Skip to main content

Busy week but much progress

This week has been really busy:

1) We chose our contractors to do the first phase of removals. Eight Point Construction really impressed us with the resources and expertise they brought to the project. They start work on Thursday removing all the finishes and unwanted modern fixtures (1930's/40's). They will also remove the wall in the Kitchen so we will get a sense of what it will be like as one room.
2) We visited New Paltz buildings inspector to get our permit. Stacy Delarede the buildings inspector came round to inspect the house and was wonderfully supportive and informative. Really nice to meet someone from the town who takes pleasure in her job and wants to be helpful. She was lovely and will have the permits for us next week.
3) Met with Frank from FJF who is removing the asbestos. We need to do this before the construction starts. He will be at the house Tuesday with tents and negative air fans that will make sure no asbestos dust gets into the air. Immediately after 8 point will rig up the temporary ducts for the heating.
4) We have arranged for the society for the preservation of Hudson Valley Vernacular Architecture (Robert Stevens and Robert Sweeney) to visit the house on January 16th. We should be well into the "demo" phase by then so that should give them a good understanding of the structure and will allow us to show them anything we uncover.
5) Our blog has also attracted the attention of Richard Heyl de Ortiz, Director of Public Programs at Historic Huguenot Street. He has offered to help us with our renovation efforts, an offer we are likely to take up. They have an amazing library and historic documentation, especially about the Deyo and Elting families who both lived in the house. The houses (especially the Bevier-Elting house) on the Huguenot Street in New Paltz seem very similar in structure to ours.
6) Allison Rachleff, our friendly neighborhood architectural historian, has agreed to help us document the history and follow up on an apparent documentation with the "Historic American Buildings Survey" inventory in 1967. (The recorder is listed as Mrs Avery Smith, Kingston, yet the property does not seem to be listed anywhere). It was amazing to us to discover that there are only 11 properties in New Paltz on the National Historic Register. This area has a wealth of pre-revolutionary war properties that are not even documented, let alone protected. Allison is going to help us rectify this.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Paradox farm

If you wander along Springtown Road, past DeJoux House, you will see our mailbox opposite the front door.  It's not especially distinguishable except it is rather large and sits on an old tree stump.  It's a rusty old thing but it seems to have survived the snow plows and drunk drivers of Springtown Road. It has always bothered me that on the side of the mail box you can see the vague outline of the words "Paradox Farm" which was clearly a name that DeJoux House was more recently referred to.  Occasionally when wondering the fields I would stumble across some incongruity and wonder if that was indeed the "paradox" that the farm was named after. Yesterday morning, for some unknown reason, I decided it was time to resolve the paradox.  I sent a quick email to the previous owner June Finer to see if she knew anything of the Paradox Farm ghost on the side of the mailbox. This was her reply: once upon a time we, (myself and russell gilmore---my ex), met a...

Maria Deyo - a chilling tale

We arrived at the house this weekend to meet with the contractors who had poured concrete in the basement on Friday. When we arrived we found a family standing in front of the house taking pictures. Being the friendly types we are, we went over to chat. They told us they were on a haunted house tour and were looking at the house because their daughter had been talking about the ghost at our house for the last couple of days. She had bought a book called "Spooky Hudson Valley" and in it was the story of Maria Deyo and a tragic tale of a mother killing all three children and then killing herself. The family were wonderful and excited to be shown the house. They showed us the book and at the beginning of the story was a picture of our house. The book went on to say that Maria sent the men to the fields and then she slit her daughter's throat and the throat of her other two children...then killed herself. All this happened on September 13 th 1801. There was...

Inspiration for the future look

Daniel has found some wonderful reference materials for keeping the history and character yet not making it a museum. I love the big kitchen table plan for the kitchen inspired by Lutyens and some "behind the scenes" pictures of victorian kitchens. He also showed me some country houses from Axel Vervoordt that I really love. http://bit.ly/uX1eW Simple, authentic yet modern. We discussed putting a full length plate glass window in the old hay loft window on the end of the house. Wow. I can't wait.