About Harvest Moon Manor

Harvest Moon began with years of research into the design and construction of the magnificent manor houses of Europe and America. Incorporating the very best features and architectural practices of those great estates, Harvest Moon developed over three years of careful design and craftsmanship.

The aim was for a home of thoroughly modern convenience that presents itself with timeless, old-world charm and takes full advantage of the property's spectacular views of Pleasant Valley and the surrounding mountains and hillsides. The result is a structure built for and of the ages.

DESIGN

One of the lost arts of interior design is ceiling treatments. Few modern homes take advantage of the art and character that ceiling design can bring to a room. Many of the ceilings at Harvest Moon have been treated with decorative painting techniques, covered in wood or coiffured.

  Domed ceiling in dining room layered in 23-carat gold leaf, borrowing a centuries-old design technique to bring the luxurious sensation of warm "sunlight" to the dining experience.

  First-floor ceilings of 10 feet; second-floor ceilings of 9 feet.

  Vaulted 23-foot-high ceiling in the expansive Great Room.

  Fifteen-foot vaulted ceiling in Master Bedroom Suite.

  Master Suite bath ceiling vaulted through the tower turret with an art deco-style alabaster marble chandelier with eagle heads reminiscent of those found on the Chrysler building in Manhattan.

The interior living spaces were finished one room at a time, allowing the owners to totally immerse themselves in the design requirements for each room. A multitude of faux finishes and paints were used throughout. The dining room in particular consists of 7 different faux marble finishes, each of which required 7 different coats of paint to achieve the desired old-world look and was completed over a period of 3 months.

As long as that may seem, it was a short project for the craftswoman, as her previous job consisted of 8 years of restoration at the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building. In addition to the faux marble finish, she gilded the oval recessed ceiling in the dining room with 23 karat gold leafing.

  All but two of the more than 50 interior doors in the home were custom made from wood milled from the property.

  The 18 exterior doors are made of solid Honduran Mahogany, three inches thick. The Rocky Mountain hardware was hand poured and bears old-world tool markings similar to those found hundreds of years ago. The detail that went into just the construction and hardware of the doors is indicative of the care and time that the owners placed when configuring each and every corner of this home. Even the hinges on the doors were purposefully 'weathered' to ensure a consistent look for the home.

  The kitchen features professional-quality appliances and hand-crafted cabinetry in a warm, intimate, family-oriented atmosphere. A sunken breakfast nook offers a casual and tranquil eating experience. The two levels allow for interaction between the eating and preparation area. The kitchen table area looks out over the veranda through five french doors arranged in a curve to maximize the view of the surrounding countryside. Two dishwashers, an island and additional bar-style eating area round out the room.

The floors consist of Oak, Cherry and Maple hardwoods and marble and tumbled marble. All hard-woods were taken from local woods and dried and milled nearby.

  The round entrance foyer is styled in classic crisp black and white glossy marble with a 3' round mosaic modeled around the initials "H" and "M" for "Harvest Moon," which was the name of a popular Pocono resort owned and operated by the predecessors of one of the owners.

  The great room has a striking ebony-stained wood floor in high gloss. The adjoining Media Room is finished with suede walls to maximize the acoustic quality of movies and music. The room includes built-in Surround Sound controls that allow sound to be piped into the Great Room if desired.

  All of the bathroom floors are finished in marble.

The master bathroom suite has a completely marbled commode stall. All showers are oversized and completely covered in marble with hand cut tiles. The remaining bathroom areas have wood walls and are finished with decorative paint.

  The master suite bath includes a solid cast-iron soaking tub set in marble next to a walk-in Roman rain shower.

Harvest Moon has two staircases providing access to the second floor. The formal stairway was developed from blueprints forwarded to the owners by the Governor's Mansion in Connecticut.

  The formal stairway's railing and balusters are made from large Mahogany timbers with Mahogany rails. Its railings extend to the ends of the hallway, creating a balcony-like feel looking down into the formal Great Room.

  The back staircase walls are constructed of 2' by 2' oak squares and the ceiling has stained glass coverage, providing function with style.

One of the greatest challenges of designing "old-world" charm into a modern structure is providing bright living space without aesthetically intrusive lighting fixtures. Here, the owners' attention to detail is at its most apparent. Harvest Moon's lighting is abundant and yet still maintains the feel of a century-old manor house.

  Vast windows, reminiscent of those in the oldest family homes and castles in England, throughout the entire home, allow natural light to enter and enhance the exquisite beauty of the interior.

