I wanted to die, but I didn’t crack. Before her mom walked in, she told me about her boyfriend “Toughie” and we bonded over…nah, we didn’t really bond, but she didn’t beat me up, which was cool.

Her brother Keith was totally nuts, but kind of cute. He’s probably in jail now.

*Names have not been changed to protect the bullies. If these people read this, I’m so dead.

The post Bungalow Colony Wars appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

Yesterday we looked at some fixer uppers in The Catskills in the under $70k price range. Now let’s see what $70k-99k will buy you. As mentioned in Part I, I’m holding broker links back because I may have interest in looking at these for myself. So, contact me if you’re interested and I might or might not hook you up…depending on how I feel. Kidding. I’ll be nice. Maybe.

That cute red house above is really not that old. The 1 BR, 1 bath home was built in 1980. It doesn’t look so small in the picture, but it’s actually tiny at 498 square feet. It sits on less than 1/2 acre in Hunter, back a bit from the road (Rt. 23-A). $75k.

Another red house! This one has been vacant for years and probably needs everything, maybe including well and septic. The 1890 house is a decent size compared to the first one and yesterday’s. It’s 1320 square feet on 3 acres. Here’s the beautiful thing… It’s in Gardiner. That’s top notch, yo. Just take the New Paltz exit off the Thruway and you’re there in about an hour and a half. $82,500.

This lovely view comes with a 1593 square foot house on 1.2 acres in Pine Hill. Where’s Pine Hill? Near Belleayre and Phoenicia. The view is more impressive than the 1961 house which looks half renovated. That’s a plus, since the work was already started. It needs siding as there is currently exposed insulation (looks new) and there are some new plywood subfloors inside. Actually, maybe it needs more of an update than a renovation. $99k.

For 99k, this house is habitable and can be worked on over time unlike some of the others. It’s a whopping 2120 square feet on about half an acre with a dilapidated garage. Built in 1951, it’s located in Lake Katrine, which is actually pretty beautiful. The house is right near the Esopus Creek. That is awesome 90% of the time. The other 10%, means this house is located in a flood zone. Oh, and there’s a trailer park across the street. $99k.

Hey, this one is actually NOT a fixer upper! Well, that’s no fun for me. Located in Chichester, which is also in the Phoenicia vicinity, it’s 831 sq ft on a quarter of an acre. There’s a wood stove for those winter ski trips and taxes are under 1000! $99,900.

The post Under 100k Upstate. Part II appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

I met Sal a few years ago as a fellow Brooklyn Flea vendor. We stayed in touch via the Interwebs and I kept meaning to visit his shop in Callicoon, NY. Sal is now in the process of moving Tin Can Trading Post to a multi-dealer store up the road. What finally got me up there to see the store was his massive moving sale.

Because I was focused on house materials, I only made out with three lights (four if you count the pair of sconces as two). But oh, how I wished I was there shopping for myself! Scary dolls and clown paintings, old wicker subway seats, a dessert cart from Grossingers. Grossingers!! It would make a fabulous kitchen island.

Sal closed up his shop for a bit to give us a tour of his home that’s on the market for $189k in nearby Cochecton. What a treat for an old home lover! The restoration reveals layers of history. Original wallpaper was cleaned with wonder bread. Did you know about that technique? I did not. The plaster in some areas was left unpainted. You know how much people pay to faux this look? Here, it’s the real deal.

Worth the trip up to Sullivan County. Check out the shop. Buy the house. Turn it into a B&B so I can stay there in the future.

The post A Visit to Tin Can Trading Post appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

Not being too familiar with Sullivan County, I contacted buyer’s agent Joe Addeo at The Rural Connection to show me around yesterday. What a luxury not having to set up appointments, navigate and drive from house to house!

We saw a bunch of homes that were in pretty decent shape. None of them would have worked for my flip purposes, but it’s definitely a buyer’s market over there. That part of Sullivan County near the Delaware River is beautiful but quiet. Don’t go expecting a scene, man.

Anyway, on to the houses! Find info on all of them here.

The farmhouse pictured above is a steal at $175k. Great piece of property on 5 acres with a pond near Jeffersonville. The house doesn’t need much work at all, which is why it didn’t suit my own purposes. One can just move in and enjoy. I saw some unfinished molding. That was about the extent of the work IMHO.

