Alexander couple turns farmhouse into vacation house

ALEXANDER — When she was a girl, Kathy Brown used to attend slumber parties in the old farmhouse at 2825 Dodgeson Rd., a house owned by the parents of her “oldest best friend.”

Three years ago the house was put up for sale and Brown and her  boyfriend, Jeff Geer, decided to buy it.

“We talked about buying some property for retirement or vacations and this came up and Jeff said ‘Let’s buy it,’” Brown said. “I said ‘Really?’”

Really.

Geer, owner of Geer Farm Services on Hickox Road wanted to keep the 115-acre property in farm production.

Then, the couple began thinking about what to do with the house.

Renting was out-of-the question. Neither had the time or patience to be landlords.

“We knew we didn’t want to be landlords so we kicked around a few ideas,” Brown said. “We tossed around a bed and breakfast idea, like one in Le Roy. But we didn’t want to do that.”

The couple fell upon the idea of a vacation property, one that would cater to hunters, families or anyone who just wants to get away for awhile.

Geer took the idea to the town and county planning boards and in January was given the go-ahead to create Huron Creek Acres.

Huron Creek Acres officially opens today, though the house already has hosted visitors, a family of 10 from California.

The house looks like any other on Dodgeson Road, though much better than it did a few years ago.

Geer and Brown completely remodeled the inside, which can comfortably sleep eight with three bedrooms and a full bath on the first floor and a bedroom and bathroom on the second floor. The second floor also includes a nursery with a crib and changing table.

All the amenities are there: A mud room. Full kitchen. Dining room. Living room with large-screen television and a play room for children.

The basement includes a washer and dryer and gas fireplace. All the linen is provided.

“The only thing people need is their own food,” Brown said.

The couple also planted fruit trees outside and Geer has kept 45 acres on farm production, with fields of soybeans surrounded by woods and a parcel of swamp.

It didn’t take much to get town approval for the project, which didn’t need a special use permit or any re-zoning, town Supervisor Joseph Higley said.

“It’s an interesting idea,” Higley said. “There’s nothing like this in the town and from talking to Felipe Oltramari, the county planning chairman, he’s unaware of anything like this in the county.”

The house was once a dairy farm and last owned by Donald and Christine Perrin, whose daughter, Michelle Choate, is Brown’s best friend.

The Perrins died and the family maintained the house as best they could before Geer bought it.

Higley said he and other town officials were pleased with the transformation.

“It’s exciting to see what they did,” he said. “They did some wonderful things to the property. It had become sort of run down and this was a good idea. I hope it works out well for them.”

The house is within a few miles of Darien Lake Theme Park, just down the road from the annual steam show and about six miles from Attica Rodeo, all which Geer and Brown hope draws customers.

“A lot of the hotels are not family-friendly,” Brown said. “You can’t get a snack at night.”

And, of course, you have strict check-in and check-out times.

The house can be used for vacations, reunions and, Geer is hoping, by hunters in the fall and spring.

The property has about 65 acres of woods and swamps. Geer put three tree stands on the property and has made it clear that trespassing will not be tolerated.

“Everyone wants to hunt it and a lot of people have for years,” Geer said. “They let anyone hunt here. But we don’t want our guests to go out and find someone in the woods hunting or a family going for a hike and having hunters out there.”

Rent is $200 a night, with one night free if you rent for seven nights. For a group of eight, that’s a reasonable $25 a night.

“People ask ‘What’s the catch?’ and there isn’t one,” Brown said. “We think it will be perfect for people who just want to get away . Even if someone has sold their house and needs a place to stay for two weeks. It’s very homey.”

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For more information, visit huroncreekacres.com or call (585) 356-3739.