  Most of the lighting fixtures were custom made to order.

  The chandeliers and sconces in the Great Room and outside living areas are fitted with real candle wax.

  The Great Room features a one-of-a-kind chandelier, 6' wide and 7' tall, holding 28 hand-dipped lights. It can be raised and lowered for cleaning and bulb replacement by a remote controlled wench located in the attic.

Harvest Moon is situated on 50 acres offering a spectacular 270-degree view. To take complete advantage of the beauty and serenity of the home's views, numerous verandas and terraces were included in the design.

  There are more than 2,400 square feet of stone terraces providing a range of possibilities for entertaining from grandly formal to romantic to fun and festive.

  The Great Room opens to a terrace featuring an old-world Italian-inspired pergola of Honduran Mahogany supported by Ionic columns of marble chips.

  The Master Suite includes a romantic covered balcony with a panoramic view.

CONSTRUCTION

Harvest Moon's roof is a work of art and craftsmanship. It is constructed of 3/4-inch Royal Purple and Oxide Green slate from a quarry on the border of Vermont and New York.

The roof was constructed using one-inch thick oak planks and 3-inch copper nails in a fashion borrowed from a more than 400-year-old manor house in Wales, Great Britain.

  The front walls of Harvest Moon are nearly two feet thick.

  A tower turret serves as the design focal point of the front of the house. It is constructed of oak and stone and covered with copper.

  Five different types of stone make up the uniquely colorful, yet aristocratic, one-of-a-kind exterior facade.

  The walls facing the Great Room are all constructed with 2" by 6" studs, which were then covered by 3/4" drywall and an additional 3/8" drywall to grant better sound resistance for the bedrooms located on the 2nd floor.

  An Italian master mason did all the exterior stone work by hand. Even the arched and curved pieces, which make up the Porto Cache and the curved entrance way to the turret, were done by hand. Each stone in the tower is curved to follow the contour of the tower itself.

  The fascia is entirely done in American Cedar, which has been stained and protected with marine varnish.

  The windowsills and lentils are Honduran Mahogany measuring over 5 inches thick, while the soffit on the second floor is painted Poplar. Most of the porch soffits are done in stained Poplar, also milled on the property, to provide a wooden accent to the stone. All of the remaining exterior wood is either Spanish or American Cedar, chosen because of their endurance and density for exterior construction.

  To ensure absolute stability, the front terrace was not placed on fill because of the concern of settlement and cracking evident at terraces researched in older homes. Therefore, pre-poured concrete decking, each weighing approximately 5 tons, was placed on pilasters, which were concreted into the ground so that no shifting would occur.

  The sills from all exterior doors onto the terrace, as well as the steps going from the steps to the circular driveway, are all made from 3-inch solid blue stone custom cut to the curve of the turret and the steps providing beautiful flowing lines from the circular driveway to the stone terrace.

  There is radiant heat throughout all interior floors, which allows all floors to remain warm. Additionally, there is a gas-fired fireplace in the master bedroom suite and a dramatic, open air, wood burning fireplace in the Great Room. The fireplace is faced with granite imported from India and installed in the same manner as the dry stack terrace walls.

  An eight-zone heating system is driven by an oil fired furnace, which is supplied by two 1,000-gallon tanks.

  The central air conditioning system has 2 zones, maximizing comfort for the occupants.

  There is a full basement under the entire home (excluding the garage) which has been transformed into a child's dream playroom with additional bedroom space for an aupair or visitors.

  The first-floor joists consist of engineered quiet wood.

  The oversized three-car garage is finished in knotty pine with three custom-made solid wood doors. Heavy I-beams were used to make the entire garage open space free of support posts. Above the garage, another guest bedroom extends the possibilities as it is suitable to be used as a full-time bedroom with great privacy, or for guests on a short stay.

  Consistent with the rest of the home, the plumbing fixtures in the home are of the best quality available and include solid brass interior fittings.

  All of the cabinetry was custom made to the owner's specifications for each individualized room. Most of the wood in the cabinetry was harvested from the property and kiln dried as much of the other wood in this home.

ADDITIONAL STRUCTURES

A separate barn allows for additional storage as well as parking for a fourth vehicle. Constructed in the likeness of the home, the barn adds rustic charm while providing storage space for items that typically clutter the garage.

A 3-bedroom, 2-bath ranch house on five acres is available for separate purchase as caretaker housing, servant quarters or separate-but-close living space for family.