PARISH, NY – Brad Murphy tells a story about his nine-acre property at 559 County Route 38 near Parish, in Oswego County.
His late father came out to visit him one afternoon and then seemingly vanished without a trace.
“I could not find him anywhere,” Murphy recalled.
Searching for his dad, he walked out of the renovated home and made his way across the property to the fishing pond he had dug, and then the Amish cabin he had built, where he found his father sitting on the cabin porch.
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“He was just sitting on a rocking chair,” Murphy said, laughing. “Just enjoying the day.”
His father’s reaction validated his son’s purpose for buying and upgrading this property house.
“It was built for pleasure,” he said. “Why leave for a vacation when you can have one at your own property?”
He calls it a “pretty unique place,” one that is radically different from what he purchased in 1995.
“We did a lot,” he said. “Everything is either built new or upgraded.”
Let’s start outside because the property and its setting were what first caught his eye.
“It sold me,” Murphy said. “I could see what I could do with it.”
He had the fishing pond dug in 1999. It is tributary fed and is “extremely deep.” Its deepest point is about 30 feet.
“It is great for fish,” he adds.
It is stocked with large mouth bass, rainbow trout, perch, and catfish which can grow up to three feet long. He likes watching them grow.
Admiring the view from near the pond, he wanted to build a berm there, perhaps topped with an old caboose from a railroad train.
When he could not find one, he settled with an Amish-built cabin which was brought there on the back of a truck. The 14-foot-by-24-foot cabin is finished, insulated, and has heat and lights.
With his children, he and his wife, Cindy, fished, grilled hot dogs and burgers, and sat beside campfires there.
“It was like a family vacation every night,” Murphy said.
Off the back of the main house, is a fantastic deck and gazebo. There is a hot tub and an eight-foot-deep in-ground swimming pool.
He recently had the paver bricks around the pool torn out, replaced by Stampcrete. The pool has a new liner and saltwater pump.
Tax records say that the four-bedroom and four-and-a-half-bathroom house has 2,726 square feet of living space. But that number is misleading.
Murphy had an over 3,100 square foot addition built onto the side of the house.
From the outside it looks like a garage, but Murphy jokes, “there has never been an automobile inside it.”
While it does hold the golf carts, snowmobiles, and four wheelers needed to get around the property and for recreation, this space is more luxury living space than a garage.
“It is not cold and drafty,” he jokes. “It is tanned and tasty.”
It has a second kitchen, a giant wet bar, and a gas fireplace.
Murphy says he conducted “a lot of business” at that bar. Entertaining too.
He had a Syracuse company install a sound system and sometimes hosted live music. Super Bowl parties sometimes had 50 guests.
Thinking of everything, Murphy had this space placed so folks could come in wet from the pool or snowy after snowmobiling without tracking onto the carpet inside the house.
The original main house, built in 1984, is almost entirely one level.
Its kitchen has a skylight over the range, and new granite counters.
There are two dining rooms, a formal one and one where the “kids go.”
The less formal one has a gas stove.
He and Cindy “always liked” tin ceilings and had them installed in the kitchen, one of the dining rooms, one of the two living rooms, and one of the primary bedrooms.
The formal living room, “where you get your pictures taken,” Murphy joked, has a wood-burning fireplace.
There are four bedrooms in all, including two primaries.
Each of the four full bathrooms have been renovated and have their own themes.
Murphy gives full credit to Cindy for the wonderful decorating.
“It is like living in a museum,” he said. “It is a one-of-a-kind home and retreat.”
Murphy admits that the family “had the time of our lives” at the property. He never had to worry about his kids. They were always at home with their friends, snowmobiling, swimming, fishing, and having “winter parties” at the cabin.
But they have gotten older and moved on. Murphy himself says he is “running out of gas.”
“I’m torn about” selling his beloved home but believes the property needs some “young blood.”
He and Cindy will be relocating to their camp on Panther Lake.
For more information about this property, please contact Realtor Beth Kristen Miller of Lake Ontario Realty LLC. Her contact info is below.
THE DETAILS
Address: 559 County Route 38, Parish, NY 13131
Price: $749,000
Size: 2,726 square feet (This just the main portion of the home. The garage addition adds over 3,000 square feet of living space.)
Acreage: 9 acres
Monthly Mortgage: $3,839 (based on the national average rate of 6.63%, according to Freddie Mac on March 6, for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with a 20% down payment. Fees and points not included.)
Taxes: $6,904 (Based on assessed value of $215,600)
Built: 1984
School District: Altmar-Parish-Williamstown
Kitchen: Brad Murphy loves to cook and does about 70 percent of it. The kitchen has new granite counters and a skylight over the range, which is built into the island. Ample dark wood cabinets and drawers were kept during the renovation work. Brad, and his wife, Cindy, love tin ceilings and have them installed throughout the house, beginning with the kitchen.
Living areas: The original portion of the house has just over 2,700 square feet of living space, including formal and “everyday” dining and living rooms. Apart from a new primary bedroom, this home is all on one level. The formal living room has a wood-burning fireplace. The “everyday” living room has access to the back deck. There is a comfortable Florida room. The less formal dining room is off the kitchen and has a gas stove. The home is ideal for entertaining large parties.
Bedrooms: There are four bedrooms inside the house, including two primaries. The original primary has a tin ceiling. The new one was built over the garage addition. It has a big closet.
Bathrooms: There are four full bathrooms, each has a unique theme, including One has a Greek motif, another is inspired by Lake Placed, and one is complete with South African tiles. Murphy gives his wife, Cindy, full credit for the decorating.
Garage addition: This addition to the side of the house looks like a garage but there has never been an automobile inside it. It is used to store four wheelers, snowmobiles, and golf carts, but its primary role is as a bonus entertaining spot. It features a gas fireplace, a wet bar, and a second kitchen. Murphy hosted Super Bowl parties and conducted business there. Some parties had 40-50 people guests and live music. The garage floor is convenient for people coming in from the pool and after snowmobiling. That keeps the carpet inside dry and clean.
Outdoors: Enjoy nine acres of country living at this Oswego County property. It was the grounds and setting which first convinced Murphy to buy the property in 1995. It reminded him of a park. His children and guests loved riding golf carts, four wheelers, and snowmobiles around the property. Summer entertaining is an easy job with the big back deck. It has a gazebo, hot tub, and an eight-foot-deep in-ground swimming pool. The pool has a new liner, saltwater pump, and the old paver bricks around it have been replaced by Stampcrete. His fully stocked fishing pond is tributary fed and is 20-30 feet deep in places. You can fish for catfish, perch, large mouth bass, and rainbow trout. A 14-foot-by-24-foot Amish cabin is insulated, finished, heated, and has electricity. It is right by the pond for “family vacations,” with fishing, cookouts, and campfires, all without leaving home. The property is right off Route 81 and Murphy says he can be in downtown Syracuse in about 25 minutes.
Agent: Beth Kristen Miller, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson
Lake Ontario Realty LLC
Address: 12396 State Route 12E, Chaumont, NY 13622
Phone: (607) 592-8690
Email: bmillerlakeontariorealty@gmail.com
Website: Lake Ontario Realty
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