Overview
In 2018 I sold the house that Joanna and I built in 1989. This is an introduction I wrote when trying to sell our house myself.

"Don't even think about it if you're just looking for a big spec house with minimal landscaping that was put up in a hurry with low cost materials.
If you're looking for a custom house with quality construction, character, architectural features, lots of light, mature landscaping, in a great neighborhood, this may be the place for you.

822 Vosseller Ave (Driveway on Merriam Dr), Martinsville, NJ

Year Built: 1989
Lot: 160' x 256'  (.94 acre)
Rooms: 9
Baths: 3 1/2
Style: Contemporary Colonial
Hardwood Flooring
Lots of light - 33 6' windows
165 Square feet of south facing windows  
18 ft Family Room Ceiling
Built in speakers
High ceilings in 3 bedrooms
Heating: 2 new Forced air units
Cooling: 2 new Central air units 
Washer, Dryer, Dishwasher, double oven,
cook top, sub-zero built in refrigerator
Central Vacuum

.94 acre lot
Large (26' x 27') 2 car garage
Large fireplace with outside vent
Jacuzzi/Whirlpool
Dumbwaiter from basement garage to kitchen
550 sq ft deck
Basement: Full - unfinished
Dry basement with triple drainage system 
21x28' basement with 8' ceiling could be finished  
Underground utilities
Wired for FIOS (fiber) and cable TV/Internet
Circular walkway around the house and garden
24 Outdoor lights (Entry ways, driveway, accent,
   flood lights and Landscape Lighting)
Home automation system to control outdoor lights,
   play sterio, from smart phone or alexa smart speaker... (hub included)

See other amenities below

The shapes in our house - Don't live in a box it will it will lead to square thinking. Add some angles and curves to stimulate your creative juices. Our architect, Greg Arner, specialized in designing Churches. Landscaping draws from Fredrick Olmstead's curvilinear design.
     

Click on the photos below for a larger view.
Family Room:

Kitchen:                                                                                Living Room

Dining Room:

Master Bedroom and bath:

Guest Bedroom:

                                                                                             

150° panorama from outside kitchen window.

Outdoor pictures (click on image to enlarge)
 
 

Virtual Tour

Relator pictures:
Weidel | Caldwell Banker (Kevin Yento)

Amenities:

• Custom architecture designed by Joanna (), Don and architect, Gregory Arner (1947-2009) of New Providence, NJ.
• Green design. Overhang above kitchen windows provides shade in the summer and allows direct sunlight in the winter.
  Hi R insulation
  Low-E double pained windows
  Average heat bill Dec-Mar = $155/mo
  Outside air vent for the fireplace to save energy but not using heated air from your house to supply oxygen which goes up the chimney.
  2 new (2016) energy efficient furnace and AC units
• Lots of light: 57 windows with over 500 Square feet of glass.
• Quality construction. Plywood (not pressed wood) under cedar siding.
  3/4 in copper pipe from main to water heater. 3/4 in copper pipe to master bath.
• Mature landscaping designed with Frederick Law Olmsted's concept of curvilinear design in mind.
• Outdoor lighting - Recessed lights for Security, Flood lights for Activities, Landscape lighting. Most LED.
• Smart Home - Automated outdoor and family room lights. Schedule on and off times, turn on when you arrive home and control lights from an app on your mobile phone.
  Play music from Amazon Alexa thru stereo via voice commands.
• On the top of the first range of the Watchung Mountains. Line of sight (obscured by trees) to 1 World Trade Center for good broadcast TV reception.

Location - Location - Location:

• Neighborhood - Demographics:
• Martinsville is the eastern part of Bridgewater Township next to Warren.
  Population: 11,980
• Somerset County had the highest average income in the nation in the 2000 census. It was #8 in the 2010 census.
  Martinsville ranked in the top 2.6% of NJ municipalities.
• Public Schools:
  The Crim Elementary School ranked better than 93% of elementary schools in NJ.
  Bridgewater-Raritan Regional Middle School ranked better than 86% of the middle schools.
  Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School ranked better than 82% of high schools in NJ.
  Top Rated Private Schools:
  8 min (3.6 mi) from the Pingry School
  12 min (9 mi) from Rutgers Prep
  
