The Catskill Farms Home Portfolio

CHAPTER I: HOUSE STYLES

Our first home--Farmhouse 1 in Narrowsburg, NY--nearly buried us in 2003. Since then, we have designed, built, and sold over 100 right-sized homes across 4 upstate counties throughout the Hudson Valley.

 

Regionally inspired, straight forward, natural, modest and without contrivance, our homes are restrained, unique, and compelling.  Frankly, a breath of fresh air.

Farmhouses: 3+ bedrooms, over 1500 sq ft, $400k+

Cottages: 2 bedrooms, 1300 +/- sq ft, $340k+

Mid-Century: 1-3 bedrooms, 800-1600 sq ft, $300k+

Mini Cottages & Mini Barns: 1 or 2 bedrooms, under 1000 sq ft, $200-300k


CHAPTER II: Homes For Sale

 

Click on a tab to check out available
homes in corresponding counties!
 

Sullivan County
  • Cottage in Bethel
  • 2 bedrooms
  • 1.5 bathrooms
  • Under Construction
  • Click here for more information
  • Multiple awesome new pieces
  • 3 Now Available
   

 
Ulster County
  • Olivebridge/Kerhonkson
  • 4-6 Acres with views
  • 4 Lots Now Available 
   
  • Ranch 24
  • 3 bedrooms
  • 2 bathrooms
  • 3+ acres
  • Saugerties, NY
   
  • Barn 20
  • 3 bedrooms
  • 2 bathrooms
  • 3+ acres
  • Saugerties, NY
 
  • Farmhouse 42
  • 3 bedrooms
  • 3 bathrooms
  • Finished basement
  • 6+ acres
   
   
 

 
Dutchess County
  • Red Hook
  • 1 Available to pair with home
  • Par with home ~ $650-$800k
   

 

 

CHAPTER III: Areas We Build

Directions to our office:
Better than GPS Directions
  • Palisades Parkway to I-87 North
  • I-87 to NY-17 North
  • NY-17 North to I-84 West toward Port Jervis
  • Exit at Port Jervis, take NY-97 to Barryville
  • NY-55 North to Eldred
  • Right on Proctor Rd to 42 Proctor Rd, Eldred NY
See Land Discussion for more information.

Towns:
Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Clinton, Milan

Taxes:
Around $10,500 on a $500k purchase

Land costs:
Average around $115k

Average Catskill Farms Home Sale Price:
$525k

Homes we build in this area:
3+ bedroom Farmhouses

Generally speaking:
Upper East and West Sides - gentrified and vibrant.

Towns:
Woodstock, Saugerties, Rosendale, High Falls, Stone Ridge

Taxes:

Land costs:
Average around $80k - $100k

Catskill Farms Home Sale Price Range:
$450k - $500k

Homes we build in this area:
3+ bedroom Farmhouses

Generally speaking:
More Brooklyn than Manhattan. Hip & well organized small towns.

Towns:
Olivebridge, Kerhonkson

Taxes:
$7500 on a $400k purchase

Land costs:
Average around $60k

Average Catskill Farms Home Sale Price:
$375k - $500k

Homes we build in this area:
2 & 3+ bedroom Cottages and Farmhouses

Generally speaking:
Low tax, pretty, rural area of Ulster County.  Close, but not too close to everything.

Towns:
Barryville, Narrowsburg, Callicoon

Taxes:
$6000 on a $400k purchase

Land costs:
Average around $35k

Catskill Farms Home Sale Price Range:
$200k - $500k

Homes we build in this area:
1-5 bedroom Mini Cottages, Cottages and Farmhouses

Generally speaking:
Rural, lack of density, pretty, and can stretch a dollar.  Welcome home.

Catskill Farms currently builds in the following counties:

Dutchess: Polished. Affluent. Vibrant

Ulster (mainline): Good towns. Well-established weekend activities.  Film Festivals. Food choices.

Ulster (rural): Resembling the positive attributes of Sullivan County, just a little closer to the go-to towns of Woodstock, New Paltz, Stone Ridge. Skiing at Hunter and Wyndam is also within range.

Sullivan: Rural.  Low cost. Pretty. More lakes and rivers than other counties. Diversity of land opportunity exceeds other counties.  Big bang for your buck.  Where we live.

See Land Discussion for more details regarding how different areas impact house/project costs.

CHAPTER IV: OUR PROCESS





See Land Discussion for more information.
With 12 years and over 200 pieces of land purchased across 3 counties, we leverage all our knowledge and experience to identify and procure only the best land available. Besides the obvious aesthetic requirements, we study the town tax rates, zoning, neighborhood, internet access, availability of electricity, ease of buildability, and a host of other factors.  Nothing is more daunting, time consuming and risk filled than buying a piece of rural land without the right skills and experience.

