Country Cottage with Pool (and outdoor showers) for $299,000

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There’s so much to like about this “eyebrow cottage” for sale in Columbia County–and not only that you can tell your friends the party is at the place with the eyebrows. This Taghkanic, N.Y. house was built in 1810, and it has the original moldings, hand hewn beams, and wideboard floors to prove it. (God, how I love painted floorboards.)   It’s on a quiet, private country road, with 4.1 surrounding acres and established gardens. The screened porch looks perfect for naps, and you could even throw an extra guests out there, too. There are several outbuildings: a former “privy” that now serves as a potting shed, a workshop with electricity, and a poolhouse with hot and cold outdoor showers.

Best of all, the pool house comes with a pool. With the in-ground pool and the outdoor showers, I think this historic Hudson Valley cottage has a pleasantly beach-y look to it. The main drawback seems to be the size: it’s just two bedrooms. Of course, with the extra acreage, there’s room for expansion. According to the broker Mary Mullane, Taghkanic is still a functioning rural community, beautiful and undeveloped, but with not much beyond a pizza place, a firehouse and a gas station in terms of businesses. It is, however, a short ten-minute drive from Hudson, N.Y. and its convenient Amtrak stop.

Poetic Country Cottage (Gary DiMauro) GMAP
Distance to NYC: 112 miles; two hours, 534 minutes
Transportation: Amtrak to Hudson
Land: 4.1 acres
Neighbors? No
Water: Pool
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 2

Repurposed church in Hudson, NY perfect for decadent parties or your industrial music career

This $399, 000 former church is called Mission Grange Hall. That sounds like something out of the Wind in the Willows or Game of Thrones, either of which would be fine by me. I think all country houses should have names, and the name of this one doesn’t even seem particularly aspirational. It has a bell tower, after all. And who wouldn’t want to have their bed placed on altar?

The interior still offers the vaulted ceilings and stained glass of its former life, as well as the open floor plan. Mission Grange Hall is basically two huge floors—one with a catering-size, galley kitchen–plus a choir loft. This set-up could work very well as live/work space, and while the listing doesn’t specify dual residential/commercial zoning, it has been used as a gallery. Alternately, you could create rooms (and with 8,000 square feet, they could be spacious), but that sort of seems like a shame. When I was house hunting, I looked at a beautiful converted church with a similar set-up. Realizing I’d never have the proper attitude for such a place—I like doors—was one of the moments where I also realized my own limitations. I’ll never live in a converted church (or be an Italian movie star), but I hope someone quite fabulous and deserving scoops this one up.

The price seems a little steep to me, especially as such a specialty property would be challenging to resell, but the town of Hudson is experiencing a long boom, and this property offers country views along with access to the town’s galleries and restaurants. A city of 7,500, Hudson is well-known for its antique shops and charming, recently restored downtown.  Plus, it has its own Amtrak stop, which makes this an easy commute for second homers.

Update: A Hudson-dwelling reader has reported that the church is “is next door to the city’s high rise projects, which makes the price completely insane.” If you go to see it or submit a bid, let us know!

Hudson, NY Google map
Distance to NYC: 126 miles; 2 hours, 35 minutes
Transportation: Amtrak to Hudson station
Land: .93 acres
Water: River views
Bedrooms: 1
Baths: 4