MANLIUS, N.Y. – In 2021, Terri Sullivan was feeling homesick.
After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, the Eastwood native had returned to Central New York to take care of her mother. Upon returning to the Lone Star State, and especially during the Covid pandemic, she began to think about what was important to her, life, family, and her roots.
Sullivan realized that she wanted to go home.
Finding it difficult to coordinate a move from Texas, Sullivan, with her husband Bill and daughter Candi, rented a house for six months in Cazenovia.
Sullivan is a painter and Bill is a writer and they fell love with the village.
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. This side deck and arbor over the entrance were added by Sullivan to enhance the "rustic" feel of the property. The stones had sunk into the earth but were dug out and cleaned. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. Her deck built around one of the big trees on the property. She likes to read, paint and swing here. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. This is actually considered the front of house with its big front porch. When Sullivan bought the home it was "beige and dull," so she painted it this vibrant blue and yellow. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. "I love the kitchen," she said. "it just works." The dining room is at the left. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. The kitchen looks into the convenient laundry room, which could be used as a pantry because of its additional storage space. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. She kept some of her teapot collection in the built-ins around the refrigerator in the kitchen. You can see some of the new backsplash at the left. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. A closer look at the new backsplash in the kitchen. The kitchen has a lot of storage space. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. A counter over the washer and dryer is great for folding clothes and towels. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. "I surround myself with everything I love," she said and takes advantage of the home's charming built-ins. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. The dining/living room has a more contemporary feel. She keeps plates, right, and fox statues, at the left, over the windows. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. Looking from the living room towards the dining room. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. The formal living room. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. The family room was recently painted yellow. Courtesy of Terri Sullivan
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. These sliders in the family room lead out onto a side deck. Courtesy of Terri Sullivan
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. The family room with the electric fireplace going. The door leads into the garage. Courtesy of Terri Sullivan
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. This was thought to be the primary bedroom but Sullivan preferred using it as a game room and to paint in. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. A 1940s armoire fits easily in the Sullivan's game room. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. The updated primary bathroom has a shower unit at the right. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. Vintage looking barn wood walls and original hardwood floors are seen in this bedroom. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. Sullivan loves this bedroom, especially its floors and walls. It was one of the leading reasons why she purchased the house in 2021. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. A guest bedroom. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. This guest bedroom has a closet with a built-in dresser. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. The guest bathroom has been brightened. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. This guest bathroom has also been updated. There is a Jacuzzi-style bathtub at the right. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
- After 40 years in Dallas, Texas, Terri Sullivan "fell in love" with the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius."It was different from anything I had seen," she said. The 0.53-acre property is quiet and peaceful. Deer, birds, foxes, and squirrels are frequent guests. She kept a garden where she grew herbs, garlic, and cherry tomatoes. Courtesy of Juli Trush Photography
“It was the perfect setting,” she said.
Unfortunately, it was also “really difficult to find a home there.”
Salvation came a few miles to the west, at the three-bedroom ranch at 8675 Cazenovia Road in Manlius.
“We found this home and it was different from anything I had seen,” Sullivan said.
The 0.53-acre property, set on a quiet dead end, was very much unlike where they had lived in Texas.
It was heavily wooded, with tall trees for swings, hills, rustic stones and fences. It gave her “nostalgic feelings.”
“It felt like it was it,” she said.
The home’s exterior, which Sullivan believes is just “as important as the interior” so its “dull beige” paint had to changed immediately. Sullivan chose a vibrant blue and yellow.
The front of the house already had a beautiful front porch and Sullivan added two decks to the side portion of the property by the two-car garage. She had an arbor built at her the kitchen entrance on the side and dug up the stones which had been allowed to sink into the earth to enhance the rustic vibes.
“I love rocks,” Sullivan said. “I had to show them off.”
Sullivan grows herbs, rosemary and basil, garlic, and cherry tomatoes in her yard and in wooden boxes on the deck. She has deer, birds, squirrels, and foxes stop by as visitors.
She enjoys painting, reading, and sitting in swings on the new deck built around a tree.
“It is a beautiful place,” she said. “So peaceful.”
The home’s 2,000-square-foot layout is a “unique” L-shape.
The spacious primary bedroom is on one side and two smaller bedrooms are on the other.
