House of the Week: Updated ‘escape’ near Cazenovia village

Cazenovia, N.Y. — When Chris Panebianco and his wife Andrea were house hunting, they made it a point to look at what the homes they saw could be, not what they were at the time.

That's how they ended up at 2005 Syosset Drive in Cazenovia. The couple had rented in Cazenovia for three or four years before that and loved the location.

It's just outside the village limits, but an easy walk to downtown. Beyond that, they saw potential.

"We looked at it and said something feels really good about this," Panebianco said. "The energy of the house feels really good."

So they bought it, made a to-do list and dove in.

Four years later, the family has changed nearly everything in the house. They've moved to be closer to Panebianco's job as chief marketing officer at Bankers Healthcare Group in downtown Syracuse.

The work on the Cazenovia home started outside with the removal of eight or nine huge pine trees and the addition of landscaping and a lawn.

They finished off an outdoor patio too.

Inside, the couple renovated just about every corner of the home.

They overhauled the kitchen and opened up the space between the kitchen and living room by removing part of a wall. Panebianco's wife Andrea built a bar on that newly shortened wall.

She built a number of other shelving units throughout the house as well. The couple built a mantle for the living room's gas fireplace themselves too.

They also renovated bathrooms, installed air conditioning, added overhead lighting with fans throughout the home and redid all the wiring, among other things.

Panebianco said the move was right for him and his family, but adds the Cazenovia house was special.

"I miss it every day," he said. "We love that house. If you're looking for an escape, that's it."

He said his favorite spots to spend time were the back patio in the summer and the sunken living room, with its fireplace, in the winter.

THE DETAILS

Address: 2005 Syosset Drive, Cazenovia, N.Y. 13035

Price: $339,000

Size: 2,756 sq. ft.

Acreage: 0.77

Monthly mortgage: $1,232 (based on a national average rate of 3.6 percent, according to Freddie Mac, for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with a 20 percent down payment. Fees and points not included.)

Total taxes: $7,316

Built: 1976

School district: Cazenovia

An open house is scheduled at the property from noon to 3 p.m. on Aug. 25.

Kitchen: The renovated kitchen features new KitchenAid stainless steel appliances, a gas stove, refinished cabinets with new doors, a new sink and new granite countertops. There's also a bar on a half wall between the kitchen and living room and a separate in-kitchen dining area. The formal dining room is nearby, along with a sliding glass door to the home's covered patio.

Living room: The sunken living room features beams in the ceiling and a gas fireplace with a mantle the Panebiancos made themselves using reclaimed barn wood.

Laundry room: The first-floor laundry room has a mudroom and half bathroom nearby. The area leads out to the home's two-car garage, which also has a connection for a generator and room for a work bench.

Bedrooms: The home has four bedrooms, including a master with its own bathroom. The master bedroom features original plank flooring and a walk-in closet.

Bathrooms: The home has two full bathrooms on the second floor along with the first-floor half bathroom near the mudroom. The two upstairs bathrooms have been renovated with new tile, showers, vanities, counters and more. Both full bathrooms have large linen closets.

Exterior: In addition to the covered back patio, the home has two sheds with plenty of storage space.

Agent: Karen Reynolds

Howard Hanna Real Estate Services

87 Albany St., Cazenovia, N.Y. 13035

Office: 315-655-1025 x.302

Cell: 315-655-2191

Email: karenreynolds@howardhanna.com

To nominate a listing for House of the Week, send an email to home@syracuse.com

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