It doesn’t feel like you’re living just minutes from everything that Saratoga Springs has to offer when relaxing at home in Oak Ridge, a residential community of elevated Victorian-style homes less than a mile from Saratoga National Golf Course. Set amidst 135 acres of walking/hiking trails and park space, this beautifully designed neighborhood, with custom homes built by J. Snyder Builders, embodies the timeless charm of Saratoga and allows for each resident to create his or her own unique blueprint. Now, almost 12 years after the construction of its first home, Oak Ridge is expanding by offering 51 new lots that are currently available. Take a look at what could be inside your gorgeous, customized home in this one-of-a-kind Saratoga community.
The Oak Ridge community utilizes the best in local architects, designers and appliance suppliers to make home buying and customization a hassle-free process. Prospective residents will get to choose from the latest, most high-tech trends in home appliances at Marcella’s Appliance Center, a family-owned appliance business with showrooms in Schenectady and Clifton Park. “There are so many exciting new kitchen trends for 2019,” says Nick Madelone, marketing director at Marcella’s. Founded in 1957, Marcella’s currently has the Capital Region’s largest selection of new appliances, as well as a dedicated service and repair shop for its customer base. “Today’s appliances now have all the function of traditional appliances,” says Madelone, “but with some very modern twists.”
Popular appliance packages within Oak Ridge have featured some seriously high-end, smart kitchen gear by Thermador appliances, which are handcrafted using stainless steel, metallic silver glass and vibrant-color, touch-screen displays. Thermador also offers a fully connected cooking experience through the company’s Home Connect app. From the comfort of their bed, homeowners using Home Connect can brew their morning coffee, preheat their oven, start/stop their dishwasher or adjust the levels of their refrigerator. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. One of the most popular Thermador products in Oak Ridge, says Madelone, is the Under Counter Wine Refrigerator, the ultimate, built-in wine cooler that offers precise temperature control and convenient access to wine, cheese and hors d’oeuvres. Another is Thermador’s Built-in Automatic Coffee Machine, which, like a personal barista, offers homeowners a variety of brewing options from a café-quality cup of coffee to espresso and cappuccino with fresh steamed or frothed milk.
Madelone also points to another hot item at Oak Ridge: Vent-A-Hood, which provides more than 200 custom kitchen ventilation hood canopies, fitting over ranges, stoves and cooktops of virtually every style. “The award-winning Vent-A-Hood Magic Lung technology is unparalleled in the industry,” Madelone says. “It rids the air of cooking contaminants and helps remove heat, grease, odors, smoke and steam.”
In addition to the latest in cutting-edge appliances, Oak Ridge also features incredible kitchen designs by Zarrillo’s Custom Design Kitchens in Princetown, NY. Founded in 1978, Zarrillo’s achieves each client’s unique vision by using its expertise and depth of experience in kitchen and bath design. Plus, the company has its own on-site cabinet shop, which for more than four decades has been fabricating beautiful American-made custom cabinets for all types of homes throughout the Capital Region. “Our handcrafted cabinets allow us to create and utilize every inch of the kitchen,” says Dawn Zarrillo, who co-owns the company with her husband, Terry. “Just to name a few, we have created hidden step ladders for today’s 10’ ceilings, super cutlery for clutter-free counters and drop down spice storage for organized convenience.”
Zarrillo says that her company can accommodate most clients’ tastes. Some of the more popular cabinet choices at Oak Ridge have included traditional cherry wood with burl inlays and white shaker inset with quarter sawn white oak islands for an Arts and Craft- or Mission-styled interior. Full access cabinets in Acrylic, metal or painted wood combinations can be used for a more modern look. Lustrous black (TriCorn) and translucent stain combinations have come on strong throughout the Capital Region. “Starting a ‘wish list’ and creating an online album with concept photos is a great way to begin the design process,” says Zarrillo, who works directly with clients to bring their vision to reality. “After more than 40 years, you learn to read body language and decipher the ideas and photos provided by the homeowner. Sometimes that requires reading between the lines.” At Zarrillo’s, you are working with a family member every step of the way.
In addition to incredible homes and options for customization, Oak Ridge boasts one of the most convenient locations in Saratoga. Located close to Exit 15 on I-87, this cozy, elegant community is less than ten minutes by car from all of the Spa City’s major attractions, including Downtown Saratoga, Saratoga Race Course, the Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga National Golf Club and the Saratoga Lake State Boat Launch. Plus, the overall neighborhood design offers incredible features not found in many other neighborhoods in the region, including street lighting, sidewalks, common park areas and carriage lanes—not to mention its own trail system that links up to Saratoga’s popular Bog Meadow Brook Nature Trail.
Turning one of these Oak Ridge lots into a dream home has never been easier than with Schenectady-based Armida Rose Realty Group. “Many residents have commented that they adore Oak Ridge’s location, since they are in Saratoga Springs but not right in the city, so they appreciate the privacy, proximity and accessibility to these attractions,” says Armida Rose Principal Broker Franca DiCrescenzo. “The neighborhood appeals to people looking to create exactly the floor plan that works for their lifestyle and design aesthetic that matches their vision of what our clients call home.”
DiCrescenzo says that many clients start from scratch when it comes to designing their home. After a client selects a building lot that will ideally situate their home design, Armida Rose pairs the future homeowner with an architect or has the client’s own plans reviewed by Jeff Snyder, Oak Ridge’s creator and owner of J. Snyder Builders. “The greatest appeal of J. Snyder Builders custom home designs is the level of attention to detail,” DiCrescenzo says. “You can easily distinguish his homes, due to the level of quality in materials and care in making all of his clients’ homes unique. Whether it’s the tumbled stone used on the exterior foundation walls or fireplaces, or beautiful copper valleys in their rooflines, it all matters and contributes to the overall look and feel of his homes.”
Once blueprints are finished, Armida Rose and J. Snyder Builders work together with their preferred vendors to help each client complete their selection process. “Each vendor contributes towards the client’s vision, and many clients like the fact that they have a say in their steps in design and selection,” DiCrescenzo says. “We have also added the resource of our clients working with an interior designer as part of their building contract.”
“At Oak Ridge, residents find ease in calling this home, once they pass through the entrance with stone pillared lights and feel the timeless features and beauty that surrounds them,” DiCrescenzo says. Those interested in calling Oak Ridge home or getting more information about the community can reach out to Franca DiCrescenzo at Armida Rose Realty Group.
Franca DiCrescenzo
office: 518.374.2228
mobile: 518.857.3907
email: [email protected]
