MARIETTA, NY – For 40 years, Margie and Tim Creamer’s Otisco Lake home at 3275 Cemetery Road, near Marietta, has evolved with them.
It started as a “true fixer upper,” then became a part-time camp used during summer weekends, then to a five-bedroom house which was filled for years with family memories, and then, finally, to a quiet “private retirement home.”
“We are really sad to leave,” Tim said last week. “It has been very special. When the kids were around, we went tubing, water skiing, and swam. They have a love for the place.”
Living on the water had always been special for Tim.
“My father bought a lake home on Lake George,” he said. “That got me interested in lake living.”
He wanted to give the couple’s four children the same cherished experiences on the water that he had growing up.
Efficient Otisco Lake property has 'enough space to do great things'
In 1985, Tim and Margie focused on properties on the Finger Lakes to fulfill that wish. They were “more affordable” and “not four hours away” from the family’s Fayetteville home.
The 0.26-acre property on Cemetery Road they bought that year had 82-feet of Otisco Lake frontage. It was rough at the beginning. The grass had grown above Tim’s knees and there was no septic system.
“It was definitely a camp,” he remembered. “It had not been maintained for five years.”
The family used it for summer weekends, the annual July 3 celebration on the lake, and family reunions.
By 2001, they wanted to spend more time there.
“It needed more to be a year-round place,” Tim said. “We wanted to add a second floor.”
When they found out they could not do it to the original camp built in 1930, Margie and Tim decided to start over again.
They built a new house on the original footprint.
There were five new bedrooms on the second floor, two-and-a-half bathrooms, and an open living space on the first floor.
They were not finished.
In 2010, they renovated the lakefront with a new concrete seawall with interlocking pylons made of recycled plastic which protects against the ice.
“We are recyclers,” Margie said.
For entertaining, they installed a Trex deck with bench seating, patios, and a fire pit. Six Norway spruce trees were preserved which provides privacy from the road. Planting boxes hold vegetables, annuals, and perennials.
“There is always something blooming,” Tim said. “There is enough space to do great things.”
The whole lakeside property “is beautiful” during all four seasons, Margie adds, even in the winter with all the “beautiful white snow.”
In 2017, after their children were grown, they moved out to the property permanently.
They remodeled the main living area, opened it up, and added the cabinetry and floating shelves around a new gas fireplace. They hold books, photo albums, and board games.
A TV rises and lowers from a cabinet when needed with the press of a button.
They can enjoy views of the water from a wall of eight windows.
A galley kitchen has ample storage space and white appliances. The camp’s original porcelain kitchen sink has been preserved.
“It is so easy to work in,” Margie said. “I will miss it.”
An open dining area can accommodate parties of a dozen people.
On the second floor, the five bedrooms were reduced to three. The new primary bedroom has vaulted ceilings, great windows for morning sunrises, and his-and-her closets.
The two other bedrooms have “significant closets.” One is used as a study and office. The other has blackout shades for guests and a Murphy bed built by Tim himself.
The second floor’s full bathroom has double sinks and a walk-in glass shower with a bench.
Linen closets and a hidden laundry, with stackable machines, line the second-floor hallway.
Tim said their renovations made wonderful use of the home’s 1,480 square feet.
“We made it efficient but homey,” he said.
That efficiency continues with their monthly utility bill.
The couple installed 22 solar panels on top of their one-car garage which keeps their monthly electric bills to between $20 and $30.
There is no homeowners’ association, but residents are asked to contribute $200 a year to plow their private road.
Loving their Otisco Lake community, Tim and Margie are moving just two miles away, down the road to a home with fewer stairs.
“We are going from lakeside to lakeview,” Tim jokes.
They will be enjoying the water from their back deck on a hill.
“We are not downsizing,” he admits. “We are making life simpler.”
An open house is scheduled for Sunday, November 9, from 1-4 p.m.
For more information about this property, please contact Realtor Barbara Lynch of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CNY Realty. Her contact info is below.
THE DETAILS
Address: 3275 Cemetery Road, Marietta, NY 13110
Price: $799,900
Size: 1,480 square feet
Acreage: 0.26 acres
Monthly Mortgage: $3,907 (based on the national average rate of 6.17%, according to Freddie Mac on October 30, for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with a 20% down payment. Fees and points not included.)
Taxes: $8,509
Built: 1930
School District: Marcellus
Kitchen: Tim and Margie Creamer’s galley kitchen is a fitting example of how they have taken advantage of the space at their Otisco Lake home. Built as a lakeside camp in 1930, they have done several renovations there since moving in in 1985. The kitchen is “efficient” and has under cabinet lighting. Margie is going to miss its ease of use. The kitchen has ample storage, white appliances, and views of the deck. The porcelain sink from the original camp has been preserved.
Living areas: This 1,480 square foot home has renovated into a full-time house in 2017. They made it “efficient but homey,” Tim said. Guests arrive at the main entrance off the big deck. The open main living area has a large dining space and cozy living room. There is a new gas fireplace and updated cabinetry which has floating shelves and room to store photo albums, board games, and books. A TV can be raised and lowered from one of the cabinets. Parties of a dozen can be seated for meals in the dining space. A wall of eight windows provides views of the lake. The home’s laundry is on the second floor. The stackable machines are hidden by doors. Solar panels, installed in 2019, reduce electric bills to $20 to $30 a month. Tim kept a workshop on the walk-out lower level.
Bedrooms: The 2017 renovation reduced the number of bedrooms from five to three. All are on the second floor. The primary has vaulted ceilings, and designer windows which provide water views and a lot of sunlight. It has a his-and-her closet. The other bedrooms also have “significant closets.” One is used as a study/office. The other has a Murphy bed built by Tim and blackout shades for guests.
Bathrooms: There are two full bathrooms and a half bathroom on the lower level. The upstairs bathroom has a walk-in glass shower with a bench, double sinks, and a linen closet. There are more linen closets outside of it in the hallway. The main level bathroom is right off the living room. It has a walk-in shower. The half bathroom is great for people going to and from the lake.
Outdoors: A vibrant and friendly community is present in this small neighborhood on the water. Families enjoy swimming, fishing, kayaking, boating, water skiing, and tubing in the “always refreshing” water. Tim and Margie redid the lakefront in 2010 with a new concrete seawall with exterior interlocking pylons made from recycled plastic. A Trex deck, patios, and a fire pit are great for outdoor parties, the neighborhood July Third celebration, and family reunions. Six Norway spruce trees were preserved to provide privacy from the road at the 0.26-acre property. There is a one-car garage. Skaneateles, Finger Lake wineries and restaurants, and Baltimore Woods are close by.
Agent: Barbara Lynch, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CNY Realty
Address: 32 East Genesee Street, Skaneateles, NY 13152
Phone: (315) 372-8940
Email: barblynch@bhhscnyrealty.com
Website: Barbara Lynch
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