Chappaqua school residents - need thoughts on possible home

[nurserosie]

Originally Posted by mclairch

Just a word of caution- make sure the house is on sewer not septic if you have major renovation plans as often to meet new septic laws adding a bedroom/bathroom will require major renovations to the septic system adding another 20k+ to the renovation costs. We had to back out of a great house because of this issue.

I don't think any homes in Chappaqua are not septic...

I grew up there

[minymom]

It's been a couple yrs since I last logged on, but I just wanted to update - hopefully it will help anyone else who may be where I was 2 yrs ago.

We did not purchase house 1. It went very fast (less than a week). So glad we never offered on it, after Hurricane Irene and Sandy, I can only imagine what that poor basement must have gone thru.

We did no purchase house 2 in Mt Kisco either, we opted against it because of it's drop in the backyard into the river w/ our 2 kids. And last we saw the house on a rainy day the cul de sac in front of house was collecting water, so I can only imagine what it did during the hurricanes.

We purchased a $630K 1930's 3 bdrm 2 full ba home, 1car att garage, dry basement (never had a flood in it's lifetime so didn't have a sump pump), window units/radiator heat in Chappaqua that was lightly updated here and there (box store bathroom vanities, repainted kitchen cabinets - tiled kitchen granite counters) but had much charm and we love it. It's one of the smaller homes surrounded by $1M+, so when we fully renovate the home over time we feel it will be a solid investment. We love our school and are very pleased w/our location as it is up higher (so the views are beautiful and don't feel cramped). Neighbors are down to earth and friendly, yet respectful of each other's privacy. If you're very old school Chappaqua - we supposedly live on the 'other side of the tracks', but I don't feel that way at all and neither to my neighbors.

What we learned quickly:

1)installing central air or duct work for heating units is very messy and costs approx in $20K range, not $10K like our realtor suggested.
2)1930's home/older homes are charming and lovely. But garages were for made for wagons. =) Can't fit tall modern cars, or if you can get in a small car it will barely fit anything else.
3)oil is the major cost of our utilities. 1yr winter was mild ($4k/yr). 2nd yr winter was in full swing ($4K for 4 months)
4)truth that there is no energy effeciency in old homes. Had to replace original windows ($$$), no insulation in ext walls/attic ceilings. We bundled up instead of turning up the heat b/c oil is so expensive!
5) water is inexpensive, everything else though is 2-3 times more than it was in the midwest, especially home repairs and renovations.
6) those beautiful stone walls or fences you see all around the area? They cost thousands of dollars. Double digit dollars.
7) grieved our taxes only to have it raised back up to original amount 2 yrs later. Whenever house bills feel tight - this is when I regret not looking into CT where the taxes are so much lower!

again, thank you to the forum for the wealth of insite and hope this update helps another.

[formerchigal]

Hi minymom - Do you feel that the given everything you would move to Chappaqua again? Do you feel that the school district lives up to its reputation?

Thx!

[dma1250]

4)truth that there is no energy effeciency in old homes. Had to replace original windows ($$$), no insulation in ext walls/attic ceilings. We bundled up instead of turning up the heat b/c oil is so expensive!

The general consesus among architects and home restoration experts these days is that replacing original windows is a mistake and that it is more energy-efficient (and cost-effective) to replace or add new storms. Old homes are actually very energy efficient but it is a different process than new builds: old homes breathe air in and out and maintain a healthy balance, as opposed to new homes which try to be air tight. You certainly do need to have insulation in your walls and attic (though attic insulation should be on the attic floor, not the ceiling).

To cut down on heating costs, look into replacing your boiler if it is older. We upgraded to a new boiler and our oil consumption dropped over 30%. We still have our early 1800's windows, but out 1740 house is quite warm and toasty now all winter.

[minymom]

formerchigal: I apologize that I never returned back to my OP to check on the replies. But in case you are still wondering (a 1.5 yr later..) yes, the school district is stellar. We are very fortunate to have our children in a district that is well funded, has excellent teachers and really inspires students to learn. The district is very focused on providing their students the best resources possible across the board. IMO, it absolutely lives up to its reputation, especially the HS. That being said, if I had to do it over again, I would still look at Chappaqua, but also take the time to look at other districts where the schools are still very good, but may not have the same cache as this district, primarily to see if we could live in a town where our dollar would go further home wise. (Some great suggestions given during our original research on this forum were: Katonah, Pleasantville, Ridgefield, Farifield, Wilton, Greenwich...)

Hope that helps!