A Carpenter Spent 20 Years Building This Timber-Frame House in New England, Listed for $1.2 Million
Beds: 6 Baths: 5 Size: ~416 m² (approx. 4,473 ft²) Levels: 2 Land: 53 acres
Amenities: 10 fireplaces, brick cooking oven, arched brick ceiling, wide plank flooring, exposed beams, paneled walls, custom cabinetry, ponds, orchard, woodland
Carpenter Arnold Jones spent more than 20 years building and shaping this timber-frame home in Charlemont, Massachusetts using traditional hand-made methods associated with early American building. Described on the listing as a Gambrel Colonial timber frame, the home was originally built in 1900, it reflects a level of craftsmanship rarely seen today. In a 2011 Daily Herald profile, Jones was described as a self-taught craftsman who had been practising carpentry for 50 years at the time. He had also spent 44 years as an assembler at Mueller Co., a manufacturer of water system components.
Inside the interiors include chamfered exposed beams, gorgeous carved shell cupboards, raised panel walls, and wainscoting, with doors and shutters constructed using mortise-and-tenon joinery secured with wooden pegs. High-level masonry is integrated into the structure, including an arched brick ceiling over the staircase. Additional architectural elements include period doghouse dormers, transom windows, custom doors, wide plank flooring, and reproduction hardware.
The home was built in the Dutch Colonial tradition, a subtype of colonial architecture historically associated with New England farmhouses. Its most defining feature is the gambrel roof (classic barn-style roof shape), a double-slope form that allows for a full second level, increasing usable interior space without expanding the footprint. The construction reflects traditional timber framing methods, where large structural beams are joined using interlocking wood joinery rather than modern fasteners.
The house measures approximately 4,473 square feet, with six bedrooms and five bathrooms, and sits on 53 acres of land composed of open fields, wooded areas, ponds, and a fruit orchard.
The property sits within the northern Berkshires, part of a rural corridor in western Massachusetts defined by landscape and outdoor recreation. The area is known for skiing at Berkshire East Mountain Resort, whitewater rafting and kayaking along the Deerfield River, and the Mohawk Trail, one of the oldest scenic routes in the United States, which runs through the region. The house is located approximately 2.5 to 3 hours from Boston and about 4 hours from New York City.
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