Real LI: Posts from our daily blog

ISLAND LIVING

Accessible only by boat, this six-room beach house on Oak Island is on the market for $340,000. The boat -- a 13-foot Boston Whaler -- is included in the sale, as is new furniture, linens and beach paraphernalia, says owner Kathi Connell.

Situated almost directly across from Oak Beach, the island is on the northern side of Ocean Parkway, where there is resident parking and docking. With about 54 homes, the island has no electricity or phone lines, says listing agent Barbara McGinn of Eric G. Ramsay Jr. Associates in Bay Shore. "Being on Oak Island is like going back in time," she adds.

But it's not completely primitive. Most residents have generators and solar panels. Refrigerators, stoves and hot water heaters are operated by propane. Connell's house has it all. She has two golf cart batteries that hook up to a generator and solar panel. "I have Dish Network . . . lights, ceiling fans . . . The iPads work and so do cellphones," Connell says, adding, "It's simple living."

Since the waterfront house is elevated, flooding is not an issue, she says. Recently renovated, the cottage features an open floor plan with an eat-in kitchen, living room, two bedrooms and one bathroom. The master bedroom has French doors that open to a porch. There are front and rear decks with an outdoor shower.

Each residence has a private beach. The boat dock and loading dock are maintained by the Great South Bay Isles Association, a membership organization. Community events range from Kayak Cruise Day to Children's Day.

"It's beautiful here -- it's different living," adds Connell. And with a five-mile wake restriction for boats, it's quiet, too. -- LISA DOLL BRUNO

MADE IN THE USA

A Long Island builder has announced he is constructing a home using only materials made in the United States.

The 2,000-square-foot ranch in the 17-home Vistas at East Moriches development is called the Americana, and all its components -- from its foundation and roof to nails -- were made in this country, according to the builder, Landmark Properties of Suffolk in Rocky Point. In addition, all the contractors were based on Long Island. A groundbreaking was held June 28, and the home is expected to be complete by late November.

The home already has a buyer, who paid $500,000 before the builder announced its decision to build it entirely from American-made materials, according to Landmark. The builder plans to construct 18 homes in Miller Place, all from American-made materials.

The developer is "100 percent committed to the economic recovery of our country," Landmark owner Mark Baisch said in a statement. -- MAURA MCDERMOTT

PICK A SCHOOL

It's not often you can buy a house that allows you to pick from a choice of schools. But this one for sale in East Moriches does.

Set on a 273-by-156-foot lot, the 10-room Georgian Colonial offers a choice of three high schools -- Westhampton, Center Moriches, or Eastport-South Manor Junior-Senior High School, says Ron Guzas, owner/broker of Atlantic Shores Realty Corp., who is marketing the home for $795,000.

"You don't find that situation very often," says Guzas, explaining that the East Moriches school district only goes up to the eighth grade, thereby providing students with a choice of nearby districts. "A lot of people don't even know about it, and when they find out, they like that feature."

Built in 1995, the 4,000-square-foot house backs onto a preserve with a pond and features wood floors, moldings and three fireplaces. -- LISA DOLL BRUNO