ONONDAGA HILL, NY – One day, while standing in his driveway, Chris Dembs watched a car pull up in front of his four-bedroom home at 4477 Cole Road on Onondaga Hill.
“You did a great job restoring that old house,” the driver said. “But I do not remember a house being there before.”
Laughing, Dembs joked that the stranger had “paid me the best compliment.”
His house looks like a New England Greek Revival farmhouse from the 1850s but, in reality, has just entered its teenage years following its construction in 2012.
Dembs says he has always been “attracted” to this style of house. He and his wife, Marcy, lived in an 1825 Greek Revival in Watertown, NY before moving to the Syracuse area.
The story of their Onondaga Hill house began in a dentist’s office. He spotted an advertisement in “Life” magazine for Connor Historic and Consulting LLC in Vermont. The company specializes in creating replicas of vintage styles of houses. They have been featured on “This Old House” and have done work for musician Daryl Hall and actor Donald Sutherland.
Dembs was intrigued by their ad.
“We always kept them in the back of our minds,” he said.
Onondaga Hill home replicates 19th century New England farmhouse
In 2011, the couple purchased 6.7 acres of property on Onondaga Hill, about 15-20 minutes from downtown Syracuse.
“It had some incredible views and sunsets,” he said.
He visited the company headquarters with his contractor and “was blown away” by Connor’s quality.
Chris and Marcy chose the style of home they wanted and asked for a few modifications, including a wider and grander foyer and a half bathroom off a study. Connor liked their version of the foyer so much it became their standard for this home’s style.
The house was delivered in pieces to Onondaga Hill. Like a big LEGO kit.
“It looks like it was there was 100 years,” Dembs said. “There is not a room we would want to change. That is a compliment to the house.”
The beauty of the construction is that it is an ‘architecturally correct’ vintage-style home without any of the expensive and time-consuming maintenance of a historic house.
It has modern plumbing, wiring, and insulation which are joined with classic touches like wide pine plank hardwood floors, a woodburning fireplace, transoms over doors, and beautiful trim work.
Guests arrive at the welcoming foyer which features two closets and built-in seating.
The main living room gets abundant sunlight. The couple use the fireplace often during the chilly weather. It can be converted to gas.
The room has custom bookshelves and access to the covered front porch.
The formal dining room opens directly to a pergola in a fenced-in area of the backyard for convenient outdoor dining.
The china cabinet found in the dining room was the first antique they found to decorate their new house.
“It is quite easy to decorate,” Dembs said. “Keeping things period correct was always in the back of our minds.”
The eat-in kitchen has stainless appliances, abundant cabinetry, and a gorgeous maple and black granite center island. The checkerboard floor was done by Chris and Marcy themselves. They hand-painted the black squares individually.
The main floor has a study or TV room behind a pocket door, a half bathroom, and a convenient mudroom off the attached two-car garage. The mudroom has tiled floors, a Dutch door, and a laundry hookup. The Dembs, though, use the laundry setup in the basement.
There are four spacious bedrooms and two full bathrooms on the second floor.
The primary suite has a new walk-in glass shower. All the bedrooms have their own closet.
Outside, the property is described as a “nature lover’s paradise.” Dembs loved to take his dog for hikes through the wooded walking trails. There are raspberry bushes, a creek, and panoramic views of the surrounding hills.
Adirondack chairs surround a fire pit by the front porch looking west.
There is storage space above the deep garage. A handy shed holds snow and lawn equipment.
After 13 years, the couple is selling their replica historic farmhouse.
They were so impressed by the work of the Connor company that they purchased another just across the Canadian border near the Thousand Islands.
That one, which replicates a 1770s New England Cape, will be their new home.
For more information about this property, please contact Realtor Suzanne DeMartino of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CNY Realty. Her contact info is below.
THE DETAILS
Address: 4477 Cole Road, Syracuse, NY 13215
Price: $559,000
Size: 2,342 square feet
Acreage: 6.70 acres
Monthly Mortgage: $2,745 (based on the national average rate of 6.22%, according to Freddie Mac on November 6, for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with a 20% down payment. Fees and points not included.)
Taxes: $15,705 (Based on assessed value of $362,300)
Built: 2012
School District: Onondaga
Kitchen: Chris and Marcy Dembs’ eat-in kitchen features stainless appliances, abundant cabinetry, and a beautiful maple and black granite center island. They enjoy meals on the island or at a long table set by the windows. There is a pantry. The kitchen is great for everyday meals and for entertaining guests. The checkerboard pattern on the wide plank pine floors was hand-painted by the sellers.
Living areas: This replica of a New England Greek Revival farmhouse was built in 2012 by a company in Vermont who specialized in recreating vintage style homes. It has 2,342 square feet of living space. It has modern touches like updated insulation, wiring and plumbing without the headaches found in older homes. It features beautiful trim work, door transoms, and hardwood flooring. Guests arrive at either the convenient mudroom through the attached two-car garage or at the front foyer. The mudroom is tiled and has a laundry hookup. The foyer has built-in seating and two closets. The living room gets a lot of sunlight. The couple loves using the wood-burning fireplace during the wintry weather. There are custom bookshelves and access to the covered front porch from this room. The formal dining room goes out to the pergola in the fenced-in part of the backyard. There is a study/TV room through a pocket door. The sellers use the laundry in the basement. Air conditioning has recently been installed.
Bedrooms: There are four spacious bedrooms on the second floor. Each has a closet. The primary has a private bathroom which has a new walk-in glass shower.
Bathrooms: There are two full bathrooms on the second floor and a half bath off the first-floor study.
Outdoors: Described as a “nature lover’s paradise,” this property has 6.7 acres of land to explore. Located on Onondaga Hill, it offers beautiful panoramic views, gorgeous sunsets, raspberries to pick, wooded hiking trails, a creek, and birds to watch. Dembs used to love taking his dog for hikes. They set up Adirondack chairs around a fire pit looking west towards Skaneateles. The pergola and patio are fenced-in for dogs and children to use. The attached garage can hold two cars, possibly three. There is storage space above it. A handy shed holds snow and lawn equipment. The property is about 15-20 minutes from downtown Syracuse.
Agent: Suzanne DeMartino, Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CNY Realty
Address: 5099 West Genesee Street, Camillus, NY 13031
Phone: (315) 427-4580
Email: suzannedemartino@gmail.com
Website: Suzanne DeMartino
If you know of a beautiful or interesting house currently up for sale, please consider sending a nomination for it to be featured as a future House of the Week. Send an email with the listing to home@syracuse.com.
