If you want a house with a big dining room

Long Islanders who have been enduring power outages, gas shortages, rationing, cold nights and heavy hearts following superstorm Sandy are still making plans for Thanksgiving.

Here, we've found five homes in every price range that are worthy of family gathering, plus three tables that don't need a lot of dressing up.

Matinecock

Hobbs renovated the room when she redid the six-bedrooms, 6 1/2-baths, 10,000-plus-square-foot house in 2009. She painted the walls, and added the custom molding and the chandelier. But the room, while large, still feels warm, in part because it has a fireplace.

"We can put the fire down nice and low, and dim the chandelier lights, and it's elegant and huge and also very cozy." After dinner, the family retreats to the library. "The library looks like something out of the board game Clue, and it's the only room that we really did not do anything to. It's all wood panel, and at Thanksgiving we always watch football here. It's huge and gorgeous and like something out of a 1940s movie."

Wantagh

Molinaro, who used to work for the school system while raising two children, has lived in this home with husband Dominick for 31 years, and she's put a lot of herself into it. "I built that rock wall myself, with a friend," she says. "We got the stones from Rickles Home Improvement. I love decorating."

She also loves to entertain. "Family dinners have always been here for the holidays, because I'm the oldest in the family," she says. "I've had about 20 of us in the house, and if I put another table in here with this one, we can fit 13 to 15 people in this room. We have another dining room, too, so anything over 20 and we use that."

The four-bedroom, two-bath home, built in 1951, also features an eat-in kitchen and a solar-heated in-ground pool. "This was always my little dream home," she says. "I took this little bungalow and turned it into my dream home and then shared it with everyone I loved."

Northport

Another element that lends the room its warmth is the yellow walls. Clark says the paint shade, Semolina from Benjamin Moore, brought just the right balance of brightness and earthy appeal, she says. "Everyone comments on that color, and it goes well with the hardwood floors," she says.

The four-bedroom, two-bath house, built in 1987, has water views of the Makamah Beach Preserve. There are sliding doors from the kitchen and dining rooms to a deck, and deeded beach rights.

"When you walk upstairs to the second floor, there's another sliding door," says Clark. "When I looked out from our upstairs deck, I just fell in love with the view of Makamah marsh. Our backyard abuts the marsh, and you can see osprey and the blue heron. It's my favorite spot."

Glen Cove

The three-bedroom, two-bath home, built in 1949, also features a living room with a fireplace and landscaped grounds. But for Barthel, the most important part of her home is how it makes her feel. "It's gentle," she says. "The mood and tones are pretty, and when you walk in here, you just get a gentle feeling."

Sag Harbor

For Thanksgiving dinners, the space fills up with family. "We could get 10 people in there if we wanted to, and if they really liked each other." Family often spills into the living room and gathers around the fireplace.

The two-bedroom, one-bath home is on about 1.8 acres, and is well-known for its curb appeal. "I like to decorate, and I have won awards from Sag Harbor Village for the nicest Christmas decorations," says Velsor. "This is the house you see when you enter Sag Harbor. It's not elaborate, but everybody loves it. It's a cute little cottage up on the hill."

What's for sale

Already love your dining room, but not your dining room table? Here are three unusual options for where to gather around for your next family meal:

Clear difference

Heavy metal

Long on style