211 Orchard Street
I was prepared to dislike this new house, even though its stuccoed exterior is a refreshing departure from the now almost obligatory pseudo-Victorian shingle style, because it seemed to be crammed in next to its neighbor. But once inside, all doubts departed. The house is sited and designed to take full advantage of the Pomerance property behind it, with the rooms all opening up to private, bucolic views of woods and fields. You’ll never notice your neighbors and can pretend they don’t exist. The quality of finish is exceptional (I might ditch the chandeliers, but that’s just a disagreement in taste). Built and listed by David Van Hoesen.
Tear Down or Renovate?
Almost every day sees yet another clawed machine ripping down a house and tossing it in a dumpster. The seeming wastefulness of all this offends my Yankee sense of thrift but, in fact, not many of the houses leaving town as landfill are going to be missed. Their small bedrooms, low ceilings and middling quality were fine in their day, but that day has passed. Having renovated two houses of my own, I don’t believe that there’s money to be saved by remodeling; it can cost more, actually, and you end up with such a mush of compromises that you’ll wish you wiped the slate clean and started from scratch.
But not always. Karp Associates is just about finished renovating 42 Owenoke Way in Riverside and they’ve done a beautiful job. They bumped out the back and added on a bit in front to allow for a new large kitchen and master suite but from the street the house looks almost unchanged. Listing agent Randy Keleher walked me through it the other day and I was impressed by the exceptional quality of the construction and the creative means Karp employed to blend old with new. Did they save money by not dumpstering the original building? Probably not, but Arnold Karp told me he tries to avoid angering neighbors when he can. I didn’t canvass those neighbors but I hope they’re pleased with the results.
Another point: 42 Owenoke is an over-sized lot, which allowed for expansion. Our town’s FAR regulations, I think, encourage tear-downs on smaller lots because there’s just no room to build around the original structure. So if you are one of those residents who objects to what’s going down, I suggest that you direct your comments to the P&Z (which is presently in the process of making up still-more-restrictive rules rather than demonstrating that they’ve learned anything from their FAR fiasco).
Changing Times
The late Tom Watson’s house on Field Point Circle came on the market the other day and, as I toured it, I was struck by the completely different sensibilities this man lived by. Although it sits on two acres of direct waterfront at probably the most prestigious address in Greenwich I’d still describe the house as modest. It’s a low slung, comfortable dwelling but that’s it. Mr. Watson was obviously quite at ease with who he was and with his place in the world and felt no need to shout his importance by building one of the big box homes so popular today. I was very impressed.
And I was impressed, too by the fact that, even though its asking price is $18,250,000, the listing agent, Ken Yorke of Shore & Country told me that his appointment book for showings was already overflowing. There’s a lot of money in this town, if you hadn’t noticed.
The Homestead Inn
Due to good fortune and the generosity of David Ogilvy I had an opportunity to dine at the Homestead Inn the other night with my daughter Sarah. Spending someone else’s money on myself was wonderful—I felt like Dennis Kozlowski buying shower curtains—but the meal itself was even better. The dining room was quietly lit, the service was perfect; completely unobtrusive yet there instantly when, say, a water glass is emptied. The food was every bit as good as I’ve heard and, for the value delivered, I thought fairly priced. Dinner for two, including appetizers but before tip was $112.00 (neither Sarah nor I are desert buffs or drinkers so your results may vary). I had expected a stuffy atmosphere but the entire experience couldn’t have been warmer or more comfortable. So thank you, David.
Crime Wave Halted in its Tracks!
In a startling display of heads-up crime busting Greenwich Police have arrested a New York State man for X-country skiing on the Griff Harris golf course, thereby preventing a non-resident planting ski tracks in the snow. No word of any progress on the string of burglaries hitting Back Country residents but with this dangerous miscreant safely locked away I’m sure the police will be turning their attention up there, any day now.
I was prepared to dislike this new house, even though its stuccoed exterior is a refreshing departure from the now almost obligatory pseudo-Victorian shingle style, because it seemed to be crammed in next to its neighbor. But once inside, all doubts departed. The house is sited and designed to take full advantage of the Pomerance property behind it, with the rooms all opening up to private, bucolic views of woods and fields. You’ll never notice your neighbors and can pretend they don’t exist. The quality of finish is exceptional (I might ditch the chandeliers, but that’s just a disagreement in taste). Built and listed by David Van Hoesen.
Tear Down or Renovate?
Almost every day sees yet another clawed machine ripping down a house and tossing it in a dumpster. The seeming wastefulness of all this offends my Yankee sense of thrift but, in fact, not many of the houses leaving town as landfill are going to be missed. Their small bedrooms, low ceilings and middling quality were fine in their day, but that day has passed. Having renovated two houses of my own, I don’t believe that there’s money to be saved by remodeling; it can cost more, actually, and you end up with such a mush of compromises that you’ll wish you wiped the slate clean and started from scratch.
But not always. Karp Associates is just about finished renovating 42 Owenoke Way in Riverside and they’ve done a beautiful job. They bumped out the back and added on a bit in front to allow for a new large kitchen and master suite but from the street the house looks almost unchanged. Listing agent Randy Keleher walked me through it the other day and I was impressed by the exceptional quality of the construction and the creative means Karp employed to blend old with new. Did they save money by not dumpstering the original building? Probably not, but Arnold Karp told me he tries to avoid angering neighbors when he can. I didn’t canvass those neighbors but I hope they’re pleased with the results.
Another point: 42 Owenoke is an over-sized lot, which allowed for expansion. Our town’s FAR regulations, I think, encourage tear-downs on smaller lots because there’s just no room to build around the original structure. So if you are one of those residents who objects to what’s going down, I suggest that you direct your comments to the P&Z (which is presently in the process of making up still-more-restrictive rules rather than demonstrating that they’ve learned anything from their FAR fiasco).
Changing Times
The late Tom Watson’s house on Field Point Circle came on the market the other day and, as I toured it, I was struck by the completely different sensibilities this man lived by. Although it sits on two acres of direct waterfront at probably the most prestigious address in Greenwich I’d still describe the house as modest. It’s a low slung, comfortable dwelling but that’s it. Mr. Watson was obviously quite at ease with who he was and with his place in the world and felt no need to shout his importance by building one of the big box homes so popular today. I was very impressed.
And I was impressed, too by the fact that, even though its asking price is $18,250,000, the listing agent, Ken Yorke of Shore & Country told me that his appointment book for showings was already overflowing. There’s a lot of money in this town, if you hadn’t noticed.
The Homestead Inn
Due to good fortune and the generosity of David Ogilvy I had an opportunity to dine at the Homestead Inn the other night with my daughter Sarah. Spending someone else’s money on myself was wonderful—I felt like Dennis Kozlowski buying shower curtains—but the meal itself was even better. The dining room was quietly lit, the service was perfect; completely unobtrusive yet there instantly when, say, a water glass is emptied. The food was every bit as good as I’ve heard and, for the value delivered, I thought fairly priced. Dinner for two, including appetizers but before tip was $112.00 (neither Sarah nor I are desert buffs or drinkers so your results may vary). I had expected a stuffy atmosphere but the entire experience couldn’t have been warmer or more comfortable. So thank you, David.
Crime Wave Halted in its Tracks!
In a startling display of heads-up crime busting Greenwich Police have arrested a New York State man for X-country skiing on the Griff Harris golf course, thereby preventing a non-resident planting ski tracks in the snow. No word of any progress on the string of burglaries hitting Back Country residents but with this dangerous miscreant safely locked away I’m sure the police will be turning their attention up there, any day now.
posted by Chris Fountain at 10:19 AM
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