• Shopping
• 7 minutes from the World Class ShopRite in Bound Brook
• 12 minutes from the Bridgewater Commons Mall: Macy's, Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdales, Apple Store, Microsoft Store, ...
• 4 minutes from a new shopping center, Chimney Rock Crossing: A Whole Foods Market, Saks Off 5Th, Nordstrom Rack, ....
• 8 minutes from Bridgewater Promenade: Home Depot, Costco, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, ...
• 11 Minutes from Wegmans

  

• Transportation:
• Less than 10 minutes from the Bound Brook Train station and a 1:05 ride to Penn Station in New York City (NYC).
  1:15 drive to NYC by car.
• 25 min. to the Amtrak Station at Metropark
• Medical
• 9 min from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital - Somerset

Zillow estimate October 2017

2018 Zillow listing after sale

Neighborhood Homes:

Zillow map as of Sept 16, 2017

Driveway at 1708 Merriam Dr., Martinsville, NJ 08836 (Corner of Vosseller)
Mail address is 822 Vosseller.

Nearby sights:

• Recreation - sights
• Across the street from The 719 acre Washington Valley Park, the second largest in Somerset County: Mountain Biking, Walking, Fishing. Over 2 miles from our house to the end and you can walk another 3 miles along the Middlebrook Trail.
  1/4 mile from Middlebrook Washington Rock
• 1/2 mile from the The Chimney Rock Hawk Watch, which is one of the main NJ and east coast hawk watches.
• 1/4 mile from the former Camp Cromwell, 100 acres just purchased by the township.
  
• 10 minutes from the South Bound Brook entrance to the Delaware and Raritan Canal tow path for biking, walking, running.
• 5 min (1.5 mi) from Chimney Rock Park with tennis courts, baseball fields and a playground.
• 5 min (0.2 mi) to McBride's Rock a historic Landmark
• 15 minutes from Duke Farms, Doris Duke's 2,700 acre estate, which is open to the public with biking and walking paths thru a variety of habitats.
• 8 minutes from the Somerset Patriots Baseball stadium.
• Historical Area: Our house is right in the middle of the historical Middlebrook Encampment.
  In May of 1777, Washington moved his small army of about 6-8,000 men from his winter encampment at Morristown to Middlebrook Heights (where we live) on the first range of the Watchung Mountains to observe the British troops at New Brunswick and Perth Amboy.
  I never got a chance to use a metal detector in the back yard to see if I could find any artifacts.
  2 minutes from Washington Campground.
  
• New York City - 1:15 drive to Chinatown; 1:30 drive to the American Museum of Natural History and Central Park.
• 40 min to Princeton
• 20 min to Rutgers University
• 1:10 to Sandy Hook National Park at the Jersey Shore.
• 1:10 to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
• 45 min to Liberty State Park with views of the New York City Skyline and the Statue of liberty. Take a ferry to the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island.
• 35 min to Ken Lockwood Gorge which is best known as one of the top trout fishing destinations in the east, but also referred to as "the most picturesque area in the state."
• 30 min to Morristown National Historical Park
• 1:15 to Mountain Creek Ski Resort in New Jersey.
  1:25 to Camelback Mountain Ski Resort and Blue Mountain Ski Resort in Pennsylvania.
• 1:30 to Philadelphia
• 1 hr to Six Flags Great Adventure amusement park.

Recent upgrades:
Dishwasher                       2014
Hot water heater             Dec 2014
LED front and back porch lights 2015
Painted front and deck           2015
Roof/Shingles (replace)      Dec 2015
New fishpond liner               2015
Outdoor faucets                  2015
Central Vacuum                   2015
Bathroom Vanity Lights...........2015
Garage door spring and openers   2016
Resealed chimney cap             2016
5 new LED hall/stairwell lights  2016
New Lenox HVAC System        Aug 2016
New toilet tank gaskets          2016
Decora electrical outlets and switches 2017
Upgraded Kitchen              2016-17
Granite  Counter tops,  new cook top   2017
New double wall oven, sink, faucets    2017
Refurbish  Sub-Zero refrigerator       2017
New water pump for washing machine     2017
New pressure regulator valve for water 2017  
Upgraded home automation system        2017
Normal maintenance              summer 2018
Cleaned whole house vacuums canister  
New filters for HVAC and humidifier  

Survey with dimensions.

House Notes

PDF version

Links:
Rock Climbing