Jim Nicoletti grew up in Somerset, Mass., and when he was a child, his family spent a lot of their summer down time on the beaches of Little Compton.

Even though Nicoletti’s career in commercial real estate took him north to Boston, his fondness for Little Compton led him to purchase a piece of land there a few years ago.

Nicoletti and his wife, Debra, planned to build a vacation home on the site for their family. But shortly before construction was set to begin, a Gothic Revival farmhouse at 179 Willow Ave in The Commons village center went on the market.

The 1878 house had just six rooms, but it was in perfect condition. The previous owners, Stephen and Nancy Skinner, had completely renovated the house, installing new heating, plumbing and septic systems, a new well and a new roof.

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Instead of going ahead with their construction project, the Nicolettis decided to buy the Willow Avenue property and sell their house lot. They purchased the house in 2004; Nicoletti said they have decided to sell now because they own another vacation home.

Nicoletti is the executive vice president and partner of CB Richard Ellis/New England in Boston. His wife has two careers; she is a licensed real estate agent and a nursery school teacher. Their primary residence is in Wellesley, Mass.

Since buying the house, the Nicolettis have made their own minor changes, including repainting, landscaping improvements, fixing a stone wall and installing a slate walkway.

Nicoletti said the Little Compton house will be sold “very close to completely as is,” including furniture, beds, sheets, towels, and dishes.

Only the artwork, a few personal items, and a light fixture in the kitchen would be excluded from the sale.

The distinctive exterior of the house is marked by a set of three gables, while the interior looks like a storybook cottage.

The house is decorated in classic cottage style, except for Nicoletti’s collection of framed posters of classic rock bands such as The Clash.

The downstairs is marked by two large rooms, a big country kitchen and a spacious living room.

The kitchen has two seating/dining areas: a work island with bar stools under a shining pot rack, and a huge farm-style kitchen table.

The deep country-style kitchen sink is under a window that looks out onto the backyard, which borders cornfields.

“There are some amazing sunsets out there,” Nicoletti said.

The living room is also roomy and has a stone fireplace. Nicoletti said a new chimney was built for the fireplace.

The downstairs bathroom has a large soaking bathtub. It has a tall vaulted ceiling and one wall is topped by a set of interior windows.

Upstairs are three bedrooms and another full bathroom. The upstairs bath has a large walk-in shower with a glass surround.

The property also includes a former barn that is used today as a carriage house with a full bathroom and a sleeping loft. The Nicolettis said the carriage house can sleep six, and it is has been used by their teenagers and their friends.

The carriage house has also been used recently as a game room, and it has plenty of storage space.

Near the barn/carriage house is an outside shower surrounded by a wood frame that has a little door at eye level that allows anyone inside to peep outside into the yard.

There is also a good-sized storage/garden shed in the backyard.

A stone wall separates the backyard from the bordering cornfield, and the house is just a short walk from The Commons village center.

The center includes the Town Hall and public library, the Commons Lunch restaurant and Wilbur’s — a general store, and a number of churches.

There is no municipal water, sewer or trash pickup service in Little Compton, and home buyers have to pay a one-time conservation tax.

If the house doesn’t sell during the winter or spring, Nicoletti said, they may install a small kitchen in the carriage house and rent out both the main house and the carriage house next summer.

The Nicolettis’ house at 179 Willow Ave. is on the market for $975,000. Annual property taxes are $2,382. For further information, contact listing agent Therese Holland, at the T.L. Holland Agency in Tiverton, (401) 624-8469 or (401) 265-3578.How to submit a House of the Week

A different House of the Week appears each Saturday in the projoHomes section of The Providence Journal. The feature tells the story of the house and the people who have lived in it. If you would like us to consider a house for sale as a subject of this news feature, send a photo, information about the house and why it is of interest, to Christine Dunn or Andy Smith,

75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902; fax (401) 277-8250; or e-mail pjhomes@projo.com.

For more information,

call Dunn: (401) 277-7913 or Smith: (401) 277-7262.

cdunn@projo.com