A Unique Mediterranean in a Woodland Setting

The house at 117 Harmon Avenue where Emily Freidberg and David Merrick have lived for 14 years sat on 1-1/3 acres with a 3-car garage that had a chauffeur's apartment and a pool with a cabana. Built around 1918, the brick colonial with a red tile roof housed a shipping magnate, later an order of nuns and then Christian brothers.

With empty nest-hood looming before them, Emily and David decided to divide the property, sell their house and transform the garage, pool and cabana into a full-time residence. After all, there...  [more]

It Started with a Kitchen...Larger Breakfast Room, Rebuilt Family Room

Kitchens are perhaps the most remodeled room in the house, especially in Pelham. A young couple with a growing family in the Heights lived in a rather spacious, turn-of-the-century stucco in the Tudor style that they loved-except for the kitchen. It was good-sized, but was a traditional working kitchen (no center island) that lacked the socializing space so popular today where kitchens have become a favorite gathering spot for family and friends. And it lacked many of the latest advances in appliances.

So when contractor Rick Marino (Marino Associates-Rose Hill Group,...  [more]

New Baby... New Kitchen & Bath

When Marisa and Steve McMahon brought baby Elayna home from the hospital last April they were greeted with balloons, flowers and sandwiches- not from family or neighbors but from their kitchen contractors. "They are our friends…. They spent so much time with us even before we had a contract, and they put their heart and soul in this project," said Marisa.

The contractors are Brothers Remodeling, which was formed two years ago by two local career firefighters-- Paul Sutorius of the Pelham Manor Fire Department and Chris McCann of the Pelham...  [more]

Solar Panels Reduce Home's Electricity Bill

Often thought of as only for those who are devoutly environmentally conscious and generally surrounded by misconceptions, solar energy is a little-used energy source, particularly in Pelham or Westchester. But one Pelhamite has braved this (not so) new world of alternative energy and kindly met with me to talk about it.

Ann Gaillard's first sentence in our interview summed up her opinions on the matter. "I don't know why anybody is not using solar energy," she said. And from a financial standpoint, she said, the solar panels she had put on...  [more]