Our First Visit - Summer, 2000

View from the front pasture

South View

Here's what $50,000 got us in April, 2000. We paid cash because no mortgage company would consider financing it (those were quaint times where one had to actually 'qualify' for a mortgage!). I had some decent profits in the stock market and it was time to take some off the table. Shortly after that, the market crashed so I was glad we traded a little stock for real estate.

This view is the west side of the cabin which overlooks Whiteface Mountain. Most of the paint had peeled off but it had a new roof except for the porch and the poorly constructed addition in the back.

North side, with an open window in our sleeping loft.

We rented a house nearby when we drove up for our first visit as owners. Fortunately it had a well stocked garage and among other things, I used their ladder to repaint the place. There is a creek nearby so after scraping I was able to wash off the siding just by tossing buckets of water on it. Then I primed and painted. The ladder wasn't quite tall enough to reach everywhere but I was able to compensate by rigging up a makeshift extension to the paintbrush. Here's a photo of me painting the south side.

We worked on the place every day then we drove back to Florida. Although that was supposed to be our family vacation, all we did was work. But the place looked much better when we left. I had to temporarily repair part of the back wall of the addition, but it was obvious that the entire addition would have to be demolished and properly rebuilt. That temporary repair wound up lasting another 4 winters.

East (back) side, unrepaired.

East side with temporary repair.