Luxury Homes

Grammy-winner Ray LaMontagne seeks new owner for his Ashfield estate. Please let it be me.

The historic property is part of the Bullitt Estate, which originally served as the summer retreat of a US ambassador.

The main house comes with six bedrooms and 4.5 baths. Nick LaRoche

August 21, 2023

3 minutes to read

Just call it the “best thing” on the market. Singer/songwriter Ray LaMontagne has listed his 104-acre estate in the picturesque Western Massachusetts town of Ashfield for $5,250,000.

The historic property at 369 Bullitt Road is part of the Bullitt Estate, which originally served as the summer retreat of US ambassador William Christian Bullitt. But it was LaMontagne and his wife, poet Sarah Sousa, who meticulously restored the property to its current glory after purchasing it in troubled condition.

“They’ve, as artists, tried to create something lasting, and that’s the way they approached this place,” said Gladys Montgomery of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, who has the listing with Herb Butzke. “It was in rough shape, but they fell in love with it.”

A 900-foot driveway bordered by hand-laid stone walls leads up the luxury home, which is surrounded by mature maple and fruit trees and perennial gardens. Transformed since LaMontagne and his wife purchased it in 2008, the Federal-style farmhouse, which was built in 1811, has had several additions put on over the years. Now the 10,747-square-foot main residence has upgraded insulation, 12 restored brick fireplaces, and new plumbing, electrical, and heating systems.

Featuring six bedrooms and 4.5 baths, the home’s crown jewel is its great room, added in the 1920s. Measuring 1,000 square feet, it has towering 26-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and hand-planed wooden paneling sourced from Historic Deerﬁeld. Fourteen-foot windows stream natural light into the space, which LaMontagne has used as his recording studio since 2010. (It’s also where he recorded his Grammy-winning album, “God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise.”) The room also has a pair of wall-sized landscape paintings fully restored by specialists at Clark Art Institute.

369-bullitt-sheffield-great-room-orourke — . – Randy O’Rourke

369-bullitt-sheffield-great-room-shelves-orourke — . – Randy O’Rourke

“This house just flows,” Montgomery said. “When you go into that enormous great room, it doesn’t feel out of scale with the other rooms.”

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The home has two parlors, each with a fireplace of its own. A library, home to another fireplace, features cedar shelving. An English-style morning room is a dreamy space to have your coffee, while the bright dining room opens into an expansive country kitchen. There you’ll find custom cabinetry, Aga and Bertazzoni ranges, a copper farmhouse sink, and a spacious island with a maple countertop.

369-bullitt-sheffield-kitchen-orourke — . – Randy O’Rourke

Head upstairs to the second floor, home to the primary bedroom. A true oasis, it features a fireplace and an en-suite bath. There are three additional bedrooms on the second floor.

The property also features several outbuildings, including a three-story 19th-century barn that was lifted to put it on a new foundation. Now it allows for a 3,200-square-foot space that includes a garage that has a concrete floor with radiant heat, a two-story automobile lift bay, and a half bath. It features a cupola on top and the structure’s original weathervane.

369-bullitt-sheffield-barn-orourke — . – Randy O’Rourke

369-bullitt-sheffield-garage-orourke — . – Randy O’Rourke

A 1,900-square-foot post-and-beam carriage house, built in 2012, serves as a space that could easily function as an office or yoga studio. It features open rooms, a kitchenette, and a half bath.

369-bullitt-sheffield-dutch-door-orourke — . – Randy O’Rourke

A stone cottage built the same year boasts the same stunning beamed interior, as well as a fireplace.

369-bullitt-sheffield-stone-cottage-orourke — . – Randy O’Rourke

369-bullitt-sheffield-cottage-interior-orourke — . – Randy O’Rourke

A small 384-square-foot livestock barn sits next to a beautiful pasture for animals to graze.

“Everything they’ve done with respect to the historic structures, and even creating new structures, it’s just totally in keeping with the period and the history,” Montgomery said.

369-bullitt-sheffield-orourke — . – Randy O’Rourke

The home also features a security system that can be accessed via iPhone or computer and includes cameras covering the driveway, house, and outbuildings.

While LaMontagne and Sousa will be sad to see the property go, Montgomery said, they’ll be staying in New England.

Take the video tour. (Credit: NL Films)