The Doll House

Like many historic houses that have seemingly managed to survive the decades unscathed, The Doll House actually had to suffer many years of abuse and neglect before being restored back to its original condition. The small farmhouse was built in 1920 on what was then still the outskirts of Plymouth, New Hampshire, a picturesque university town on the eastern side of the state’s White Mountains.

Years later, the house was turned into college-student housing, a fate usually reserved for houses so rundown that no one else would pay to live there. That may have been the case here, or it may be that everybody thought it was too tiny. Either way, the years spent as student housing didn’t help and the house fell into a terrible state of disrepair.

Fortunately two local residents were able to see the home’s sturdy bones and its potential. They began a painstaking nine-year restoration, doing all the work themselves other than new wiring and a new heating system. The original elements that were retained and restored include the century-old hardwood floors, all the exterior and interior doors, the staircase, its railing and other woodwork throughout the house.

The house is roughly 650 ft² (60 m²) with two bedrooms tucked upstairs. It also has a generous amount of outdoor living space with a full-length front porch, a smaller screened porch at the back, and landscaped outdoor rooms.

The Doll House is now available for vacation rentals. Visitors to central New Hampshire can book a stay through Airbnb.

Enjoy your weekend!

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Photographs by Susan Mathison and Steve Rand, courtesy of The Doll House.

Text copyright 2014 SmallHouseBliss. All Rights Reserved.