She never liked using the primary bedroom as a bedroom and instead utilized the space as a game room and to paint in. She placed a 1940s armoire in there and heated the room with a vintage-looking black gas stove.
A bedroom with original hardwood floors and vintage looking barn wood walls was her favorite room and was “the reason she bought the house.” A guest bedroom has a built-in dresser in its closet.
Despite the home’s age, it was built in 1914, there was little for her to do when she moved in.
The bathrooms were dark and were brightened up, hardwood floors were refinished, and the kitchen was given a new backsplash.
“It was very important to keep the charm,” Sullivan said. “I did not want to gut it. I saw the personality and did not want to go over the top.”
She loved the home’s built-ins and cabinetry and filled them with antiques, pottery, and collections including plates, teapots, and statues of foxes.
“I surrounded myself with everything I love,” Sullivan said.
She gave the combined formal living and dining rooms a more contemporary feel while the family room, which she has recently painted yellow, is more relaxed. It has sliders out to another deck.
Sullivan has “loved every minute” of the last three years at the house.
“I got a good one,” she said of her home.
Unfortunately, things change, and she is no longer able to care for it the way she had.
“It is sad,” she adds. “There was so much I more I wanted to do.”
She is looking to move to Chittenango to be with her daughter.
For more information about this property, please contact Realtor Cindy Clark of RE/MAX Masters. Her contact info is below. She will be happy to show the house via appointment.
THE DETAILS
Address: 8675 Cazenovia Road, Manlius, N.Y. 13104
Price: $299,000
Size: 2,000 square feet
Acreage: 0.53 acres
Monthly Mortgage: $1,532 (based on the national average rate of 6.63%, according to Freddie Mac on February 1, for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with a 20% down payment. Fees and points not included.)
Taxes: $8,207 (Based on assessed value of $185,000)
Built: 1914
School District: Fayetteville-Manlius
Kitchen: “I love the kitchen,” Terri Sullivan said. “It just works.” She loves to cook in the space and enjoys the amount of light. A large window over the farmhouse sink looks out at her side yard and her new decks. There are charming cubbies where she keeps her teapot collection which surround the built-in refrigerator. The ample cabinets and drawers were updated before she purchased the house. She added the new backsplash. The convenient laundry room off the kitchen has additional storage space and could be used as a pantry.
Living areas: This ranch-style house has about 2,000 square feet of living space in a unique “L-shaped” layout. The home has been well-cared for. The hardwood floors have been refinished. There are charming built-ins also throughout the house. French doors lead into a combined formal dining room and living room. The warm and relaxing family room has an electric fireplace and was recently repainted. The room features wood beams on the ceiling and built-ins. Sliders lead out onto a deck. A door in that room leads into the two-car garage.
Bedrooms: There are three bedrooms in the house. The spacious step-down primary suite, with cathedral ceilings, is part of its own wing. Sullivan preferred to use the room as a game room and to do her painting in. She thinks it would make a great library or TV room if the new owners agree with her to not use it as a bedroom. It has a gas stove and its own bathroom. The other two bedrooms are in their own wing. One has vintage looking barn wood walls and original painted hardwood floors. The other bedroom has a dresser built into the closet.
Bathrooms: There are two bathrooms in the house. Sullivan has worked to “brighten” them up. Previous owners had recently updated them. The primary bathroom has a walk-in shower and there is a Jacuzzi-style tub in the guest bathroom.
Outdoors: Located on a dead end, this 0.53-acre property is quiet and peaceful with tall trees, big yards, and rustic fences and stone. Sullivan built two decks in the side yard and maintains flowers and herbs in the wood boxes on them and in gardens. She grows garlic, rosemary, basil, cherry tomatoes and has deer, foxes, birds, and squirrels has visitors. She loves to grill on a side deck, and read, paint, and swing on a deck built around a tree. The big front porch is great for relaxing on. A two-car garage has a work area and shelving. A fan of “flowing water,” Sullivan had a fountain installed to create a small man-made creek but was unable to finish it. It is ready to go. The stones around the side deck were dug up after they had been allowed to sink into the ground. “I had to show them off,” she said.
Agent: Cindy Clark, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson
RE/MAX Masters
Address: 5788 Widewaters Parkway, DeWitt, N.Y. 13214
Phone: (315) 671-1621
Email: cindy.clark@remax.net
Website: https://cindy-clark.remax.com/
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