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Home of the Week: Lakefront cottage with dock in Western Mass. for $700k
This two-bedroom house boasts views of Ashmere Lake in Berkshire County.
$699,000
Style Cottage
Year built 1950
Square feet 1,080 (per town records)
Bedrooms 2
Baths 1 full
Sewer/Water Public/shared private well
Taxes $4,074 (2025)
Oceanfront. Downtown. Lakefront. These coveted real estate descriptors share an essential attribute: views. Views of the Atlantic, views of the Customs Tower and the harbor, and — with this house — views of Ashmere Lake in Berkshire County.
With a design that suggests an A-frame in ski country, this cottage on the banks of the 287-acre lake features lots of glass, a large deck, and a private dock, all of which provide, yes, great views of the natural surroundings.
The lake is frozen as this article is written, but put your thinking caps on and fast forward to summer. Think of riding a jet ski to a burbling stop or captaining a pontoon into making a soft bump against the wooden dock. The dock is large enough to act as a room itself: It presently holds a four-person table and a three-person couch, per the listing photos.
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Heading up a slight hill, the deck provides sheltered storage for kayaks and other water gear. On the right side of the house, a black stairwell connects to the rear deck, a second viewpoint that stretches the width of the home.
Turning toward the house, the view is of a full-height clear glass slider flanked by slabs of glass that are flanked by double-hung windows with muntins. Atop is a triangular clerestory window (also an echo of an A-frame).
Opening the sliders leads to the 187-square-foot living area with a vaulted black ceiling, a large black ceiling fan, white walls, and a set of double-hung windows on the left. The right exterior wall is occupied by the gas fireplace with a spot for a television above. The rear interior wall, which is covered by rustic planked siding, has two wide doorways with white trim leading deeper into the home.
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The doorways lead to the 175-square-foot den that continues using rustic planked siding on the interior wall, but the paint scheme shifts to a white ceiling and walls. There is a single doorway plus two window-sized pass-throughs guiding the transition into the shared kitchen/dining area.
In all, the shared space totals 374 square feet, and though it’s deep inside the house, it’s also awash with natural light from three skylights, windows on both exterior walls, and a windowed door. The dining area is defined by a deliberately archaic-looking fan with a metal frame and matte black finish.
The kitchen has 92 square feet to call its own and is U-shaped with Shaker-style white cabinets lining the walls, a sink underneath a window, and a visually distinct black central island. The countertop is granite, the backsplash is white subway tile, and the appliances are stainless steel, including the electric stove.
Access to the 41-square-foot full bath is from the kitchen side. It has a clear glass shower enclosure with a white subway tile backsplash. There is a single white vanity with a white quartz sink and black faucets. Above the vanity is a two-door medicine cabinet with glass windows. Adjacent is a double-hung window.
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The two bedrooms complete the house, and are “side-by-each,” as one might say. The primary, on the left, is just the teeniest bit larger — 104 square feet versus 102 square feet. Both have carpeted flooring, centrally located ceiling light/fans, and two double-hung windows. Both also have armoires standing in for closets.
Hinsdale does allow short term rentals but requires the owner to register with the town under a recently passed bylaw.
Heat is by electric and propane, and there is ductless air conditioning installed.
Lisa Thomson-Kelley of MacCaro Real Estate in Lee has the listing.
John R. Ellement can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @JREbosglobe. Send listings to: [email protected]. Please note: We may not respond to submissions we won’t pursue. Subscribe to our newsletter at Boston.com/address-newsletter.
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