Paradise getaway log home with pool - Cazenovia 10 min away
- House3200 sq. ft.
- Sleeps: 12
- Bedrooms: 4
- Bathrooms: 2
- Half Baths: 1
- Min Stay: 2 nights
4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, 2 showers, sleeps 12, HUGE Living/ Dining Rm, seats 1
Bedrooms
Owner
Shawn Skeele
- Languages:
- english
About Shawn Skeele
The land this house resides was my grandfather's 100 acre lot bought in the late 1930's and put in a family trust for future generations. With God's hand of provision, I moved my family back to the lake to raise buying 6 acres overlooking the lake. My older brother and I built this log home in 2002. My wife and I homeschool our kids. I'm part owner of the family insurance agency established by my grandfather in 1957 being a 3rd generation owner desiring to carry on a multi-generational vision. I grew up on the other side of the lake, went to Houghton College in western NY, started my own business for 13 years and moved back in 2001 to nurture and expanded my family insurance agency.
Shawn Skeele purchased this House in 2002
Why Shawn Skeele chose DeRuyter
This Post & Beam Cedar Log Home speaks for itself. It's private, isolated, custom made with a layout that is open and spacious being ideal for family reunions or retreats. For me, it's like coming home to a vacation property everyday. The view of God's creation and animals outside standing anywhere in the house is breath taking. With deer, foxes, rabbits, turkeys, ducks, eagles, hawks or chickens, you never know what you're going to wake up to or see during the day. We have awesome sunsets as we relax from the day's events giving thanks reflecting at the wonder and beauty around us. You have a great variety of activities with family and friends. Enjoy the lakefront 1 mile down the road with swimming, fishing, kayaking, canoeing and lake scenery. Up at the house, have a pool(2019), big bonfires with wood supplied, gas grill some steak, rest in the hammock, play horseshoes & badminton, roast some smores,(we supply the materials and long forks) tell stories and jokes or just enjoy the scenery. Inside, play some pool while watching a game, use the exercise equipment, nap, enjoy the open spacious rooms and deck. Oh, and enjoy the scenery overlooking the lake. We have a beautiful playroom for the kids, barbie house, penned up ducks-chickens-rabbits-geese to view, play on the swing set, sandbox, games galore and wifi. All this is just at the house. Syracuse, Cortland and Oneida are just 1/2 hour away. Ski resorts, golf courses, state forests with trails for hiking, biking and skiing, elegant restaurants 12 minutes away, true Italian pizza in 5 minutes and freshly made bread every day at the bottom of the hill by our neighbors. During the winter, our 800 ft driveway is the best sledding path in all central NY! All four seasons provide refreshing perspectives about this creation made just for us. We look forward to sharing it with you for a spell.
What makes this House unique
A restful, peaceful, tranquil, fun, spacious, Post & Beam Cedar Log Home experience awaits you, family and friends. Call me with your questions and how we can make this an ideal vacation.
Amenities
Featured
- Swimming pool
- Internet
- Air Conditioning
- Fireplace
- TV
- Satellite or Cable
- Washer & Dryer
- Children Welcome
- Parking
- Accessible
- Heater
Bathrooms
- 2 Bathrooms, 1 Half Bath
House Rules
Cancellation Policy
Canceled bookings will not receive a refund
34 Reviews
Memorable Graduation/Mother’s Day weekend
My 86 year old Dad said it was prettier than Tuscany. Too bad it rained so much. Would love to come back! Thank you for sharing your home.
Thank you for your kind words. It was a pleasure having you stay at our home and are welcomed anytime.
Appreciatively Yours,
Shawn Skeele
Perfect Family Getaway
We are three families, each with two kids and we could not have found a better spot for a relaxing summer vacation in upstate New York. The location was great, only a few hours from NYC and less than an hour from Syracuse, close to DeRuyter Lake, Cazenovia, waterfalls, hiking, etc. The lake access, although a mile or so drive down the road, was great for a few trips out kayaking and canoeing. The house itself is the real feature, with room for 12 guests, large common areas and dining room, a kids playroom (!) and many amenities, including BBQ, plenty of outdoor furniture and games, fire pit, and an impressively large deck with spectacular views of the lake and sunset from a nice hilltop perch. The owner Shawn was very kind and helpful, orienting us when we arrived, advising us on the surrounding area and allowing us to hang out a little later on our last day since no guests were arriving. It really felt like home away from home, and although we were sad the pool was not installed yet, we might just have to come back next year! Thanks for everything.
Thank you for taking the time to post a review. Construction on the pool will begin this month and ready to go by 5/1/18!!!
Also, a new waterfall tourists location just opened up only 5 minutes away in Delphi, NY. This area has so much to offer for you outdoor lovers and one of the best kept secrets in Central New York.
We are glad everyone enjoyed themselves. Thank you for taking such good care of our home and we certainly would welcome you back anytime!
