A New York builder brings his unique vision to a new Hampton-style Colonial home on the Apawamis Country Club grounds
There is an important message that builder Gregory Krywosa takes from Ayn Rand’s hugely influential novel The Fountainhead. The protagonist, architect Howard Roark, stands in firm opposition to conventional wisdom and creates according to his own beliefs for how a structure should be built. His approach includes listening to the landscape and allowing the surrounding environment to naturally inform the design of a building, and utilizing only those materials that he considers to be the highest quality and most appropriate for each project. So uncompromising is his commitment to his vision that he sacrifices his public reputation to preserve it.
Like Roark, a character who is said to have been inspired by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Krywosa begins by consulting the property’s setting: “An absolutely essential part of the design process is not just thinking about the floor plan, but understanding what exteriors it is tied to,” he says. And like Roark, Krywosa incorporates only the best components into the homes and
buildings he develops, working with a special investment team that embraces the concept of constructing to a higher standard: “Our philosophy is to invest more on the right materials, the right design and the right property, and build the way it ought to be built.” Finally, like Roark, Krywosa unwaveringly sticks to his own vision.
Take 10 Club Road in Rye, N.Y., a Hampton-style Colonial Krywosa is currently building in collaboration with architect Justin Minieri on the grounds of the Apawamis Country Club. The residence relates to other properties on the grounds of the club by maintaining a level of architectural consistency and elegance, while also relating to its outdoor surrounds by featuring abundant large, glass windows that direct one’s attention toward the front yard, back and pool area, blending indoors and out. High-end materials include cedar in the roofing, siding and exterior trim, which offers a far more beautiful presentation than other synthetic products, along with natural tannins and oils that outlast those materials; spray foam insulation throughout; Marvin windows; marble countertops; top-of-the-line moldings; and state-of-the-art appliances in the custom kitchen. It is rare for a builder to go to such high-quality lengths for a spec home, but Krywosa, borrowing a line from a certain popular soft drink, boldly states, “We are delivering the real thing. This is really a speculative house that’s built like a custom house.”
After the home is completed in early 2016, those who have a chance to wander its 9,656 square feet of living space, beneath ceilings that reach 10 feet on the first floor and nine on the second, will encounter large, open rooms and a thoughtfully laid out floor plan that can accommodate multiple individual preferences. There is enough space for seven to eight bedrooms with their own baths, all with a feng shui style that is “not necessarily something a future resident could pinpoint on a drawing, but when they walk in, they can feel it,” the builder notes. In addition, the home will have a large guest suite or cabana with vaulted ceilings, a fitness center on either the upper or lower level, a wine room, media room, recreation area and much more. Through French doors one can access the pool area, overlooked by an open outdoor living room with unlimited possibilities, including room for a fireplace. Listing agent Laura DeVita says of the home’s builder, “He really cares about his work, and 10 Club Road is his masterpiece.”
Like many other builders, Krywosa’s career path began during childhood, when he used to help his father out with his carpentry business. But later, his journey took a very different direction from the typical builder, gaining him significant experience across the entire building spectrum. From single-family residential homes in the New York metro area to large-scale commercial endeavors 
and high-rise mega-projects in New York City, Krywosa has overseen over $600 million and 3.4 million square feet of new construction. Today he is the principal and president of GSK Builders Group, Inc., and he may be the only licensed builder in Rye who is also a licensed professional engineer. Yet above and beyond his impressive background, Krywosa maintains that it is his unbending dedication to quality and his reputation for relentless attention to detail that really set him apart. As he says of 10 Club Road, “The end result will speak for itself.”
10 Club Road in Rye, New York (MLS ID: 4513403) is offered at $6,995,000 USD. For more information, contact Rye Brokerage agent Laura DeVita at +1 914 473 1439 or laura.devita@juliabfee.com.
