Just Listed: Timber-Frame Farmhouse in Pipersville

Want a rustic home but don’t want to give up modern creature comforts? Then you want this timber-framed house at 176 Smithtown Rd., Pipersville, Pa. 18947 | Bright MLS images via BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors

Suburbia is slowly creeping outward across the outer reaches of Philadelphia’s collar counties as subdivisions continue to sprout on former farmland, often to the neighbors’ consternation.

And Bucks County in particular is getting it from three sides. Philly’s suburban belt continues to expand into Central Bucks, where New Yorkers in search of reasonably-priced estates are also settling. Meanwhile, Bucks County’s northernmost tier, where addresses end in ZIP codes beginning with 180, lies in the path of the Lehigh Valley’s two biggest cities, Allentown and Bethlehem.

But Bucks County is big enough that you can still find plenty of rustic splendor in it, especially in the townships that lie along the Delaware upstream from New Hope. Tinicum Township, where this timber-frame Pipersville house for sale is located, is one of those townships.

Not yet five years old, this timber-framed house still looks brand-new. And while that timber framing gives it a rustic look, this house is totally modern and designed to save you money running it.

Clerestory roof over stairs

One of the secrets to its energy savings is the monitor roof in its center. This cupola perched over the staircase contains a ceiling fan that can draw air in through the windows and circulate it throughout the house, helping cool it in the summer.

Another sits in its unfinished basement: a large wood-burning stove capable of heating the whole house. If you’d rather not release all that stored carbon into the atmosphere, however, this house does have radiant-heat floors throughout. (Just remember to choose your electricity supplier wisely.)

Main floor, view from living room

Foyer and family room

Living room

Dining room

The reason both of these features work is because the house has a very open and airy design. The main floor is basically a single open space, interrupted only by the central stairs and a three-sided fireplace in the island separating the living and dining rooms.

Kitchen and dining room

Kitchen

The kitchen likewise combines the rustic look with eco-consciousness. Check out the live-edge oak shelves and the induction cooktop on the concrete-topped island. (A full bath sits next to the pantry area in the alcove next to the fridge in the photo above.)

Bedroom

The upstairs bedrooms all have walls that stop short of the ceiling support beams, allowing air to flow in through the clerestory roof. The master has dual walk-in closets and a nicely appointed master bath.

This timber-frame Pipersville house for sale sits on a 6.15-acre lot that you could conceivably farm, as it has outbuildings capable of storing farm equipment. However, if farming’s not your thing, the largest of them — the 35-foot-by-35-foot pole barn — could be converted to a place to store your visiting guests or a studio: It has its own electric and water service, and it’s plumbed for radiant heat and has a septic tank large enough to handle the waste from a four-bedroom house.

Here in the hills away from the Delaware, you can still enjoy real country living while enjoying access to lots of recreation at several nearby parks, including High Rocks State Park and Tohickon Valley County Park. And if you need a dose of urbane pizzazz every so often, just head over to River Road and head into New Hope, or Lumberville if you want something quieter.

THE FINE PRINT

BEDS: 3

BATHS: 3

SQUARE FEET: 2,666

SALE PRICE: $585,000

176 Smithtown Rd., Pipersville, Pa. 18947 [Frances McNinch | BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors]