Old Man House, that is what I have called you. I bought you a year ago, and I have called you stubborn and hard, because you are! But, I have loved you, because you are 92 years old, and beautifully built, a craftsman style bungalow like I always wanted and you needed my help for all the awful neglect and abuse you had suffered by ignorant people in the past. I have given you my blood sweat and tears... just this morning... and all during the past year, more than I can give you money, but I wish that you would be a little less difficult so that this process doesn't kill me and bankrupt me before I am able to enjoy living here. I wish that you knew how much I care for you, how I gave all I had to buy you,and I loved you at first sight. For God's sake, quit giving me new problems! Your plaster is cracking and you pipes are leaking, ! I bought you new windows, and gave you a new sprinkler system. I rescued the lost cat on your old garden wall. I ran off all the rats and cockroaches, and uncovered your treasures. I surrounded you with living plants and already the town stops on their way past to see how beautiful you have become. Now, just stop giving me a hard time and try to understand when I need to drill a hole in your plaster walls ,that it is for your own good!

Brenda, stay on Houzz and we will cheer you up!

House, I am so sorry that the previous owners did not take pride in you. I have so many ideas to enhance your beauty. I am so grateful to be your new owner.

I would have two things to say. First, to quote Dorothy Parker's epithet: Excuse my dust. Second, I am so glad I got to experience you for the last 3 years. I have always wanted to live in a house built in the 1700's. You have made me very happy. But now I know I can't afford to keep you in the exquisite shape that you are in, so I must turn you over to someone who will love you and care for you. You will always be the house love of my life.

looks peaceful simplitic and restful, dream on!!

Visitors say I am so LUCKY to live here but my friend says I was very diligent in the years prior to finding my current project/home by the Bay and she is right ! Each time I came to see this home it was hard for me to head for the door to leave I felt it pulling me in and I am so happy it did:) Cozy nest in the sky with a forever view of the birds that fly right by the 7 huge windows and of course the beautiful Morro Bay Rock and 7 Sisters mountain

views !! Cheers pretty house of mine I know you feel better with all the changes and you look so much better without the green shag carpet !! Second photo the ocean is right out those windows

thank you for showing up at exactly the right time. you know I needed you. thank you for doing your job so well with little or no assistance. that's why I keep you looking cute!

Grow some legs, let's move

So sorry that we choose this contractor to build you! We know that after 6 months you should have been a finished beauty but that stupid contractor didn't understand and left you all alone for almost three months. But don't worry, we have kicked his butt out and going to make you beautiful ourselves! With all the TLC and hard work you will become the most beautiful house in the whole wide world. Be patience because during the day we have to work too but in the end you will loved, cherished and appreciated much more by your two owners and their five cats. Hang in there, we are in this together!

Dear House:

We loved you when you were almost hidden from sight and dingy, and we have together seen you blossom and shine and become the almost 170-year old beauty you are meant to be. with love your mistress

Tell me what's living in your ceiling, how it got in and how to get rid of it, please.

judyrud: get several quotes! I've heard extreme price ranges - from $150 to $1,800, to seal some cracks or set a trap or two if necessary! Good luck with it!

Thank you for restoring and saving...this small 1870's farmhouse has come back to life! Now, move on and find that small mod ranch to re-design, and allow another family to enjoy me!!! (Maybe wait a bit for the grandkids to enjoy the lakefront grounds....then move on.....)

Hold on sweet house! We're coming! And you'll be filled with running little feet of babies and dogs and so much happiness and love! And we'll fix that kitchen so everybody can see the gem we see.

judyrud, in mine it was a mama raccoon and her family... behind the bathtub, which she got to through the attic! The roofer was surprised when pulling off old shingles to be greeted by a very grumpy critter. Fortunately the young'uns had moved out and she did the same.

I loved you from the moment I stepped through the front door five years ago! I thank God for you. Thank you for being a peaceful haven. Thank you for being a home. Thank you for allowing me to live in you!!

I love you! You are perfect for me and make me feel so safe and serene.

