New Paltz.

New Paltz sits at the base of the Shawangunk Ridge in Ulster County, home to SUNY New Paltz and a downtown lined with the stone houses along Huguenot Street that date back to the late 1600s. That range, from centuries-old stone construction to the rental housing and newer builds surrounding the campus, means kitchen and bathroom work here covers everything from careful updates inside a historic structure to straightforward remodels in a postwar ranch.

The ridge itself brings rock close to the surface on a lot of New Paltz properties, which changes how a deck's footings or a basement walkout gets planned compared to flatter ground closer to the river. Window replacement is also a steady request in the older parts of town, where original single-pane sash windows are still common.