By Christine Graf  

For Arthur Zobel, owner of Zobel & Co. Kitchens in Glens Falls, designing kitchens is in his blood. His father was a kitchen designer, and Zobel starting working for him when he was a teenager. After his father retired, Zobel spent 32 years working as a kitchen designer in the New York City area. In 2018, he opened his boutique design shop and showroom at 11 Broad Street in Glens Falls.

“The majority of our business is kitchen remodels, and another portion of that is new builds,” said Ginny Brandreth, marketing director and office manager at Zobel & Co. Kitchens. “For us, it tends to be the second home market. We work with a more upscale market because our kitchen designs and cabinetry are custom.” 

In recent years, the company has seen an uptick in demand for outdoor kitchens. The demand has been so strong that the Zobel & Co. has dedicated part of its showroom to outdoor kitchens. Outdoor cabinetry differs in that it is made from materials that withstand extreme temperatures, and doors and drawers are gasketed to keep out snow and rain.  

By Christine Graf

For homeowners looking to save money on heating and cooling costs, heat pumps may be the answer. Heat pumps operate using electricity, extracting heat from outside, bringing it indoors to heat a home during winter. Conversely, the pumps move heat from indoors to outdoors during the summer.

Although heat pumps have been commercially available since the late 1940s, it wasn’t until the energy crisis of the 1970s that their popularity increased. As fuel prices skyrocketed, people looked for more cost-effective ways to heat and cool their homes. 

According to Craig MacDonald, owner of Suburban Services Group in Burnt Hills, heat pumps declined in popularity as fossil fuel heating equipment was mandated and engineered for much higher efficiency.  

“We’ve been installing heat pumps for 30 years, and most people remember that the old heat pumps blew cool air and were often inefficient compared to oil or propane heat. Over time, they fell out of favor as furnace technology improved.  But because of improvements in heat pump technology, today’s heat pumps are capable of heating many homes in cold climates.”

In recent years, heat pumps have been re-engineered, enabling them to recover significantly more heat from the outdoors. Unlike conventional heat pumps, these cold climate heat pumps are ideal for those living in Northern New York and New England.  

By Ryan McCall, Esq.

Property ownership in New York can be complicated, especially when you choose to rent or leave your property empty for extended periods of time throughout the year. Specifically, issues of squatter’s rights have recently come into the limelight, as many horror stories have surfaced across the country of homeowners returning from a long vacation only to find a complete stranger comfortably sprawled out about their house.

While property title claims are rare, many squatters have been abusing legal loopholes in recent years in New York, costing property owners lots of money in legal fees and living rent-free during the lengthy court eviction process, often with no repercussions for the alleged squatter.

In an effort to protect property owners from the recent rise in squatter cases, the New York legislature has been pushing to introduce new laws to help crack down on squatting and give New York property owners another avenue to protect their assets and investments by making squatting illegal and offering more ways for property owners to evict squatters.

In the meantime, what should renters be aware of when it comes to squatting and squatter’s rights in New York State and City? What avenues would a homeowner have to defend their property? While there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to dealing with delinquent tenants, understanding the basics of squatting in New York and what timeframes and information are needed to evict unwanted tenants is the best way to protect your property.