To my house on Walnut. I loved you from the moment I stepped into the bedroom saw the little table built in next to the window where a lady could have her coffee and watch the sun come up. Then I walked out to the back yard and there was a dog house with a cement floor and a drain so the dog could be comfortable and dry in the rain. Whoever built this house cared about his wife and his dog. On the front porch was a name drawn into the concrete and the date 1903. I could feel the love in your walls like peeling plaster.. The love of a family for each other and for you. You were only a block away from the place where the "rich people" lived and I'm sure that some of the furnishings and decor came from the homes of those ancient rich people.I learned that the man who built you did so as a wedding present to his wife. They lived together for many years along with kids, inlaws, boarders, dogs and cats. Now the rats have stripped away your wiring and eaten your insulation. Your kitchen floor sags from water damage that went on neglected for years. You sit, an abandon house, on a block of abandon houses. We can make you beautiful again, but it will take both time and money. Please have patience. This was a place of love, and we want to put the love back into as another family and another generation seeks your sheltering walls. .

When I birthed and built you and named you Chateau Beatrice 11 years ago, you were (and still is) my dream come true. I have built life around and within you with love, beautiful flowers, trees, herbs. You have welcomed many birds, bees and butterflies...and those darn squirrels too. You have given me all that my heart could possibly desire in the material world... and natural world too. We have grown together and I love coming home to you. I will always care for you because you have kept me safe and warm. I hope we have many more years together.Thank Chateau B... I love you!

You have sheltered me through the growing years, you now are rented to help pay for my needs and my wants, I day dream of finding a new love to someday move back in and caress you once again with dust cloth and broom. But until that day, thank you for providing for me.

I've enjoyed reading the comments as much as any good book.

You all have given me a good cry this morning. Glad to hear i'm not the only one who gets fuzzy and weepy when thinking of talking about their house. My house was my divorce house, am leaving it now after 14 years of raising my three kids here after leaving my ex. It has been a parent to me, safe and constant. But too big for just me and the animals now, and too full of memories of the kids now gone. Thank you all for your comments! I look forward to loving my new little old lady house this coming year and hope a happy family finds this one.

Your great but keep your maintenance to yourself.

During that summer 16 years ago when we drove 200 miles each way in a car with broken A/C to look at so many houses, we walked in your back door and both just knew instantly that you were the one for us. It was a magical moment, one of the few that happens in life, if you're lucky. Mike and I looked at each other and saw a twinkle in each other's eyes that said, "I love it; do you?" Yes, YES!

We made the realtor take the sign down, and shooed off the couple driving up for the open house. We were in love and ready to fight for you, our 1893 farmhouse in the city. We bought you and have loved you every day since.

Your 13 porch windows and kitchen gas fireplace give us comfort and your plaster walls are so thick and sure, it's as if they go down to the mantel of the earth. Your stone foundation holds up a home that shelters 7 animals and two humans, giving us room to be alone and to be together. We can't thank you enough for all you have given to us and generations to come. We love you! Diana and Mike

I LOVE you!

I've always joked that Calista, the House, sighed when I moved in. My husband bought her over 10 years ago and she hosted many an "after" party! So, with that in mind..."Dear Jennie, thank you so much for returning family to my almost 100 year old bones. You are taking the mess that I had become after so many previous owners' bad renovations and are making me a home, again. Don't mind the light industrial neighbors; they make it so the hood is quiet on the weekends! Love, Calista."

I Love YOu

You are my precious space. Thank you for embracing me. I will try to be a good steward. When I make changes, give me the correct inspiration to keep your personality so charming.

After a year, Charlie found you. You have good bones. The previous family said YOU chose US because you have always had children. The perfect house for hide and seek, birthday and kitchen parties, loud music and spicy food. In this age, people rarely die at home, but Charlie loved you so, and you made it possible. Now I am alone, but I am not ready to leave yet. The right family with 2 children hasn't appeared, and I hope for grandchildren to discover your many alcoves.

Below, moving in. Above, kitchen party - one of many.

I love you but please keep your rooms clean. 8-)

These stories are wonderful. Thank you to all who wrote and shared their love, trials, humor, and memories. How comforting on a chilly rainy morning.

What would I say to my house? Thank you for being the home we will grow old in. Like an old man choosing a too-young bride, we made a big mistake choosing our previous home because it was flashy and smart and impressive and in the right neighborhood. But after nine years, we admitted defeat. The neighborhood was too young for us. We could not handle the stairs. We could not handle the tiny yard surrounded by three other tiny yards full of screaming kids on trampolines and barking dogs and every-weekend late night pool parties.