Appreciatively Yours,
Shawn Skeele
Beautiful location and lake views were amazing
The house was beautiful and had all the amenities we would want. We enjoyed spending time on the deck and down by the firepit and the beautiful views. Close to winery, breweries and casino. Plenty of games if it rains. Only downside, we were all adults and the downstairs area is unfinished and meant for kids. Would recommend!!
Not Great - Strange Experience.
We had a group of 12 adults and went in July 2018.
Cons: Owner required phone interview, owner wanted time arriving to give a 30 minute orientation, we were told to take shoes off on carpet, we had to dump 5 gallon pail when running small a/c unit, no coverings on windows, especially in bathroom, small a/c unit could not keep house cool - very hot, basement ceiling unfinished with wires hanging down, musty/moldy smell downstairs, kitchen cabinets sticky, had to water plants and feed fish, towels smell spoiled, owner lives there as there were clothes in closets and drawers, must drive to lake, chicken coop behind house and some guy came twice a day to take care of them (or keep an eye on us?).
Pros: Beautiful front yard, provided supplies for smores, soap, shampoo, paper products, nice porch with gas grill, new living room furniture.
Central A/C would have gone a long way to making the stay more enjoyable.
In reading this review (only two low reviews we have had in 10 years out of 40+), I did not do an adequate job in communicating apparently with the phone interview. I have revised the website description emphasizing aspects of the home to avoid any misconceptions. For example, stating 4x on the site that the lakefront is 1 mile down the road. When arriving, this renter thought we were right on the lake. Reasons for the phone interview are to try to insure staying at our home will be a good fit, answer any questions, give opportunity for us both to convey expectations and help prepare certain amenities to insure a pleasurable stay. I realize this is not the practice of other hosts, but I find it to be very beneficial with 96% of our reviews very positive with many repeat customers.
Giving a 30 minute orientation of where things are in the home and about it, I find helpful for my guests getting them settled in quickly and to insure things are tended to for weekly or longer stay renters. Concerning the watering of flowers, this is not a concern for just the 2-3 day renter. As seen in the pictures on the site, we have very nice flower pots on the deck for everyone to enjoy all summer. The ducks and chickens are fed & given water daily by a young teenager near by. All water and food are in the coop never needing to have any contact with our guests. We have fish feeders in the tank so no maintenance is required but there for people's enjoyment. This is part of the orientation. No shoes and food on the carpet is to simply maintain cleanliness of the light colored carpets though cleaned every two months roughly. All towels are cleaned and bleached. 16 sets are set up upon arrival with many more in the cupboards if needed. This is our home. We do not vacate all our belongings but do leave adequate space in all closets and drawers for our guest's clothes. As mentioned in other responses, the basement is not completely finished but very functional. Any wires are for the cable to the basement TV. There is a good size dehumidifier in the basement and 3 air conditioners upstairs but when 95+ degrees everyday during your stay, it will be tough to keep the temp below 72 all the time. We live on a hill, 800 ft from neighbors but understand curtains for the bathroom and will rectify. There are drapes for all bedrooms. I will have my cleaners look at the cupboards. While this review was disappointing, it was helpful for me to address some things.
A spacious cabin with beautiful views of DeRuyter Lake!
My family visits our extended family each summer at DeRuyter Lake. Members of my family own a home on the lake. This was the first time we rented the cabin. It is very spacious and the living room furniture is new and very comfortable. The guest room mattress is not in good shape but the room air conditioners were great due to the heat wave we had this summer. The deck is large with lots of outdoor furniture and beautiful views. We spent our days at another home on the lake so we did not use the water access. The current access is not suited for swimming. The only house rule that was not suited for me was the no shoes policy in the house. At 70 years old I do not go barefooted. I understand the reasoning but that would be a deal breaker for me in the future. The grill was great and a family dinner on the deck was fun.
Thank you for your comments. Regarding the guest bedroom mattress, I will be reaching out to you to ascertain your concern as it is only 2 years old. Pertaining to the lakefront; As mentioned before your arrival, we did have to change lakefronts due to unforeseen circumstances. While the new one is much larger, a lot more private and more parking, it is farther away from the house and more weeds making it intimidating for those not use to swimming in lake water. We did buy kiddie pools for the lakefront and up at the house in trying to accommodate little ones. This also factored into our decision to install a18x36 in ground heated pool in the front yard of the home. It will be operational by 5/1/19. Installation will begin 9/6/18 and could be ready by 10/1/18 depending on weather and temperatures.
Regarding the house rules pertaining to the carpets, we certainly understand age and medical concerns regarding footwear so if one has to have shoes on, that's perfectly fine. I will be sure to clarify this point with future renters when showing the house upon their arrival. By the way, I too wear orthopedic shoes so I understand completely.
I am glad everyone enjoyed the amenities offered and had a good time.
Appreciatively Yours,
Shawn
The view from the home was absolutely incredible! The deck accommodated our crew BUT......
Shaun the owner was most accommodating accepting our time there with our phone interview had us all very excited about coming the pictures portrayed an absolutely breathtaking home view and lake frontage .... when we arrived it was just a little iffy walking in the door the kitchen cupboards don’t close the bathroom cupboard is worn to a frazzle, even the lid on the kitchen garbage can didn’t work and one of the pool cue was also broken! As was the volleyball net outside! The beds are just TIRED and there are many many things in the home that just need to have somebody take the money that they get from a week and turn around and put it back into the home we’ve done this before and never had things quite as in rough condition is this home is......our small children LOVED the play house in the basement but this room would not be sleeping quarters for any adult! The air conditioner in basement constantly had to be emptied! The stove made us wonder if we wanted to cook in it? The entire home just needs some TLC! ..... ALSO the Lake front that we rented for ..... supposedly just a short distance from the house was recently moved quite a ways down the road and was in a swamp! If we had been told about this we never would have rented with the age group of our family! Our small children couldn’t begin to swim in it! We never did get to use the paddle boat or exercise equipment shown in the photos! We also know this wasn’t a pet free home! Photos very deceiving!!!! Our family isn’t fussy and we are campers so we made the best of it because of travel time and the fact we were together but in all honesty this home needs some upgrades at this price point. The surrounding towns are great and we found things to do but our plan was not to get in the car while there! The beach we took the kids to was 15 miles away! The time with our children and grandchildren is at a premium and to be disappointed in this home just took away from the experience! I don’t want to slam our host I just want to see some upgrades and improvements for the next guests! Again the view and the home design was awesome! We had a successful time together! That is what is important!
Thank you for all of your comments. We are very disappointed about the review as most are 5 stars, so we are certainly going to address all concerns.
Cupboards not closing: Some of the pots & pans were not stacked in side properly so the cupboard doors did not shut tightly. This has been rectified. The bathroom cupboard upstairs does show some wear being 18 years old and will be restained when time between renters. The 3rd poolstick has been replaced. I'm not sure what was meant with the volleyball net. It's new this year and did not see anything wrong.
Some of the single beds are being replaced having looked closely at them.
As mentioned in a previous response, the basement is not COMPLETELY finished as clearly seen in the pictures on the website. We did replace the full mattress on the bottom part of the bunk 1 1/2 years ago to make it more comfortable for a couple. It isn't a typical style bedroom with the play loft/room sharing half of it.
As informed before coming, we did have to change lakefronts. The previous one was 2/10 a mile down the road where people drove down anyways. The new lakefront is now about a mile away but alot more spacious & private. It's more ideal for you nature lovers. There are more weeds at this lakefront and can see why young ones would be intimidated. We have now placed small kiddie pools down at the lakefront and up at the house for the interim. We have decided to install a 18x36 inground heated pool in the front yard this September 2018, so people don't have to go to the lakefront unless they what to go out in the watercraft or fish. (Great bass fishing there!)
The excess moisture from the large AC unit in the livingroom does drain into a bucket downstairs that needs to be emptied when full. The fact that it was 95+ degrees everyday during your stay made it necessary to empty the bucket almost daily. We are looking at how we can have this water drain through the wall to the outside. Regarding a pet free home, I clearly state on the website that we do have a cat that we take with us. Regarding the photo's, we have 30-45 photos of the home listed, depending on the website you visit, to give everyone an accurate feel for the home and all it has to offer. What photos are deceiving is a mystery to me honestly.
Every year, we invest around $2000 to $4000/yr into the home for our guests be it mattresses, towels, landscaping, appliances, etc.
I'm happy that all enjoyed themselves though.
Map
DeRuyter Lake - A paradise 9 room post & beam cedar log home with lake access in the Appalachian hills of Central New york, 22 miles from Syracuse. Perfect for family and class reunions, executive retreats, workshops, or romantic getaways. Area is great for biking, horseback riding, sledding, snowshoeing & cross country skiing, downhill skiing & snowmobiling trails are nearby. Syracuse is home of the Erie Canal Museum, MOST Science Center, Syracuse Stage Playhouse, Carousel Mall, and SU Orangemen Basketball & Football. • lake access, fishing, kayaking. • 3200 Square feet • Acres of trails, scenic views • perfect for Croquet, badminton • High-speed wireless • Large Modern Kitchen • HUGE Living room • Enormous dining room seating 12
• TV, DVD, VCR • laundry room • beautiful, comfortable furnishings, pool table, in house exercise machines • Syracuse, Cortland and Canastota only 30 minutes away * Baseball Hall of Fame, Glimmer glass Opera and Fingerlakes tours an hour away.
Other Activities: golfing, kayaking, skiing, biking, hunting, fishing, pool table, in house exercise machines.
During the off season and no holiday weekends, we do offer church men, women and/or couple retreats at discounted rates. Call the owner for details.