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Welcome to Country Carpenters

The leader in Post & Beam construction since 1974!

From humble beginnings in Bolton, Connecticut and with a passionate desire to preserve the cultural and structural integrity that our New England ancestors adhered to, Roger Barrett Sr. established Country Carpenters in 1974 along with his wife Lois and a team of dedicated, skilled crafstmen.

Although fifty years and three generations have come to pass, our mission and philosophy at Country Carpenters remains the same. Since our first building went up in 1974, we have been helping loyal customers across the country fulfill their dreams of owning beautiful, period style homes and post and beam buildings through the success of our unique building kits.

Join the leader in Post & Beam construction. Country Carpenters features:

– 50 Years of Experience

– Building Kits Delivered to over 40 states and over 4 countries

– Over 4,000 building kits shipped

– Three generations of master craftsmen

 

 

In the News

Not only do our customers love the quality craftsmanship, but we have also been recognized by numerous national media organizations including the New York Times and This Old House. Country Carpenters was featured on an episode of This Old House in Season 40, Episode 7.

The 5 Step Country Carpenters Process  

Our Client Advisors are here to work with you through every step of the process so you can make your barn dream a reality!
Step 1: Design Your Vision
Our Client Advisors will provide you with a preliminary drawing package to help customize your building. After finalizing your design, you will receive a quote and 3D representation of your building, upon request.

Step 2: Preconstruction

Once your contract is signed and a deposit is made, you will receive engineered plans to submit to your town for permit approval. After the permit approval process, it’s time to break ground. Foundation work must be completed by the homeowner in preparation for the delivery.

Step 3: Manufacture 

Rather than using computerized machines, we prefer a hands-on approach: each part of our custom building kits are handcrafted by our experienced craftsmen, giving you the personal and traditional touch that defines our unique post & beam building style.

Step 4: Delivery

Once your customized building package is completed, it’s time for delivery. Along with your delivery you will receive color coded plans, construction diagrams and a full support package to assist in kit assembly. Standard and premium delivery options are available.

Step 5: You Build/We Build

Kit assembly can be handled on your own, with a licensed contractor, or (for local customers) by our experienced crew of carpenters. Kit packages include live technical support to assist during the process. Once the build is done, it’s time to sit back and enjoy your barn!

The Benefits of Working with Country Carpenters


As a respected member of the building community since 1974, we pride ourselves in our unmatched quality of work and superior customer satisfaction.

Enjoy the benefits of working with the Country Carpenters team including:

– Engineered plans and materials are provided

– East of Construction including easy to follow insturctions that are color coded to match the plans

– Predictable building costs. We can supply you with estimated hours based on previous projects and safe estimates of what to charge.

– Technical support is included with every kit purchase. Speak with a real human Monday through Friday from 8am-4pm ET.

 

 

HAVE QUESTIONS?

We’ve Got Answers

DO YOUR BUILDING KITS REQUIRE FOUNDATIONS?

Our kits start with a pressure treated sill designed to set on a concrete foundation. We provide complete foundation plans for your contractor to work from. These plans will show either concrete piers (sono tubes) or a continuous concrete frost wall. The large majority of our customers build on the continuous wall, where piers are more often used in our smaller buildings.

WILL I NEED A BUILDING PERMIT?

All projects of this type require approval from your local building and zoning department. Country Carpenters supplies complete detailed plans with an engineers seal* for you to obtain your building permits.

*Excluding smaller buildings series

CAN I CONSTRUCT ONE OF YOUR BUILDING KITS WITH LIMITED CARPENTRY SKILLS?

Difficulty levels vary with each of our models depending on size, height, design complexity and other factors. Our building kits are designed for assembly by a professional carpenter however, many of our customers have managed construction on their own. Included with your kit are color-coded plans and step-by-step construction diagrams. It is important to be familiar with using power tools and you should have a certain level of comfort on a job site.

CAN YOU RECOMMEND A CONTRACTOR IN MY AREA?

Having shipped to the majority of the United States, we have contractor recommendations that we may be able to offer you, depending on your location. If you would prefer to go with a local contractor, it is not critical that they have worked with one of our kits nor that they have experience with post & beam construction.

WHAT IS YOUR AREA OF DELIVERY?

We personally deliver our building kits throughout New England. Outside of our delivery area we use a local trucking company for delivery anywhere in the country. They transport on flatbed tractor trailers and the material is set-up for you to off load with a fork lift. We also ship internationally, so please feel free to contact us for a delivery quote.

DO YOU DO ANY CUSTOM DESIGNS?

We offer a wide variety of New England-style buildings from a catalog of standard models. Although we do not do custom work, we do encourage you to contact us with your building ideas. Our numerous options include lean-tos, dormers, different window treatments and a variety of doors including a facing package for electric overhead doors. To help you design your building we have developed a “Preliminary Plan Package”, which contains blank elevations of a specific model and symbols of windows and doors for you to cut and paste.

DO YOUR PLANS SHOW UTILITIES SUCH AS ELECTRICAL OR PLUMBING?

As we sell post & beam outbuildings, our plans do not show utilities. Most of our customers seem to add simple electrical as a minimum.

What is not included in your building kits?

Our building kits do not include the foundation or the cost of any foundation or site work required. They also do not include roofing material or fasteners (excluding 12D, 16D and 40D nails for framing which are included with each kit). Building kits do not include any interior layout, electrical, or plumbing

WHAT IF I WANT TO INSULATE MY BUILDING?

For Kit customers we provide an insulation package which includes a second layer of siding to complete the insulating process with the help of our insulation instructions. The insulation itself and the 2×4’s needed to complete the process are not included. For local, Built by Us customers we will provide all the necessary materials and complete the insulation process for you.*

*Due to recent changes with the IRC insulation requirements we recommend that you check with your building official for your local requirements. 

DO YOU OFFER BARN HOMES?

While we do not offer a “Barn Home” kit currently, many of our barn kits could serve that purpose with some added elements. With the help of a general contractor, architect, or engineer, it is more than possible to take your Post & Beam Barns by Country Carpenter’s barn kit to the next level and convert it into the Barn Home of your dreams. Many of our clients have done so with outside support. We simply don’t support or offer build services for that aspect of your project.

Experience the Craftsmanship: Watch the Time-Lapse of Our Country Cabin Build 

Witness the artistry and precision of our team as they bring the Country Cabin model to life in this stunning time-lapse video. Filmed on site at Country Carpenter’s Inc Post and Beam, located at 326 Gilead St in Hebron, CT, this video captures every step of the construction process.