But while we were living there, another couple, older than us, built you as their final sanctuary, and having moved on, sold it to us, and we love, love, love you. We love your generous closets, your sensible one-level floors, and your tiny covered back porch. We love your big back yard full of four-story tall pine trees, that allows us to gaze out of your tall back windows and fantasize that we live in a forest, instead of a few blocks from Wal-Mart and the freeway. I love your big roomy kitchen with a zillion cabinets and tons of counter space, beckoning me to come try a new recipe, and my husband loves your huge garage with so much wonderful storage and work space. We love your peaceful, much quieter neighborhood where I can read a book or go to bed early without inserting ear plugs. We loved your lower price, so we could outfit you with fresh paint and clean soft carpet before moving in. And we love being just 10 minutes from our oldest friends.

Hugs and love to everyone who is still endlessly looking for the home that they walk into and breathe a sigh of relief when the price and the dreams finally mesh, and blessings to those who, like us, already have.

Dear House, thank you for wrapping your loving arms around me, through thick and thin. Please be patient with me. I'm doing my best....really!

"Make someone happy, just one someone happy..." To the 3 level townhouse in Timonium - you were my first, so of course I will never forget u - how u made me feel blessed beyond my expectations! U accommodated my family & friends in warmth by the fireplace, & with ur special beauty. U were absolutely interior designed, custom dressed 2 the hilt. And then u provided my husband the land 2 grow his flower terraces above the flagstone he so enjoyed laying out. Afterwards, 2 the house in Luis Del. O my, u were special also. We gave.u outdoor stately pillar columns, double entrance doors, added ur enclosed pitched roof ceiling...& u, yes u were the only one who was actually 5 min. from the beach. Our 4 ever memory is from one Christmas. At night, in the totally glass enclosed patio we had designed 4 u, we centered our Christmas pine w/ 20 Yr old decorated ornaments (collected before we were married ). AND THEN WOW! The lighted tree reflected off the glass panels & we had an outdoor winter land of splendor in the back yard. Trees beautiful creation, as well.as God's plan 2 threw in migrating geese, a pair of owls & some morning doves and then some humingbirds. U gave, I still love u gal. After this 2 our home in the mountains of Cayey, truly tropical ( my husband -retired) loved 2 brag about u. Then back 2 Maryland, I would say 2 our 2b, always know that ur windows reflect how classic ur on the inside of those encircling white Plantation Shutters. Thankyou for dressing u up like a Southern Bell. You sold in.3 days & my heart broke 4 a lot longer.. Total 7 relocations. I left a piece of my heart, my love, the dreams in each of u. Thank u. We r perm. Retired in . Albuquerque. Could anyone believe this gal from originally NYC? To my present Stucco. ..home. I love u. U will b.my last. As the others, u have ur special, special beauty! I loved 2 dress all of u in ur special built figures, u r & always have &.will, I am sure, "Make some happy..." Hey, a 19th century Victorian? ?? Wouldn't u be special?

Dear House, We picked your beautiful lot with lake and golf course views, designed you, built you and love you still...BUT it's time for us to downsize, so your last act of kindness to us would be to find yourself new people to love you as much as we have...SOON PLEASE! More photos

You, my love, were meant to be a stepping stone to a bigger and better home...a fixer - upper we would sell for profit to move on to better things. Instead, you became all that we needed. You don't look at all like you did on the first day we saw you... you were going to be condemned and we had to approach council and follow strict guidelines to be allowed to occupy you. We made a lot of changes and improvements. We thought we saved you, but I think you saved us! We have raised our 4 boys here and now, after 32 years, our grandchildren gather here. Everyone feels at home and loved inside you. I believe houses have an energy, a soul, and yours is pure, protective and loving. I am so grateful that we found you. You are, without a doubt, the true essence, the embodiment of "home."

How did I miss this article made for sharing? I love these comments and have been brought to tears....

Dear house:

When we 1st saw you, we asked, why isn't that house for sale? When we found out we could buy you, we wrote an offer that day, even though you had been abandoned and in probate and alive with only rats, snakes and squirrels for many, many months..... Your siting, neighborhood and views are priceless.

So we were able to make you our own and change you after many battles and trials into a Poquito Hacienda. (see JUBOKA Ltd) Just recently we have enclosed you inside a 1/2 acre fence, which in parts is stupendous.

Every night when I cuddle up inside you, I feel so protected, and amazed to have been able to land here on your patch of earth, and to make you into our

unique home.

We promise to continue giving you the specialest new effects, like an outdoor kitchen pavillion and Tiny Tiki Trailer zone. We look forward to a future of sharing and enjoying

you for a long, long time.

I would say insulate they self and save us $100's every heating season.

Quit making those creepy noises!

You are my first house, a house that I never thought I'd get! I'm thankful for you making me feel at home...I'll be with you until its time to move on to the afterlife!

