Ten years ago my brother Barry and his wife purchased 15 acres in Herkimer, New York.
They added to their spread by buying another 13 acres last year. They intend to build a house there and move to our neck of the woods in the next year. Being that he is my brother and best friend, I couldn't be more excited about the fact that once they do move, they will be just over an hour away from McDonough New York, where we are living.
Their property is situated high above the landscape you see here, what a view.
The 13 acres they just purchased borders their existing property.
It includes the field that you see here, right up to the tree line and a spring feed pond. We visited with them last month and took a ride on the 4-wheelers to check it out. If there was ever a person that deserves a long happy retirement it's my bro. He has been a union carpenter since he was 18, starting as an apprentice. He's now the head of TRI-STATE computer flooring co. inc.
https://www.tristatecomputerfloor.com/
Here's a picture of him with @farm-mom while we were checking out the property.
The guy always has a smile on his face. Here we stopped for a moment to check out the ravine that cuts through the landscape. It has to be at least 200 feet deep, and its banks are very steep.
Brother Barry is the best carpenter that I have ever run across. At the age of 17, he drew the plans for an addition to our first home. He was the lead man and without his expertise, the project would have never even been on the drawing board.
When we were both a little younger, we worked weekends constructing additions, building decks, and siding houses, using our skills however we could to make some extra money. At one point we worked side by side for 36 weekends in a row and I loved every minute of it.
Knowing that Herkimer NY was the place he would retire to, three years ago he started to plan and build a few projects before starting to build his dream home. Check out this round deck with the trees incorporated into it, what a masterpiece.
Last year he built this garage. He's the kind of guy who you ask for a helping hand and his reply is, "so when are we getting started?" He's an employee's dream come true, a boss without an attitude. At work, when he mentioned that he was building this garage, he had 6 guys from his company show up to lend a helping hand. The owners of TRI-STATE computer flooring, two brothers who are just about his age, were part of the crew. Within four days they had framed and sheathed this building.
Over the next several weekends he sided the entire garage with just the help of his wife. When it came time to install the metal roofing system, knowing he would need a hand, I was more than happy to give him some help. Within two days we had the roof completed and the garage was now watertight.
With retirement just around the corner, this year he planned on starting to build his dream home.
The trailer you see in this picture was bought in Pennsylvania and hauled to New York, providing them with shelter for the past several years. It was placed there because of the view it would give them of the terrain below. This is also where he wanted to build his home, for the same reason, the view. Before construction would begin the trailer had to be moved, which was in the plan all along.
This is where he moved it too, also building a deck off of the front door. He'll live in the trailer as the home is under construction.
So let us see what he's accomplished since moving the trailer.
We had not visited for some time
and when we did stop by for a weekend just this past month, my jaw dropped. After the masonry and excavating part of the project were completed it was game on. During his ten-day vacation in August, with the help of his wife and 80-year-old brother-in-law, they completed the framing of the basement walls and floor system. The following weekend they had the sheathing installed on the first-floor living space.
The guy is a perfectionist and as I expected the framing was something to see, with everything being right on the money!
With my knee replacement being just three months prior and with the other knee not cooperating,
I was unable to lend a hand with this part of the build. This is as far as he is taking the project this year and plans on ramping it up come May when he retires. By next year I should be good to go and my plans are to help him build the remainder of his dream home. By next year I should be running up and down this ladder, God willing.
Thanks, bro for everything you have done for me over the past several decades. Without your help, my first house would still be a two-bedroom home and with four kids at the time it may have been a little tight. 😁
They say payback is hell, but in this case, it will be heaven.
Let us take a peek at what the finished project will look like.
Front view facing the valley.
Rearview facing a little piece of paradise.
Wrap-around verandah with views for miles and forest close with open fields, a dream home to be sure in the the making.
Wishing your brother every bit of happiness when finally finished to enjoy time to relax!
!LUV
!PIZZA
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The wrap-around verandah is a great feature. The design of the interior includes cathedral ceilings and a lot of open space.
thank you for the LUV and my favorite food, Pizza.
Sounds like a super cool build, something to really enjoy!
Wow this build is so impressive and the land your brother has is really stunning. i imagine it must be a dream come true for him. Thanks for sharing @thebigsweed xxxx
and what a dream to have come true. By this time next year he should be well on his way to completing the build.
Thanks for stopping by, always appreciated.
Wow, and wow, what a view from that hill in the first photo 😍
The new construction already looks great, I wish your brother a lot of success with the new dream home :)
That's a great way to put it, wow and wow. I'm thrilled for him and my sister-in-law. They have both worked so hard and deserve what every good luck comes their way.