 

 

 
Many times, our clients really fall for something we have previously built, if they could only tweak this or make that room bigger, etc. Other times, we start from a picture or painting and go from there. In either case, our expertise assists in helping our clients realize their design. We help them scratch that design itch.
 
 
  • Sign a contract.
  • Deposit some $$ in Attorney escrow.
  • Off to the races!


Average build time: 6 months

 

 

 

A fully collaborative process on your land, with a well-vetted set of digital tools, site meetings, supplier referrals, and precise administration make our process easy and quick.

 


In essence, we strive to be an "upstate concierge" for our clients: leading, guiding, counseling, and collaborating on all facets and details necessary for a successful design/build process.  Under many scenarios, Catskill Farms pays for the project costs until the home is finished.

CHAPTER V: PRICE POINTS

 
House Type Sullivan Ulster
(Olivebridge, Stone Ridge)		 Ulster
(Woodstock, Saugerties)		 Dutchess
(Rhinebeck, Cinton, Red Hook)
3+ beds on 4-6 acres, under 1650 sq ft $400k $425k $440k♦ $500k♦
3 beds, 1700-1800 sq ft $440k $455k $490k♦ $525k♦
2 bed cottages $340k $355k $390k* $390k*
Mini Barns & Cottages $220-290k TBD TBD TBD

* 2 bedroom homes will not achieve typical mortgage process.

♦ See Land Discussion for more information.


Price points revolve around 3 primary home attributes:

  • Land size

  • Town/County

  • Size of home

Financing:
Our homes always qualify for 80% financing.

CHAPTER VI: FINANCING/DEAL STRUCTURE/TIMING

  • Local bank financing at competitive rates
  • Catskill Farms pays the project bill during construction
  • 6 months to build


  • We utilize local banks
  • 70-80% loan to value
  • We build homes that understand and appreciate bank mortgage underwriting criteria, and therefore build homes that meet those criteria so there are no surprises.

  • Rock
  • Well
  • Radon
  • Heat & Snowplowing
  • Carrying costs

Our Process attempts to assign as much risk to us as possible.  Instead of the typical arrangement where weather, delays, and new material price increases all fall to the client to manage, our process pushes those more to us.  We build a dozen or more homes each yer, so some of the risks and unknowns of building - rock, well depth, etc. - can be mitigated because some houses will be more, some will be less, and it washes out in the end.

However, the following costs are not entirely built into the price of the home:

  • If we hit rock when drilling in a foundation, the cost is shared.
  • If the well exceeds a predetermiend depth, the costs are shared.
  • Appliances are not included.
  • In a project costing $450k+ there is a $3700 charge at the end of the job for interest, carrying costs, heat & snow plowing, taxes, and other project costs.

The uniqueness of what we are offering revolves around how the financing of the house works during construction.

Basically, we sign a contract, then Catskill Farms pays for the custom collaboration and construction.  Our client pays when the house is finished and is move-in ready.  We have an awesome track record of completing our homes before our contracted deadline and on budget.


CHAPTER VII: LAND DISCUSSION

  • Most typical land size: 3-6 acres
    • This holds true across all counties
  • We Pay:
    • $35k in Sullivan
    • $50k in Olivebridge, Ulster
    • $80k+ in Woodstock, Saugerties, and most of Rhinebeck
  • The more we pay for land, the higher the cost of the house.
  • Larger pieces of land, from 10 acres to 20-50 acres can be found, most often in Sullivan County.
  • Financially, larger pieces of land typically don't appraise fully, meaning additional out of pocket costs.
  • Smaller homes in high land cost areas typically don't appraise.


When you drive around upstate, there seems to be an endless supply of land to choose from.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Good land in all 3 counties we build in is hard to come by.  I personally spend a lot of time researching, scouting, walking, and evaluating land--rejecting 9 out of 10 pieces before I even get out of my jeep.

Good land is hard to come by, and we never miss a good piece.


CHAPTER VIII: Warranty & Punch List

 1st Phase:

  • This addresses post-punch list items such as:
    • Hot water temperature adjustments
    • Nuisance issues like doors sticking, faucets dripping, exterior locks jamming, and loose trim or hardware
    • etc

 2nd Phase:

  • After breaking in the house for 1-2 months, additional functionality issues may arise, which we spen the requisite time necessary to remedy.

 3rd Phase:

  • 1 year whole house review with owner, in addition to a whole house and cosmetic paint/caulk review

Absolutely no existing home purchase can compare to our homes'
lack of monthly maintenance surprises, which can easily approach $5,000 - $10,000 per year in a typical used home.


Nothing proves the mettle of a builder better and faster than warranty and punch list claims--i.e. standing behind out work.

Having been in this business for many years, I personally don't think any company does it better.