This lovely cape was in decent shape also. It’s very close to Jeffersonville and the Villa Roma Resort, which is like an Italian version of a Borscht Belt resort. A sausage belt resort, if you will. The house could use some updating or you can overlook the drop ceilings and dated kitchen and just enjoy your summer. Not bad for $139k.

This Cochecton house was pretty sweet for $89k and would have worked for me had the neighboring house not been so close (close by country standards). On the plus side, the neighbors have horses. Unfortunately, that’s a negative when you have dogs. Anyhoo, great bones, good location. Price is unbeatable!

Oh, this was a good one too! Another not-much-to-do house. The exterior looks worse than the interior. I remember that this one had a great kitchen with aluminum cabinets and an old drainboard/sink and the floors were in perfect shape. $139k in Cochecton.

The city girl in me appreciated this one simply because it was within walking distance to civilization. The village of Kauneonga Lake isn’t very big but has 4-5 good restaurants that overlook the lake. This is the perfect retreat for lake lovers, even though the public access is some ways from the house. There’s a hot tub in the back. Who doesn’t like a weekend place with a hot tub? $109,900.

Finally, this lovely Cochecton farm house belongs to my buddy Sal, an antiques dealer in Callicoon. The house is about to hit the market at under $200k. When it does, I’ll let you know all about it…as well as the cool vintage trailers he’s selling. But for now, consider this your head’s up.

The post $200k Challenge: Sullivan County appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

People convert churches and barns into homes, but a silo? Why not? I was adoring this listing when I saw it last month but Shandaken is out of my 2 hour radius so I didn’t even go look at it. It may already be off the market as the only thing I can pull up is an old listing. Oh, but let’s swoon over the pictures anyway, shall we?

The silo house is only 750 square feet of claustrophobia but sits on nearly eight acres. It was built in 1975 and taxes are only $1379! It’s located about three miles from Belleayre Ski Center. Sweet. Oh yeah, it’s $158k. Not bad.

The post Silo House appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

Traveling through Sullivan County last week, we came upon the town of Mountaindale: Population 0. Nah, I don’t know what the population is, but Mountaindale looked like a ghost town. Oddly enough, it also looked as if the shop fronts have been restored. It feels like a movie set or like it’s waiting for something to happen.

Perhaps Mountaindale is a hopping place during the summer months, but on a winter’s weekday it looked abandoned. Someone is trying to bring this little town back. There is evidence of an art community, yoga and anti-frackers. None of them were around the day we swung by.

There are quite a few bungalow colonies near the town, some abandoned and many in use. It’s definitely something to check into once summer is on the horizon.

The post The Town That Time Forgot appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

Yes, that’s right. A six unit bungalow colony is up for sale for $93,900. The buildings sit on 5.45 acres in Kerhonkson, which is actually more desirable than most colony locations. Kerhonkson is Ulster County, close to Minnewaska State Park and Stone Ridge/High Falls/Rosendale.

The 1940’s bungalows are listed to be in “fair condition”. Sounds too good to be true? Well, yeah, it is. Maybe.

Most of the structures do not look to be in salvageable condition, so really, you’re buying the property. My thoughts on empty property lot vs. tear down is as follows: I’m figuring that the electric, water, gas and sewage lines are already run with a preexisting colony. Many places we saw had propane and the lines may need updating, but am I wrong in thinking it’s still easier than starting from scratch?

Pop some cute pre-fab cottages in or vintage air streams and you’ve got yourself a colony…right around the corner from the Hudson Valley Resort and Spa.

*Photo help from Miss Wit

The post Under $100k For A Bungalow Colony? appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

Even though The Catskills were severely damaged by Hurricane Irene last year, some parts will bounce back. Areas like Woodstock and Phoenicia are year round vibrant communities that have always remained popular destinations for tourists. But exploring Sullivan County this week was rather shocking.

The Borscht Belt towns have seen more financial devastation and decay than any hurricane could have caused. This isn’t news. I’ve blogged numerous times on photographers capturing images of the old resorts and bungalows, but I had to see it with my own eyes to consider the scope of it.

Main Streets died out with the advent of the malls and the resorts and colonies started losing popularity with the arrival of air travel. The Catskills as my generation knew it still existed well into the 1980’s, but it’s a shell of it’s former self these days.