In September of this year, I gently patted the door frame of our beloved little house and whispered, "Thank you for sheltering us so patiently for so many years, and keeping us safe and protected as long you could." Then we ran out the door with our pets in our arms and jumped into our cars. We drove, terrified, through the hungry walls of flame of a California wildfire to comparative safety. In just a few minutes, our home of 25+ years, filled with a lifetime of personal treasures, was nothing more than memory and ashes.

We have moved on - to another state and another home. We are slowly rebuilding our lives. But I will always be grateful I was able to take a fleeting moment to say "Thank you" to the little house we built and loved.

When I see you as I come home, I feel so good already, it still amazes me. I have always loved you, and always will. It is not only how you look, or how you look from someone else's view either, that is important to me, no, that is not why I enjoy dressing you up and planting beautiful flowers in your gardens, or putting lights around your porches and fences, although I do love to create beauty and have friends enjoy it as well....it is rather your energy that first drew me to you, and that is still here now- it is within the earth here, your stories and what the land you were first built upon, has seen for hundreds and thousands of years I sense, as surely you do, too.....it really is like magic~ and to think that we found you one day, when driving around the county, I myself did not even really know which county line we had crossed when there you were~ on a hilltop, with cedar trees lining the tall cedars, along your dirt and gravel drive as I had always imagined my ideal home looking...in a sort of mist, like a photo or a scene in a movie. I saw the fences lining the fields, "paddocks for horses", Jim said, "and they are the proper, best sort of fences for horses. I have been out this way before but never have seen a For Sale sign".

Everything was ideal. I knew that this would be our home. You appeared as an old Irish cottage, precious and ancient beyond your actual years~ there was something with your low sloping roof-line that hung just so, over the porch, and the color and feel of nature surrounding you. I thank God for that day, and for our lives intertwined. It is like a relationship we have, respect for you and love and hope. You have sheltered us from storms, snow and ice that lasted weeks, a hurricane mid-state, tornadoes, and barely were you or anything touched...lightening has struck our land around you several times . I have heard it happens here often, and was told it was actually seen as it danced around the yard once, electricity moving faster than could be described.

You witnessed, then held us close and safe as we wept when the ancient oak tree that sheltered us, was split straight down the middle by a bolt of lightning when we were away, and there was nothing you could do...only a limb hit you, breaking a window, and otherwise you were fine.

If houses can have protective Angels as humans do, then you surely have a very strong one or two. I hope that I have honored you, that I may adorn you and continue to work on you like a fine work of art that is always perfect as it is, and still never finished. You will always be protected. It is clearly God's will.

All I ever wanted was a 'permanent' home and after being dragged around the world, living in many places, we found you, fixed your separated walls, leaky windows and roof and flooding yard and have lived here for ten years - the longest ever in one place, after 13 moves and 32 years of marriage! I love sitting on your patio over looking your lovely green grass to the water enjoying the ducks, birds, turtles and alligators. I really hate having to tell you this but, once we have finished your master bath remodel, we will be selling you and moving once again. It was nothing that you did; but it's for our own good. I will sorely miss you, your soothing views and the monstrous effort you made to keep us in good shape by providing years of fix up projects. My wish is that your new owners build as many wonderful memories as we did while living in you. You made my dream come true.

I look forward to moving into you and sharing you with family and friends. As we go through the final stages and you get your finishing touches know that you are our dream home. We have chosen everything about you from the lot you sit on with the creek in back, your floor plan and every detail to make you our forever home. You re not the first but you will be the last. You were built as a place where we could spend our retirement years but also house family celebrations. You will be a place of refuge.

p. s. to our farmhouse- your fence in front lit for the first time in 23 years <3

It was love at first sight, even though my husband at the time said we could fix you up and sell. You have seen me through babies and divorce, joy and sorrows. You have grown to become ready for a time that I may not be able to climb the stairs, for I intend to grow old here. Your age inspires me. Your energy keeps me warm. I loved you then, and I always will. Thank you.

I'm sorry I am always pointing out your faults!

Thanks for being welcoming and safe for my family and friends (oh, and the dog and cat too!)

Prepare thyself to be torn down and replaced with a McMansion when we sell!

Although a house is just 4 walls, you are an amazing 4 walls!! You are part of the reason I have not insisted on our final move to Florida. I love your rooms and I love the way you make me feel!!! I am sorry I have filled you to the rafters with stuff and I am working on it!!

Thank you for being an awesome place to live.