Head over to Bay Shore and hop on the ferry to Fire Island, then make a beeline for Ocean Bay Park, a community of about 350 houses and lots of activity from the waterfront to the restaurants.
A newly built beach house, listed for $2.85 million, faces Great South Bay and offers 360-degree views of the bay to the Atlantic Ocean from its rooftop deck. It is a striking new addition to the neighborhood with its modern, coastal aesthetic. Plus, it has a pool.
“Pools are becoming more common on Fire Island, but for many years it was very rare to have one,” says broker Abigail Mago of Fire Island Sales & Rentals. “As the housing market has gone higher-end over the years, people are replacing the modest fishing shacks and cottages that were originally built here with larger homes with modern amenities and pools.”
The home at 86 E. Bayview Walk boasts “beautiful clean lines but the use of natural materials like cedar and mahogany really warms up the palette,” says broker Abigail Mago of Fire Island Sales & Rentals, which has the exclusive listing. “They also included some nice details like the shiplap ceilings that play up the coastal vibes.”
There are 3,000 square feet of living space, plus 2,400 square feet of mahogany decking that provide plenty of opportunity for outdoor entertainment and respite. On the main level, there is one great room with a water view, with the living and kitchen flowing into each other. Shiplap ceilings throughout, plus modern lighting tie it all together. A gas fireplace offers a little warmth on cool nights. The kitchen provides lots of space with a long island with counter seating for four, white cabinetry with black handles and stainless steel appliances.
There are five spacious bedrooms throughout the home, including dual master suites, one on each level. “Both of them have stunning views of the bay,” Mago says of the bedrooms. They also offer private baths, wet bars and direct deck access.
The upstairs master suite features a stunning European-style en suite bathroom with dual vanities, a wallhung commode, and an open concept shower with a ceiling-mounted rainfall showerhead, and two handheld faucets, Mago reveals. “It has stunning views of the Great South Bay and walks out directly to the upstairs wraparound deck.”
Another great room can be found just outside the doors of the second-floor master.
Back on the main floor, three additional bedrooms (two currently with bunk beds), a laundry room, a hallway bathroom and a spacious family room that opens onto the pool deck complete the main floor.
The 18-by-8-foot pool is five feet deep. The pool is vinyl, as gunite isn’t possible here; everything is above grade and built into the deck due to the water table and Fire Island being a barrier beach, Mago explains.
A cabana bathroom is accessible directly from the deck, with a large cabana room and a luxurious outdoor shower just off the pool deck, that stands out from any other.
“The outdoor shower is a critical part of any Fire Island home,” Mago says. “They used two shower panels, complete with rain head, body sprays, and handheld shower wands — perfect for getting all that beach sand off!”
Outdoor stairs lead up to the roomy rooftop deck for those jaw-dropping, expansive views.
The home’s exterior is composed of Trespa, an ultra-high-end siding material manufactured in the Netherlands. “It is sustainable and extremely durable, and also requires no maintenance which is a huge advantage in a beach environment where the salt air and the elements can really beat up traditional building materials,” Mago says.
The home is technically two levels, plus the rooftop deck, but appears much taller. “The building code requires all new homes on Fire Island to meet FEMA height requirements, which is why they all sit on top of raised foundations,” Mago says. The property even comes with flood insurance that costs only $562 for an entire year.
The home sits on an oversized parcel for Fire Island at 8,712 square feet. A typical lot in Ocean Bay Park is 50-by- 100 feet, the broker says.
“The beauty of Fire Island is that no matter where you are, you’re no more than two blocks from the beach,” Mago says. “Because there’s no cars here, there’s no need to contend with parking or traffic. You can just roll out of bed and stroll over to the beach, which are all gorgeous, soft white sand beaches.”
Fire Island also offers “great restaurant and nightlife options,” including Flynn’s and Schooner’s, well-known on the island and which are closest to the home.
“You also have the option of jumping on your bike and heading over to Ocean Beach (about 1.5 miles away) for approximately 15 more restaurant options,” she says.
There is plenty else to explore as there are 17 other hamlets on Fire Island. “You can just jump on a water taxi and go exploring,” says Mago. “Dive, the recently remodeled restaurant in Kismet, is definitely worth checking out and is only about a 10-minute boat ride from Ocean Bay Park.”
This article appeared in the August edition of Behind The Hedges in the Long Island Press. View the digital version of the magazine here.
