El Rancho Guatao
If you're not Cut, we're not happy!
Established June 11, 2001
Rancho Guatao is a small house my family and I purchased in the Catskills Mountains in upstate New York. Rancho G, as it is affectionately called by us, will (hopefully) be a source of relaxation and fond memories of family and friends - most yet to be made! We have been working on this deal since the Fall of 2000 and we finally closed on June 11, 2001.
The front of Rancho G. (east side). The house is located near ski country - too bad I do not ski...yet.
The front of Rancho G. The east and north sides are bordered by a protected forest (a state park), the west side has our only neighbor and the north side has the dead end road that leads to the house (luckily we are located at the end of the street - no traffic).
The view from the porch taken in November 2000. Luckily, we are surrounded by a state park - the view won't change for a very, very, very long time! The park has been protected by New York State nature conservation law passed in 1894 - that's great news for all - especially for our views!
Just south of the house (you can see it in the background, right/top) lies a beautiful stream with a fast current. From this point, all one can hear is the water from the small falls! I've been told there's trout to be caught here!
The proud new owners (left - right): my sister Carmen, mom Carmen, yours truly and sister Becky. Special thanks to Fidel Castro - without his help, none of this could have been possible. Gracias tio Fidel.
In the dining room/living room, Rancho G. features a wood burning heater.
The kitchen: it's rustic but it gets the job done.
My brother-in-law, Manny, made this stone dam during the low season of the stream. Once the water level goes back up, we should have a nice pool of water followed by a nice waterfall! Nice job, Manny! (maybe the fish will hang out there, hmmmmm.)
A bit hard to see but I found an abandoned dog house in a wooded area of our property - maybe the dogs can have a little cabin of their own! Mom wants to rescue the dog house - I'll get it on the next trip!
Let the remodeling BEGIN!
We have owned the house for a few years now, but have done only small projects. That is now changing with major work slated for the kitchen, bathroom, living room and shed - actually, every room!. We will begin with the kitchen - a complete overhaul! I began demolishion of the entire ktichen cabinets in early Novemver 2004 with my Mom. My sister later joined us to complete the gutting process and do some insulation replacement under the house and in the kitchen (not expected). Here are a few pics of the work in progress:
Kitchen before...
Kitchen During! Yes, this is the same shot! When we pulled off the cabinets, we discovered that the sheet rock was rough and the kitchen's exterior wall had R-11 insulation. So we gutted the entire sheet rock wall and replaced the insulation with R-15. We also covered open areas.
The old tile just wasn't coming off...so it was just easier to replace the sheet rock. It also gave us a chance to inspect the wiring and then learn about the inferior insulation. I can't tell enough you how cold it gets up there!.
Don't they just look sooooo happy! Mom and Carmen complete the sheet rock removal.
Luckily, the interior wall in the kitchen did not have major issues.
Other Goodies already done...
A new furnace has already been installed and has been running well in the laundry room. My Mom & Carmen already redid the sheet rock in this room and are preparing for a new tile floor. I have already layed a new subfloor. I also installed new mini blinds throughout the entire house. Paint is already waiting for the dining/living rooms!
----- Last Updated on November 18, 2004 -----