The Hapgood Project

1920 Farmhouse in Bedford, New York

2010-08-23T14:51:00.000-07:00

The town of Bedford, NY was founded on December 23, 1680 when twenty two Connecticut Puritans purchased a strip of land from the Lenape Indians for coats, blankets, wampum and cloth. Chief Katonah signed the deed, photo of the actual document below, for the land they called the "Hopp Ground" due to the wild growth of humulus lupulus, what we now know as hops.

King William III declared Bedford a part of New York in a 1700 royal decree, settling a three year border dispute with Connecticut. After the Battle of White Plains in 1779, the British burned the town, however the fire allowed residents to add what is now Westchester County's oldest government building: The Court House in Bedford Village, which still stands today 223 years after its original construction.

Despite the current population clocking in at almost 20,000 people, the town and surrounding areas have managed to keep a decidely rural atmosphere. The amount of open space is actually rather surprising considering it only takes an hour ride on Metro North to cover the 40 miles to Manhattan. While a few colonial era houses and structures still stand, there's a good mix of [relatively] old and new in Bedford, like this farmhouse at 57 Long Ridge Road, built in 1920.

The house sits on a full acre and overlooks the Mianus River, which I believe runs through the property. There's lots of open space and from what I can see in the pictures, not a neighbor to be seen whil the leaves are on the trees. With four bedrooms, two baths and over 2,000 square feet, I think this house is priced to move at the $475,000 ask.

The front porch looks a bit better once you're standing on it and looking out; appears to be a bit small from the front of the house. A couple of white wooden rocking chairs would complement this space nicely.

The family room actually looks rather nice and doesn't appear to need too much work. The back deck is seen through the glass doors and there's no separation between this room and the kitchen seen below. Great looking fireplace.

The kitchen definitely needs some work. The cabinets, and perhaps even the countertops, actually look like they've been done recently, but the appliances are plainly in need of some updating. The backsplash and floor tiling could also use some work, I think. Good amount of space though.

Great built ins in what I'd imagine would be the living room; big fan of the ceiling and flooring too.

Assuming this is a guest bath, I don't think you'd need to touch anything in here. Floors continue to impress, sink and bath work well together. Not sure I'm sold on the yellow walls, but a very minor point in an overall great bath.

This appears to be a guest bedroom, but it was the only one shown, so who knows. Nothing special in here other than the great flooring found in the rest of the house, but figured it's worth a look; can't really get a grasp for a house without seeing the bedrooms.

1890's Brick Manor Home in Morristown, New Jersey

2010-08-11T07:39:00.000-07:00

It's been over 3,000 years since Native Americans first settled the land under modern day Morristown, however the town has remained in the spotlight of history since European settlement in the early 1600s. George Washington chose the famed Morristown Green as the location for his Revolutionary War headquarters in 1777, moving to the Ford Mansion, which still stands, in 1780. The Morris Canal, which allowed goods to flow from the Delaware to the Hudson was conceived in the town in 1822. Samuel Morse built the first telegraph on January 6th 1838 at the Speedwell Ironworks in Morristown, kicking off the information age eleven days later with the first public demonstration.

The primary reason homeowners choose Morristown today is the same reason George Washington chose Jacob Arnold's Tavern for his headquarters in the 1700's. Located 30 miles from Manhattan and 75 miles from Philadelphia, the city is a well placed hub for what is a surprisingly rural part of New Jersey. While the public schools have fallen significantly behind some of the surrounding school districts, The Delbarton School, for boys, Villa Walsh Academy, for girls, and Morristown-Beard School, co-ed, are all within the town's three square miles.

The Green is still the center of Morristown and most of the town's restaurants, bars and shops are within walking distance; as is this 1890's brick manor home, located less than a ten minute walk away.

The 5,200 sq. ft. home has 7 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, 6 fireplaces and many updated features that I'm sure G Dubs, the 1st, not the 43rd, would have found puzzling. As you can see in the pictures however, most of the original touches still remain and really add to the overall character of the place. The lot size isn't anything to write home about, but it looks very well kept and the side porch overlooks MacCulloch Gardens. Asking price is $999,000 and while I'm sure that's negotiable, seems to be a great house for that range.

This is the front room and appears to be a part of the foyer. There's a great wood staircase leading to the second floor to compliment the ceiling posts and rounded front door. The mantel and fireplace are top notch, but I can't help but wish it was one of those large walk-in types. Something also has to be done about the red carpeting though.

I'm assuming the dining room is off of the above front room, though the sky blue carpeting is certainly a change. Some wide plank wood floors would really take this whole place up a notch and would work really well with the existing wallpaper and white molding in here.

Pull the carpeting. This is one of the 7 bedrooms; not bad size wise but those walls make for some interesting decorating decisions.
Again with the carpeting; it seems the rooms are simply alternating between red and blue. Not sure how many of the bedrooms have fireplaces, but this one appears to be the most likely for the master. Could definitely use some work on the curtains.
Arguably my favorite room in this house. The built in bookshelves, the fireplace/mantel and the paneled ceiling of the library make me want to get a fire going and tear through a book. Don't really think I'd change anything in here.

Not sure if it's the flags (it's probably the flags) but there's something very White House-ish about the office space on the right. I could see a president sitting at that desk jotting down a memo while looking out over the lawn; again, not much needs to be changed.
The kitchen and the bathrooms (at least the one shown) appear to need the most work. The kitchen could be updated rather easily, for not too much money either, I'd think. Likely just new cabinets- perhaps even just the hardware- flooring and possibly new appliances depending on what's in there now. Lots of great space and light with those windows too.

This bathroom needs a lot of help, new shower, toilet, tiling, flooring...I'd gut it. Good space and probably wouldn't require much major work, but it needs to be done. A clawfoot tub would be a must in here.

While I'd prefer a bit of a wraparound, this porch is great. Views of the side yard, perhaps even the gardens, and a very inviting space. Would definitely change the style of the outdoor furniture though, that space has some major potential for an afternoon cocktail and nap.

Welcome

2010-07-27T14:40:00.000-07:00

Seeing how this is the first Hapgood Project post, I should perhaps start by actually describing the goal of this "project." Frank Abagnale, Jr could probably say it best: "I'm not an architect. I never went to architecture school. I'm not a realtor, or a Harvard graduate or a Lutheran." What I am is someone who has an appreciation for real estate, history, design, marketing, finance, sports, the outdoors, you name it really, and I'm hoping to incorporate it all into this project. Not really sure where this will lead, or even what the project is going to be entirely, so we'll see where it ends up; I really have zero expectations, so it's all upside from here. Hope you like it enough to check back often.