Berkshire Barn on 23 Wooded Acres 1BR/1.5 Bath Sleeps 7
About the property
- Barn1700 sqft
- Bedrooms1
- Sleeps7
- Bathrooms1
- Half Baths1
- Minimum Stay2 nights
Barn, 1 Bedroom + Loft, 1.5 Baths, (Sleeps 7)
A private driveway off a quiet road leads to a 1700 square foot loft-like Barn on 23 acres. There are two ponds, streams, and woods. Only the owners's house shares the property. No other homes in sight.
Built by a woodworker the Barn is spacious, with an open plan kitchen / dining / living room with wood stove and radiant heat concrete floors. Facing south with multiple french doors, this room is filled with light all day long. The kitchen is fully equipped with Viking stove and high quality cookware. Upstairs is also open plan with a king sized bed and bathroom with a clawfoot tub. The 3rd floor is an attic which has 3 single beds and a Queen. Note that this is an open attic, so ideal for children who enjoy sleeping in one large space together. It is carpeted and cozy. Everybody has their own bed and cozy duvet.
From the bedroom you look out over the ponds, with a dock from which you can swim or canoe. In winter you can light a fire in the wood stove. We encourage guests to showshoe, sled, ice skate, cross country ski -- all on the property. And in summer, swim and fish in the ponds (there are 2, one for swimming and one for fishing). There is a group of rare Maidenhead ferns to discover back in the woods near a stream. And there is a 6 mile walk, biking / running loop which is hilly and convenient.
The house is located in Austerlitz, 20 minutes from both Great Barrington, MA and Chatham, NY. It is 2 minutes from Alford, MA.
We now have 15 chickens in a coop on the property. 15 eggs a day, which are yours. Just help yourselves!
Keywords: Cottage, Barn, secluded, pond, fishing, ski, Jiminy Peak, Catamount, Tanglewood, Jacob's Pillow, chef's kitchen, hiking, biking, antiquing, leaf peeping, stream, birds
Owner
Analisa Allen
- Response rate:
- 100%
- Response time:
- within a few hours
- Speaks:
- french
- Calendar last updated:
- Mar 30, 2018
About Analisa Allen
We are a family of 4 who bought this property after 9/11. We started with just the land and lived in tents for a few summers while the Barn was built. We love everything about this property, from the winter skiing at Jiminy Peak (the children are on the ski team), ice skating on the ponds, jumping off the dock in summer, the fall leaves. I am originally from California and came to New York City to be a professional dancer. My husband is originally from Kenya. We lived in Kenya for 5 years and our children were born there as well. I am a technologist and work full time in New York City. My husband is a woodworker. He collects felled trees, mills the wood, and dries it in a solar kiln on the property. He then makes gorgeous pieces of furniture: from dining tables, coffee tables to chairs. There is a second house on the property which was completed in the summer of 2011. After 10 years living in the barn we now weekend in the adjacent property and are able to share the Barn with others.
Analisa Allen purchased this Barn in 2001
Why Analisa Allen chose Austerlitz
When I first moved to New York City to dance I lived with a family as an au pair. They had a weekend property in the Berkshires. That is when I fell in love with the area. After 9/11, instead of buying an apartment in New York City, we decided to buy land upstate. We have been so happy to have a place to escape to.
What makes this Barn unique
You can cross country ski in a 1 mile loop through the property as it is flat. Just outside your door. In February ice skate on the pond. In July & August, swim in the pond, jump off the dock or lie on the dock and watch the sun set. And we now have a dozen chickens. Help yourselves to some fresh eggs!
Amenities
- Internet
- Air Conditioning
- Heater
- Fireplace
- Kids Welcome
- Washer & Dryer
- TV
- No Smoking
Bedrooms
- 1 Bedrooms, Sleeps 7
- (1) King sized beds on the 2nd floor. A most comfortable bed. Everybody comments positively about it. In the attic: (3) Twin or Single Beds, and (1) Queen
Bathrooms
- 1 Bathroom, 1 Half Bath
- Bathroom 2toilet
- 1.5. there is also an outdoor shower.
Location Type
- Ski-OutCross country skiing on a flat terrain just outside the door.
- Water View2 ponds on the property. One has a canoe and dock for swimming. In the winter they freeze over and we ice skate.
Theme
- Away From It All
- Family
- Historic
- Romantic
- Sports & Activities
Meals
- Guests provide their own meals
General
- Parking Off Street
- Air ConditioningOne in each sleeping area. fans for downstairs living area. We install the air conditioners mid-June and remove them mid-September.
- Hair Dryer
- HeatingRadiant heat concrete floors. The best!
- Linens Provided
- Living Room2 3 -seat couches and a side chair.
- Clothes Dryer
- TelephoneAT&T and Verizon work intermittently, you will need the landline information for important calls.
- Towels Provided
- Washing Machine
- Wireless InternetFast connection
- Wood FireplaceWood burning stove. All wood chopped and ready to use!
- Wood StoveAll wood will be chopped and ready to throw into the stove
Kitchen
- Microwave
- Coffee MakerYes
- Dishes & UtensilsDishes for 8
- DishwasherBosch, a very quiet one
- Ice Maker
- KitchenViking 4 burner gas stove
- Cooking UtensilsCuisinart, Waffle Griddle, "Cook's kitchen"
- OvenViking with convection
- Pantry ItemsSalt, pepper, tea, coffee, ketchup, mayo, mustard, flour, all spices, sugar, hot chocolate, oatmeal
- Refrigerator
- StoveViking 6 burner
- ToasterYes
Dining
- DiningSeats 8
- Dining Area
- comfy seating for 8 people
Entertainment
- BooksBookshelf with 75 books; some for children as well
- DVD Player
- GamesScrabble. There are other games, but Scrabble is king! Pictionary, Clue, outdoor games: Bocce ball!
- Stereo
- TelevisionThere is a TV for watching DVD's. There is NO Cable TV
- VCR
- Video LibraryWe have 80 DVD which include 20 children's titles. there are 2 TV's, so adults and children can watch different movies. Kids in the loft, adults downstairs.
Outside
- Kayak / Canoethere is a canoe on the pond. And a dock.
- Outdoor GrillWeber grill
- Ski & SnowboardCross country ski out from the property. (Make your own tracks). "The Loop" is flat and takes about 20 minutes to do a circle. 3 circles and you've had a terrific workout!
Suitability
- Long-term Renters Welcome
Attractions
- botanical garden
- cinemas
- health/beauty spa
- live theater
- museums
- restaurants
- winery tours
Leisure Activities
- scenic drives
- antiquing
- horseback riding
- miniature golf
- outlet shopping
- bird watching
- shopping
- sight seeing
- sledding
- walking
- wildlife viewing
Sports & Adventure Activities
- mountain biking
- cross country skiing
- equestrian events
- golf
- hiking
- hunting
- cycling
- ski lift privileges
- skiing
- snowboarding
- snowmobiling
- swimming
- tennis
Notes
- We have a dozen chickens on the property (their location varies, the coop moves around). You are welcome to take some fresh eggs.
19 Reviews
Latest reviews
Dreamiest quietest yummiest barn EVER
Met my best friend at the barn for a ladies weekend and we barely left because it was so good there. The barn is a new post and beam building, beautifully crafted, filled with windows and pottery and comfy couches and art and blankets. Apart from the chickens clucking here and there, it was perfectly quiet and the night stars were spectacular. We took two long walks nearby, and otherwise were just happy to cook and sleep and be in the amazing space. John and Analisa were in their house on the property while we were there, but they are lovely and we didn't hear or see them apart from them dropping off some fresh eggs. Will be back -- loved everything about the barn.
Lovely and super quiet place
Loved this place.
We escaped the city for a special birthday weekend and relished in the peace, tranquility, distance from people and the privacy. The barn is ideally located a short drive from all-organic farms that sell their products so we ended up putting the over-sized chef's kitchen to use and it was very well stocked with everything we needed and a large dishwasher to boot.
We will likely go back again sometime next year, a warm and relaxing environment.
Wonderful time, wonderful home
My husband and I took our five city kids to the country to live in a barn.
What an amazing time we had! Every morning we greeted the chickens and checked to see if they had any eggs to share. The garden was at the end of the season but I did find a few zucchini and some beautiful basil to use with dinner that night. (the kitchen is my dream...wonderful to cook there)
The barn is a wonderful place at an amazing rate. Traveling with five small kids (10 and under) it's a challenge to find anywhere that we can even stay in the same room. This home was perfect for us! We kept our three-year-old on the second floor with us since it would have been difficult for him to safely navigate the loft stairs. The other four kids loved the space.
Two things...one that could improve and one warning to potential guests
- there are plenty of lights but so many burned out bulbs that it made it difficult to see in the evening...we are readers and it was a drawback to not have enough light to curl up with a book
- We chose this home because we wanted a break from the city noise. Imagine our dismay when we settled in for Saturday night and heard "THUMP, THUMP, THUMP" of a bass guitar. It seems there is a concert venue close by? and they were playing until at least 11 PM. Not exactly the peace and quiet we were looking for. So, if you plan to say, make note of possible concerts in the area.
Otherwise, we were so happy with the house and our stay. We plan to make it habit. Thank you for sharing your home.
A Special Place
We can't say enough great things about this property and the owners. Our family of five, with school age children, had a blast. The house is stocked with wonderful books, games, toys, and art supplies. The kitchen is a pleasure to cook in. The location is incredible; we loved swimming and fishing and using their canoe. The owners are great stewards of the land and after having stayed in the barn we wish we could have them design our house. They went out of their way to make us feel comfortable, literally and figuratively. They are the nicest vacation homeowners we have ever rented from.
There are a lot of activities in the area. We recommend OmiArt and the Harlem Valley Bike Trail.
We can't wait to go back.
Barnyard Bachelorette!
Just spent the weekend at the Barn where I hosted a bachelorette getaway! It was so perfect. The barn and property are lovely! Spent the time playing indoor and outdoor games, tie dying, scrapbooking, relaxing by the pond and the fire, and cooking (kitchen is large and wonderfully stocked). Even with a larger group it was really comfortable. John and Analisa are friendly, accommodating, and helpful in terms of booking and running into them on the property. Many of the ladies talked about returning with their own families! I would definitely recommend the property for a group or family gathering as well as a quiet getaway for two! Thanks again!!
Great family getaway
Great stay. My family enjoyed every moment from taking a walk, to creating our own artwork, to collecting our own eggs. Kids loved having their own private area upstairs (Like a clubhouse with a special staircase). Great location to see the area. Looking forward to coming back.
Location
Tanglewood is 20 minutes away. Another favorite summer activity is MacHayden Theatre in Chatham ( 15 mins ) if you have children under 10. We also love Jacob's Pillow and Shakespeare & Co. Both within 30 minutes.