There may be hope of a revitalization. Post baby boomers like myself have been very excited about the opening of Kutsher’s Restaurant in Tribeca and the preview of the Kutsher’s documentary film was sold out almost instantly. The newish Upstater blog is waxing nostalgic about the area and they’ve proven to be quite popular.

Does this mean The Catskills are coming back? Not quite. It just means there is hope. I’m not the only one whom has had the idea to bring back a modern day bungalow colony for this generation.

Kutsher’s still exists, although it was closed the day we were there. I heard rumors that it’s for sale, but cannot find any news on the current status.

I’ll be posting some colonies that are on the market in the upcoming weeks. They are in bad disrepair, but prices are negotiable. Come on. Let’s do it. Let’s bring back The Catskills!

The post Forgotten Catskills appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

What’s more fun that staying in a theme hotel room? Maybe creating an entire theme hotel. But ok, staying in one is cool enough for now. The Roxbury Motel opened it’s doors in 2004 when two Manhattanites bought the run down structure after it sat on the market for six years.

Located in the heart of the beautiful Catskills (as opposed to the “eh” Catskills….believe me, there’s a difference), The Roxbury is anything but “forgotten Catskills”. It’s hip. It’s now. It’s happening, baby.

There’s a Flintstone room, a Partridge room, a Genie room and a Bewitched room for those of us old enough to appreciate them. Of course, there is a Shagadelic and a Miss Kitty room for the younger-than-middle-aged crowd. As if that’s not enough, The Roxbury has a spa on the premises and a cocktail lounge/restaurant right across the street.

Disclosure: I haven’t been to The Roxbury Motel. I just got a bit carried away looking at the website. Groovy, baby.

The post Upstate Theme Motel appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

If you grew up in NYC, chances are you spent many a summer getting to know The Catskills as a kid.

Upstate got slammed by Hurricane Irene. Monetary donations are needed as well as dry goods and non-perishable food. Ain’t got nuthin’? How about some blood? Over 2000 units were lost due to power outage and now there is a blood shortage.

Come on, time to pony up for your fellow New York Staters!

More info on Catskill relief at Watershed Post.

Donation Collection Sites

Manhattan:

Eastern Mountain Sports
530 Broadway (Spring & Broadway)
New York, NY 10012
(212) 966-8730
Monday – Friday 10 am – 9:30 pm
Saturday 10 am – 9 pm
Sunday 11 am – 8 pm

Powell Communications
84 Wooster Street # 603 (between Spring and Broome)
Monday through Friday
9:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m.

Greenwich Village Location
Ciao Stella Restaurant
206 Sullivan Street (between Bleecker and West 3rd)
ask for Stella
Tuesday-Saturday
5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.

Midtown Location
Decorum Consulting Group
295 Madison Avenue, 8th Floor (one block from Grand Central)
Ask for Jeannine Stryker-Triolo
Monday through Friday.
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Brooklyn:

Boing Boing Maternity
Corner of 6th and Union
Ask for Karen or Kevin
Tuesday through Sunday
11:00 a.m.- 7:00 a.m.
(can also leave donations in the gated yard during off hours)
Red Shed Community Garden
266 Stillman Avenue
(at Kingsland)
THIS WEEK
Wednesday through Friday
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND
Tuesday and Thursday
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Suggested Donations List

In addition to bottled water and non-perishable foods, the following items are also urgently needed at present:

Cleaning Supplies
Laundry Soap
Toilet Paper
Paper Towels
Ajax/Clorox/etc.

Personal care products
Soap
Toothpaste
Toothbrushes
Deodorant
Feminine care products
Shampoo/Conditioner (adult and for babies/children)
Diapers
Baby Wipes

Clothing
Underwear (adults and children, including boxers)
Socks (adults and children)
Pajamas (adults and children)
Shoes (especially children’s)
Any gently used clothing

Other
Charcoal and lighter fluid
Propane tanks
Formula and baby food
Bedding

The post Catskills in Need appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

The death count for Hurricane Irene is now up to 40. We joked that it was non-event here in the boroughs, but looking at the damage she caused elsewhere, we should thank our lucky stars it wasn’t worse.

This NY Times photo struck a chord. This poor woman was in the middle of restoring her 200+ year old house. You know she loved that house because she took the time to scrap the paint and brighten it up instead of slapping on some siding. I can sympathize with her loss because I know how I’d feel if I put in hours of work for nothing.

