Three Friends Join Forces to Build a Four-Gable Getaway on Shelter Island

For 11 years, Mara Lipner and Gabrielle and David Chamberlain shared a summer rental on Shelter Island, the verdant knob that sits in a bay between the North and South Forks of Long Island’s East End. The trio grew to be close friends, meeting up most weekends throughout the summers to enjoy the house and its water views from its vantage point in Shelter Island Heights. The only problem came in mid-September, when the season ended. The house wasn’t winterized, so year-round visits were not an option.