Part of living in New York City is thinking about moving out of New York City. Each month, we’ll round up the best listings within commuting-ish distance, places where entire houses go for the cost of a “junior one-bedroom” (or less) but you’ll have to fix your own toilet.
This week we have a renovated church in Hudson and multiple houses with incredible decks.
Catskill, New York
This Arts and Crafts stone home was built in 1920 by a British author who wrote extensively on England’s tropical colonies, was Joseph Pulitzer’s private secretary and friends with Frank Lloyd Wright, who the house’s architecture is inspired by. It was then restored in 2005 by architect Stephen Shadley, who’s designed houses for Jennifer Aniston, Diane Keaton, and Ryan Murphy. The house was rebuilt from the ground up, and then Shadley added a zinc roof from England. With a wood-burning fireplace in both the kitchen and the living room, and two windowed nooks in the common area, it’s the perfect place to contemplate the surrounding mountains (and lasting influences of British colonialism). It comes with a heated gunite pool, landscaped gardens, and an ancient-looking stone wall. There’s even a separate guesthouse where the third bedroom is located, perfect for visitors or your sullen teenage daughter.
Ossining, New York
You won’t find much like this diamond-shaped mid-century-modern house that hovers precariously over a pond. It comes with an incredible deck overlooking the water that has 14 sliding glass doors. The interiors are functional and seamless, with a wide open living room that includes a fireplace and a kitchen full of storage space. For lovers of classical music, or music in general, who might spot the piano in the listing and shelves of records, they might be pleased to know it was the home of Robert Sherman, WQXR’s classical music host and critic for five decades and an early champion of musicians like Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax, who passed away last year. It’s priced similarly to nearby homes that are much more boring. The only potential downside we can see? Mosquitos.
South Salem, New York
Live right on a lake with your own private dock. This octagonal house is all about the exposed structural beams, which radiate out from the central stone fireplace, and the views — it has a wraparound deck plus a lower patio with a wood-burning fireplace and pizza oven built in plus a balcony on the upper level. The interiors need some updating and it’s pricey compared to other homes in the area, but other houses don’t have a vast open kitchen and living room floor or radiant heating coming out of the remilled wood floors.
Hudson, New York
This is technically a “studio” given that it’s a 8,300-square-foot 1930s church with no actual bedrooms. But anything can be a bedroom if you put a bed in it. The church was renovated in 2016 and still is very church-like — with stained glass windows, vaulted 30-foot ceilings, and a bell tower. But there’s now also a professional chef’s kitchen downstairs and the property includes a vegetable garden and a terrace. Live here with your family (and the Lord) or turn it into some sort of artist’s retreat. One of the previous owners was a chocolatier! Fair warning — there’s only one full bathroom.