People’s homes and businesses are damaged all the time in natural disasters. As long as everyone survives (pets included), it’s just a building. And possessions. Hopefully, insurance covers enough so that people don’t end up with nothing. But you can’t replace the intangibles. The memories. The time spent working to make it yours.

Memories fade and time passes no matter what. Money comes back. It must hurt to have them stolen in a single day though.

The post This Hits Home appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

We took our dog friendly vacation in Red Hook, NY this past week. After giving up our upstate home connection last year we reckoned it would be easier to rent a place whenever we felt the need to get out of the city. Dog friendly vacation rentals are plentiful enough. We just have to worry about the extra clean up and damage that our mutts may cause.

The dogs had an awesome time, of course. Long hikes and paddles in creeks. Chasing down invisible creatures. This vacation really WAS for them. I had a nice time too. At least I think I did. The fact is that, oddly enough, after 7 years of country living, I still feel completely out of my element there. I try though. And I do enjoy it to an extent. Really!!

When we first arrived at the house in the woods we were greeted by Sari of the management company. Her truck pulled into the driveway just before us…a big pick up with an American flag on the rear window. Hubby said “That must be her.” I was like “No way. She has a 212 exchange on her cell phone.” Sure enough, it was her and sure enough the truck was just a loaner while her Jeep was in the shop. After screeching and jumping from  frog, Sari explained that she was a born and bred Manhattanite who had only moved up there three months ago. We spoke about city-girl-life-in-the-country and my husband worried that my words might send her packing.

Anyway, here’s what we did during the week. Click on links as they are recommendations or places to avoid….

The house was lovely. It’s actually located in Gallatin, which is how we got the wooded seclusion. A bit remote, as it’s about 10 minutes into Red Hook or Tivoli. It sits on about 4 wooded acres. There’s a bit of a landing with some seats if you wanted to hang out in the woods, but we stayed on the deck. We were able to keep the dogs confined up there so they wouldn’t run off chasing deer. There was a table and chairs and lounge chairs. And oh yeah, a hot tub!

The house is perfect for shares because the 2 bedrooms are set up on either side of the kitchen/living room and each has it’s own bathroom. The driveway is shared with other neighbors who we saw from time to time.

On the way up we stopped in Beacon for lunch and a hike. Dennings Point is where we used to take our dogs all the time (Lyme Disease warning) when we lived there. It was an easy hike in which we knew the trail and we wanted the dogs to calm down before arriving at the house. While there, we also noticed that Long Dock is finally taking shape. They’ve built a kayak rental kiosk down at the riverfront. It’s not up and running just yet but it looks like it won’t be long. Also of note is the Roundhouse at the other end of town.

Two of the better hikes we took near Red Hook were the Stissing Mountain Fire Tower and Ferncliff Forest. The Walkway over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie is definitely worth doing. The dogs had to stay on leash for that one, but the humans enjoyed it. We missed our beloved Poet’s Walk this time but we made it to Minnewaska which was pretty crowded. Hated Mills Norrie State Park in Staatsburg. Manicured lawns and paved road, but the few trails we found were not maintained and didn’t go very far. Maybe we were missing something?

The most fabulous hike was up near the Berkshires (less than an hour from the house). Bash Bish Falls can be an all day affair even though we only spent a couple of hours. The park is great for picnicking, hiking, swimming and camping. The falls are amazing and even though swimming is no longer permitted because of several deaths, people do it anyway. The deaths were caused by stupid people diving off the rocks into the water, not just swimming in the hole.

We actually had some minor difficulty renting kayaks locally during the week. The kayak companies ran tours but didn’t want to just rent them out. We ended up renting on the more laid back west side of the river. Kenco on Rt. 28 in Kingston rents kayaks for $55 apiece or $65 for a tandem. You’re on your own from there. They’ll give you a map and some suggestions but they don’t bring it down to the water for you. We ended up with a tandem because that’s all we could fit on our car. We put in on The Rondout in Kingston. It was an interesting urban trip where we saw old boat yards, shipping containers and other industrial ruins. Pretty cool. Only not so cool because shade was hard to find. My biggest complaint was the sun. There were several beaches to pull into for a picnic.

