Photo: Four Seasons Sotheby’s Int.
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 month includes a lot of skylights!
Three bedrooms, two baths; $865,000
This millhouse has cozy renovated interiors with a curved plaster staircase as featured in this listing photo.
Photo: Four Seasons Sotheby’s Int.
Want to live in a timber-frame home built into the stone foundation of an early 19th-century grain gristmill without having to gristmill any grain? This is the listing for you. The main house is a spacious three-bedroom, two-bath with all the Inness slash the Henson touches one might expect from a place built in 2024. There are lots of sculptural arches — from the built-ins to the fireplace to the shower. It’s serene. The whites are warm and the light is good. The kitchen is all custom cabinetry and the bathroom comes with a Viola marble sink. There’s a bonus outhouse studio for your mill-inspired art and, of course, a stream in the backyard.
How do I get back to the city?
It’s just under a two-hour drive and quite close to the Patterson Metro North station.
So what do I do if I live there?
Hop on the Empire State Trail and go for a nice bike ride. Write a novel in your studio. Go slightly feral, à la Die My Love.
Five bedrooms, three baths; $1,100,000
The house, as featured in this listing photo, was built in the 1700s, which makes it very old.
Photo: Hudson Valley Catskill Region MLS
This Shaker-built Colonial from the 1700s is apparently the second-oldest home in Hillsdale, but it’s been fully renovated, thank God. The home has retained lovely original details like the 12-over-12 windows and hand-hewn beams while incorporating luxe updates like heated floors and a dishwasher. (The Shakers could never.) There are five bedrooms of varying sizes and three bathrooms. There are also sitting rooms on the first floor with cozy fireplaces. The place also sits on around 17 acres and includes a garden with heirloom varieties of apples, peaches, and pears. Yum.
How do I get back to the city?
It’s just under a three-hour drive.
So what do I do if I live there?
Go check out the highest waterfall in Massachusetts, Bash Bish Falls, where my parents used to take me when I was a kid. (I’m already getting carsick just thinking about the drive — but you’ll only be 15 minutes away.)
Four bedrooms, four baths; $1,575,000
In this listing, you basically get your own outdoor spa, including a hot tub and sauna, as shown in this listing photo.
Photo: Fresh Air Realty
I count at least eight skylights in this listing. The house, which was built in 1930, has been completely renovated with new appliances in the huge open kitchen and incredible stone work in the bathrooms. A huge sunroom and glass block partitions keep the filtered light flowing. There are four bedrooms and four baths, a very fair ratio for all involved. You also get a two-car garage that comes with a guest studio above it. Outside there’s a hot tub, a sauna, an outdoor shower, and a cold plunge. Also nearby on the property: a meandering stream!
How do I get back to the city?
It’s about a two-and-a-half-hour drive.
So what do I do if I live there?
Why would you leave? You basically have an entire spa on your property.
Two bedrooms, two baths; $499,000
This house is all skylights, as shown in this listing photo.
Photo: Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty
If you thought the last place had a lot of skylights, wait until you see this stunner commissioned in the 1980s by a Manhattan couple who apparently had a funny little hippie streak in them: It’s a passive solar home with geothermal heating. The roof has recently been replaced, too. It’s a two-bed, two-bath that sits on about 23 acres, and despite the year it was built, the house has a very now feeling to it: There’s an entire wall of skylights, which are separated from the main space with glass block walls. (It was the ’80s!) This listing is in it for the long run —A Finnish-style bluestone fireplace can be started up to help heat the home and the kitchen comes with Shaker-inspired kitchen cabinetry.
How do I get back to the city?
It’s just over a three-hour drive.
So what do I do if I live there?
Check out the fossils at the Gilboa Museum and avoid nearby, overpriced Windham Mountain Club.