The Ones That Got Away -- 3 or more houses we didn't buy!

This is the house we bought last year:

That Old House

But when we were house hunting -- a process that took more than two years -- we looked at a lot of houses. We liked many of them, but fell in love with three, and even had a contract on one. So on this Three Or More Tuesday, hosted by Tam at The Gypsy's Corner, join me on a tour of the three houses that got away! Click here for more 3 Or More posts!

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My first love was a house right in our former town:

It is the oldest house in the area -- the original part (way on the right, you can just make out the roofline in this picture) is from the early 1700s, the newer part dates from well before the Revolution. It is so beautiful it hurts. It was built by a farmer who also operated the local tavern and inn, also still standing, and now our dentist's office.

Not a huge house, but a perfectly preserved time capsule, never abused, never "modernized" -- a simple gem, and sometimes it pops into one of my dreams (is it sad that I dream about houses?). This might be the only house I would leave That Old House for.

Next house -- a converted cider mill.
Begun in 1809, the Bryant Cider Mill was expanded in the 1860s:

Well, OK, the cider was that kind of cider; the place was a distillery.
Cleans up nice, doesn't it?

In 1938, it was converted into a gracious and beautiful home -- incorporating the perfect traditional workmanship of the 30s with the atmosphere of a very old structure. All on nearly 5 acres, with outbuildings, and even a little spring with a tiny bridge.

The front is to the right of this picture, below, around on the side of the house ... but you can't see it without trespassing, and I love my blog, but not that much.

We stepped foot on that property, and were enchanted. We looked at it the 2nd day it was on the market, and by that evening, there was a contract on it. Sadly, not ours.

I comfort myself that it was too small for us. But, oh my ... it was just a perfect jewel of a house.

Here's a picture of one part of the kitchen:

There was also a resident peacock. But, it wasn't meant to be.

Then, this house, ca. 1897, that we came within 5 days of owning:

Not a great beauty on the outside, but oh my -- I had plans for this baby.

On this side of the house, I planned on putting a sunroom where the deck now is,
and going up to expand the second floor master bedroom:

The master bath didn't need any help at all --- big whirlpool tub and
separate shower and Howard's favorite feature -- heated floors:

And the kitchen? Maybe not what I would have chosen, but it was gorgeous.
Here's just part of it; there was another wall of cabinets and countertop:

A very large living room, with a rock fireplace, like our old house also had:

And a dining room already painted red!

I have more pictures of this house, but I will exercise restraint. I really loved it, and had mentally decorated and expanded it, landscaped it, and it was in the most beautiful neighborhood. . . but five days before closing on both the sale of our house and the purchase of this one, it all fell apart.

It was to be a year before we bought That Old House,
but clearly, this is where we are meant to be:

When I pull into our driveway, behind the house, and head for the old stone steps,
I fall in love all over again.

(I had to crop the picture, because my handbag and packages from the grocery store were on the grass and in the shot. Please excuse the rear yard chaos; the girls and I have good intentions of tidying and planting today!)

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We will stay in That Old House; it suits us and it keeps us busy!

Unless that fieldstone pre-Revolutionary cape comes back on the market. . . .

Question:

Are there houses you still think about, dream about, wish you had bought? I could never live long enough to own (or afford) all the houses I would love to live in and decorate!

I'm a house junkie, and I'm afraid there ain't no cure.

Enjoy your Tuesday! My girls are just rolling out of bed, and we'll be heading out to the garden to bring some order out of the post-winter chaos. If I'd have known children could grow up to be so useful, I'd have had more of them! -- Cass