House Hunting Viewing 2

I'll start this one off by saying I was really excited for this place, and only fell in love with it more after touring it in person, but after a whirlwind offer process the day after the tour I've already received word that my offer was not accepted. The hunt continues, but that won't stop me from sharing my thoughts on this place.

I should also point out that the listing for this property did not include a floor plan, so what's shown here is my best guess from combing through the available photos and touring without a measuring tape.

Built some time in the 1850s it's definitely a quirky house. It has character. Starting with the front door that sends you immediately to the stairs.

In this photo, the photographer is standing with their back up against the door, probably. The foot of the stairs leaves just enough space for the door to swing in. Closing the door allows access to the short hallway to the coat closet.

The entry hall doesn't feel too crowded, however, as the left side opens up into the dining room. This picture looks toward the front of the house, the front door visible through the doorway on the left.

Plentiful windows on this side of the house provide a generous amount of light and make the space feel open and inviting.

From the entryway, looking through the dining room, we can see the wood stove in the living room.

The living room is almost the definition of cozy. The space in front of the stove functions as a pass through between the kitchen and the dining room.

The door on the right, behind the TV, leads to the unfinished basement. From this viewpoint we can see two of the few windows that look out across the narrow gap to the neighboring house.

The spacious kitchen has a decent amount of counter space and I was looking forward to the prep area next to the gas stove.

I'm also a big fan of the pantry behind the curtain.

The window next to the fridge looks into the sunroom (almost certainly a porch that was later enclosed during a remodel)

The pantry provides a ton of storage space, including more wall-mounted wire shelves behind the photographer in this picture.

The green door leads outside. Just out of frame on the left is a door into the kitchen. The window on the right is the one next to the fridge.

The windows behind the bench look out onto another addition: the laundry room / bar room. The shaded windows have a spectacular view of the neighboring house's wall.

This unique feature is what really drew me to the house, I think.

It's a dry bar, no plumbing I saw other than for the stacked washer and dryer (just off frame right in both pictures)

The door under the red "Offense!" sign leads to the backyard.

I'm not a huge drinker, and I'm not sure how often I'd invite people over to hang out in this space and watch TV & drink, but it would be a pretty good space for Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator

Back behind the bar is the storage shed, a place for tools, lawn mower, and other items that either need to be outside for convenience or are too onerous to bring up to the attic storage space.

Before we head upstairs, let's make a quick detour to the basement. There's really nothing much to see. It's unfinished, low ceilings (I had to duck to avoid hitting my head on the floor joists above)

Storage for a few things, but mostly the basement is where the water heater and furnace / forced air system live. No central air, but it wouldn't be too difficult or expensive to install, since the ductwork is already there.

Heading upstairs from the front door we have a lovely little nook acting as the nexus between the two bedroms, bathroom, and hallway leading to the walk-up attic.

The main feature here is the bookcase built in to the wall on the left.

The master bedroom is nicely roomy, and has windows on the two walls that do not look at the neighboring house. Plenty of space for a large bed and a good amount of closet space.

The white walls and carpet combine with the large windows to make the second bedroom make it feel very bright and open despite its small-ish size.

Until the walk through I didn't realize this was a twin-size bed.

Both bedrooms do have closets, I just didn't bother to put them in my floorplan and they aren't in any of the pictures.

The bathroom feels tiny from the pictures, and isn't a lot better in person. It's not the smallest bathroom I've seen though, and doesn't really take up more space than it needs to be functional.

Throughout the photo tour I referenced the windows that look directly on the neighbor. In this picture and the first one at the top of this post you can get an idea of how close the two houses are.

I would have loved to live in this house, even with the close neighbor, I wouldn't have a shared wall with anyone, and after years of apartment living I'm looking forward to not having to hear anyone loudly watching TV, arguing, or possibly doing jumping jacks above me.

As much as this house has going for it, it also has several drawbacks. Less than idea layouts (mostly the stairs creating some awkward spaces) and no garage or air conditioning.

I'm sad my offer wasn't accepted, but I'm not heartbroken.