Ode to 8 point construction

It's not everyday that you feel you want to write a blog in praise of your contractors. Part of me worries that if I tell others about how great they are, word will get out and they will get busy and not have time for us. Ken and Henry from Eight Point Construction in Stone Ridge, NY came by yesterday to outline the costs for digging out and putting a concrete slab in the basement. They were really nice about it and although it was a little higher than we had anticipated they did what they could to minimize the cost, or rather maximize the value we got - i.e. use the excavator to remove trees, level ground and maybe (if we can get a permit) remove the beaver dam.

That evening we went for Dinner at Hasbrouck House and Ken was there with his wife. When we went to pay the bill, the waiter told us that our dinner had been taken care of by Ken Gore of Eight Point Construction. He had already left (we tend to be on a later dinner schedule than most of Ulster County) so there was no argument. This is just another example of how they do business. They are always professional, really interested in the project and always trying to help out in one way or another. They are polite, respectful and a pleasure to have around. How many people can say that about their contractors?

If they had a web site I'd link to it here...but they don't. This is Ulster County!

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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

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.

A long silence broken

It has been over 18 months since I posted an entry on the DeJoux House blog. Why? I'm not sure. The renovations were held up for a while as we enjoyed a working, if unfinished house. Looking back there was frankly very little news of note. Lots of socializing. Lots of enjoying the bounty of the land. Lots of swimming in the pond and Ice Skating...but you'd seen all of that in the old posts. Today, I am inspired to write a post because I have uncovered some news about the history of the house. Since we bought the house we have always been told that the house was built in 1740. That's what the town of New Paltz have in their records. That's what the previous owners told us and well, we had little reason to disbelieve it. However, we have very little proof of when the building of DeJoux House started. This puzzle was further heightened when a gentleman from North Carolina contacted us with the following request. Mr. Flebut - I am a professor at the University of N

DeJoux House

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