They surely deserve the best! And they are already lucky, having you as a brother 😊
Wow! He sounds like a g of a human being, well liked and good to be around,generous and warm. His property is amazing and I love the deck around the tree! I don't know much aboyr framing but even I can tell that's neat and expert work. I've always admired proper carpenters as tradesmen - working with wood is a noble art.
Here's hoping that knee of yours is ladder worthy soon!
He has earned the respect of anyone who has been lucky enough to cross his path.
The round deck is so cool. When we first say it a few years ago I crawled under it to see the framing, very complicated and the board that covers the circumference had to be back cut hundreds of times in order to get it to conform to a circle.
Goodness! If I was to have my time again I'd marry a skilled carpenter. I mean, I married a great mechanic but.... You know ... You can't have it all.
You could always have a little thing on the side.😁
😂😂😂😂
I was expecting a detailed build of that deck. Masterpiece—well said. And then the first floor of the house is even nicer than the deck!
What's up my friend. The guy is one talented son of a gun. That is what happens when you've been at something for over forty years.
I guess your stay abroad is coming to an end very shortly and you'll be headed back to the states. Safe travels and we wish you all the luck in the world getting settled in. At this point you may want to avoid Florida. We have several family members and friends living in Venice and Sarasota which is right where the storm made landfall. We have not been able to get in touch with them, but by what we see on the TV things don't look good.
You're no slouch yourself, sir. I have a vague idea what it's like. Carpentry, no, but I can troubleshoot a faulty circuit over the phone. :ring:
If you don't mind, keep me posted, please, either here or email. I'd appreciate it. We're paying close attention as our plane's scheduled to land in Ft Lauderdale the end of October. The more we watch, the more we're concerned but our information is limited compared to yours. Thank you.
Nice reward here, Sweed, well deserved. 👊🏼
Right now the shit that's going on if Florida is mind-blowing. The area where we have vacationed for the past five years is destroyed. Fort Meyers, Sarasota, Venice, and the Cape Coral area, all on the Gulf coast, will take years to rebuild.
Here's a link that should give you the big picture.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/far-from-the-coast-ian-leaves-flooding-and-damage-across-florida/ar-AA12ppFS?cvid=b17d057567ee4144b7bcec45d6738581
Will keep you posted.
There is more to this than my words can really articulate, but it is legitimately an amazing story to hear. I personally just feel a little sad, as my home country is England and we essentially have no such space. You're lucky in england if you have even a garden at all. Everything feels very cramped, like Harry Potter in a broom cupboard, compared to the vast swathes of Land a hard-working American can acquire.
My expectations of an ideal future would be but a fraction of what I see here, less I become an American citizen haha... but like you say, it sounds perfectly deserved!
He's one of a kind for sure and having him as my brother is a blessing. New York State has a lot of open land, and purchasing a large swath of it is still doable.
I'm not sure I could live in a place like you describe, I tend to get a little strange around a lot of people and totally enjoy the seclusion and privacy that Living where we do brings.
I'm sure you wouldn't have a problem getting into the states, the boarders are wide open.
I've never accepted city life was truly for me. I grew up fairly rural/suburban. There are more people in this city than all of Australia (no exaggeration). But I also have to accept the fact that the opportunities were here. It is ultimately my plan to move back out in the coming couple of years or so finally, but even so, England i'll be lucky to simply get a quaint house with a garden.
Becoming a Mexican refugee over the US border however, that's a tempting idea!
That fact is hard to comprehend.
Many people, including myself, have not lived in their dream location because of the job opportunities available in that location. I did that for 40 years, but I also knew that when it was time to hang up the tool belt I'd be on my way.
You may want to give it a try. 😁
I spent my time until recently idly cruising through life looking for something I didn't know what... well I found her now, so yes, this is more prominently appearing in my thoughts. We're already making steps to do so. It's just a shame the UK is literally crumbling to dust at the moment... bad timing XD
What a lovely property @thebigsweed & what views! Your brother must be a very special guy to have staff pitching up to help building his dream home! I just love the design, especially the wrap-around verandah.
It's awesome hearing about dreams coming true for good people.
Hoping to see photos of you climbing up and down that ladder.
The wrap-around verandah is a great feature.
The guy is truly one of a kind, warm hearted almost to a fault, a family man, and always a gentleman. I feel blessed having him as my brother!
Once this last operation is behind me I hope to be doing a lot of things that have been almost impossible to do.
Thanks for your kind words.
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That level of craftmanship is really beyond my understanding!
Incredible view too, as everyone was saying, really beautiful... I really love the relationship you brothers have, heartwarming to read ^^.
Cheers buddy!
Cheers back to you.
He's one of a kind and the best part is that he's moving to the same general area, putting him about an hour away.
That's so very cool! What a beautiful place to retire! Working with really competent people is always a joy, nevermind he's your best friend. :))
A master mechanic for sure. If anyone deserves a long happy retirement it's my brother Barry and his wife.