We spent our evenings more civilized like. Upstate Films has a second location in Woodstock now where we saw a great Oirish fil-im called “The Guard“. American Don Cheadle was an executive producer and supporting actor. Go see it!

Dined at some good restaurants, both old and new to us…

Terrapin in Rhinebeck. Good vegetarian selections on menu.

Luna 61 in Tivoli. Completely vegetarian and always awesome.

Rosendale Cafe. Nowhere near Red Hook, but if you’re in this neck of the woods, it’s the best vegetarian place around. The backyard is very dog friendly too!

Red Hook Curry House. Popular Indian buffet.

Red Devon. In Bengall? Met friends for dinner here. It was really good and not all that far but it seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere. It was busy enough and yes, it was worth the trip.

Portofino. Another schlep! This one in Staatsburg. You drive through a completely rural area and then all of the sudden….hello…there’s a restaurant! Family style Italian. It was good and the waitress was a hoot, but she and the kitchen gave me shit for trying to get a cheeseless eggplant dish, so I dunno.

That was the enjoyment part. Tomorrow I’ll fill you in the real estate bit.

The post How I Spent My Summer Vacation appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

The Times has done it again. Declaring the next big thing ten years after the fact. They’ve written yet another article about how the Hudson Valley and certain towns are super hip right now. The new Brooklyn, of course. I feel the need to weigh in on this since I considered and moved to Beacon after a 2004 article hyping the town.

Let me begin by clarifying that I’m not blaming The Times for my move to Beacon. I was tired of Brooklyn at the time and wanted a better quality of life. I stayed for 6 years so there had to have been something I liked about it.

Instead of picking apart the article, I’ll just fill you in on my take on the situation. My usual kvetchfest about upstate.

Yes, there are wonderful antique shops. They tend to only open up a few days per week.

The galleries lining Main Street are great! Too bad it’s the same artists over and over again.

Some great restaurants opened during the years I was living in the Hudson Valley. I’d guessimate that 3 out of 5 of them closed within a year or two.

I can go on, but you get the point. Those towns upstate are always on the verge of gentrification but they never quite arrive. Nothing wrong with that. I’m no yuppy who wants to live in a totally gentrified area. Crap, that’s the reason I left Park Slope! But I do like to have a choices.

Maybe the hubby and I had a bad attitude while living up there. We were the only ones complaining while all the other newcomers loved it. Since moving back to Brooklyn a year ago, we feel alive again. The restaurants, museums, shows, concerts are all at our fingertips. We can do whatever we want, when we want. That’s something we took for granted prior to moving to greener pastures all those years ago.

So, are Brookynites really moving up there in droves? My real estate broker says that 90% of his home buyers are coming from Brooklyn. That doesn’t mean they are from Brooklyn. They lived here briefly. I met one other native Brooklynite in the 6 years I lived in Beacon. That might explain why my feelings differ from most other folks living up there. If you grew up in the big city, it’s really hard to leave that behind. Eventually, small town living just started to suck the life out of me. People from small towns and suburbs probably feel that way about cities.

So, thinking of moving to the Hudson Valley? If you’ve been a city dweller all your life, my advice would be to keep your options open back home. I’m all about weekend places. It’s nice to get some fresh air and escape the rat race every now and then! In fact, next week we’re renting a place in Red Hook (NOT Brooklyn) so look for more upstate posts.

Thankfully, I’ll be writing them from the prospective of a weekender.

The post The Hudson Valley Is Not Brooklyn! appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.

Want a weekend house but think you can’t afford it? Let’s see how low we can go. These homes need TLC, but I chose only desirable areas. What’s the mortgage on a $100k house? Like a dollar per month? Come on, you can do it!

The wreck above is located in Highland, NY within the New Paltz school district. Yes, it’s just short of being a tear down, but it’s $74,900. The home is less than 1000 square feet but sits on 1.7 acres. Interior shots here.

A small cabin in the woods of Kerhonkson, NY has access to the stream in the above photo. The 594 square foot home is quaint, but not much to look at. It sits on one acre. Price? $69k.

Ok, so this house isn’t too impressive. The 600 square foot vinyl sided POS has been renovated in Home Depot style. Here’s the thing….For $99,500 you got yourself a house in Milan near Red Hook, NY. 2.26 acres with access to a stream at the edge of the property. Suh-weet.

The post Country Homes Under $100k appeared first on reclaimedhome.com.