Waterfront cedar-shake home in Wantagh lists for $2.8 million

From most windows of the three-story, cedar-shake residence she designed nearly two decades ago, Catherine Craig watches over an expanse of blue and green.

Though she is not quite ready to leave, Craig has listed the seven-bed, 4½-bath Wantagh home on the water for $2.8 million. Annual taxes on the 0.24-acre property, which falls within the Wantagh Union Free School District, total $29,890.

"I love it here so much I can’t even tell you," said Craig, who raised her five children in the home.

During a bout of morning sickness in the mid-2000s, a cup of tea by her side, Craig made the preliminary plans for the house. She had seen the property by boat before buying it with her then-husband, and knew she would knock down the existing "run-down" house that stood there.

"My father was a land surveyor, so I’ve always kind of been around construction and drawing," Craig said. "I handed all this stuff to the architect."

The multi-story home includes a basement and an attic. From the attic, a hatch offers access to a rooftop terrace bordered by a white gate.

"It really looks like a bed and breakfast," said listing agent Jeanine Entenmann, who has co-listed the property with Agnieszka Kleczek for Signature Premier Properties.

When it comes to details, Entenmann said, Craig "thought of everything." There are a whole-house humidifier, Juliet balconies, radiant heat throughout the first floor and 64 custom Marvin Windows, Entenmann said. The house is warmed by natural gas and forced air, and cooled by central air conditioning.

The home withstood Superstorm Sandy and did not take in any water, Craig and Entenmann said.

"Water came up to the house, but didn’t go in the house," Entenmann said. "It’s a very well-constructed home."

Flood insurance on the property, which is required, costs $1,029 annually and is transferable to the next buyer, Entenmann said. The property includes a pool and 110 feet of bulkhead, she added.

Along with her plans so many years ago, Craig made a promise.

"I was like, 'God, if you can let me build what I want to build there, I promise it to be a sanctuary for anybody who needs it,' " she said. "And it has."

Over the years, Craig has welcomed family members and friends in need of a place to stay for reasons happy and sad. As her youngest child enters senior year of high school, Craig said she hopes to find a buyer who is the right fit.

"I know this sounds so corny, but it’s a magical place," she said.

By Arielle Dollinger

arielle.dollinger@newsday.com@aridollinger

Arielle Dollinger joined Newsday as a staff reporter in 2022. Previously, she covered local and national news as a freelancer for The New York Times, Newsday and other outlets.