Dreamy off-grid house on private New York island with no public electricity or water asks $500K
Not far from Fire Island, an isolated beach house is quietly looking for a new owner — one who doesn’t mind roughing it.
This 1,950-square-foot property is located on Oak Island, a lesser known blip of land just north of that famous Long Island vacation community, and across a thin channel from the eastern edge of Jones Beach Island.
Currently listed for $500,000, the four-bedroom, two-bathroom abode is only accessible by boat and offers proximity to two surf locations, a gated dock slip and no public utilities, Curbed first reported.
That’s because Oak Island lacks public electricity, water, trash collection, and even postal or emergency services, the New York Times reported.
The land is technically owned by the village of Babylon (to which 22 Oak Street’s owner pays approximately $3,000 a year to lease the land), but Oak Island homeowners must rely on themselves for most necessities and conveniences.
“If you come over here, you have to be a very hearty soul,” lifelong Oak Island summer resident Marie Liddle, then 81, previously told the Times. “You have to be able to do almost everything by yourself.”
For those not turned away by the ruggedness, the residence is quite dreamy: There’s a red-shingled facade, a covered porch with idyllic water views and a fireplace-equipped living room.
What’s more, the upstairs bedrooms are airy, the yellow-floored kitchen has a vintage stove and, out back, there’s a stand-alone cottage.
“No damages from Hurricane Sandy,” notes the listing.
Though life on Oak Island is not for the faint of heart, those who can hack it say the place comes to feel like an oasis, “like a glimpse of ‘Brigadoon,’” MoMA PS1 founder Alanna Heiss told the Times. “Everybody can see it but they can’t get there.
