The House
Lovely renovated four bedroom french house for sale in France. Located in the stunning Lot countryside close to St Cere and the Dordogne Valley with income opportunity. Currently running as a successful bed and breakfast business. Here is a guided tour.
Ground Floor
The ground floor entrance takes you into a tiled hallway with two large storage cupboards and a doorway to a useful walk-in understairs store that we currently use for tinned and bottled foodstuffs.
Either side of the entrance are two large caves (caves are basically "above ground basements"). One side has a concrete and stone floor and is used as a garage for our car and sit-on lawnmower and also contains the hot water boiler. There is ample extra room for use as a workshop. The other side is used as a storage area and currently has a stone and earth floor and makes an excellent store for wine. We have added insulation to the roof of this cave to ensure minimum heat loss from the rooms above.
Either side of the entrance are two large caves (caves are basically "above ground basements"). One side has a concrete and stone floor and is used as a garage for our car and sit-on lawnmower and also contains the hot water boiler. There is ample extra room for use as a workshop. The other side is used as a storage area and currently has a stone and earth floor and makes an excellent store for wine. We have added insulation to the roof of this cave to ensure minimum heat loss from the rooms above.
First Floor
A lovely tiled stairway leads from the downstairs hallway to an upper hallway with double french doors out to the back of the property and garden. The following rooms are located on this level.
Kitchen
With a range of modern wall and floor units this is where Alex prepares all the wonderful meals that our guests enjoy. Included in the price is a modern (about 6 years old) double oven cooker with a five gas ring hob and electric fan ovens.
Lounge
The comfortable lounge with wooden parquet floors and original exposed beamed ceiling has lovely views across the surrounding hills and countryside. A feature is the original "inglenook" fireplace containing a recently installed and very efficient wood burner, perfect for those winter evenings. Wood is in ample supply around here and a good inexpensive way of heating the main parts of the house.
Dining Room
With double aspect windows looking out across the countryside and the garden, this room also has the original wooden floor and exposed beams.
Bedroom 3
With its own modern ensuite bathroom (shower/washbasin/wc) this room enjoys far reaching views to the front of the property.
Bedroom 4
Again this bedroom has its own ensuite bathroom as above and has two large windows looking out onto the side garden. The room is lovely and light and benefits from the first early morning rays of sunshine.
Bathroom/Utility room
The only room that has not been refurbished yet. One of the projects on the list, the room contains a wc, double handbasin, bidet and bath, in need of updating. We currently house the dishwasher here as it is close to the dining room. The room could be updated to provide an extra bathroom or converted to a study. One other alternative is to remove the walls and fittings completely and incorporate the additional area within the lounge.
Kitchen
With a range of modern wall and floor units this is where Alex prepares all the wonderful meals that our guests enjoy. Included in the price is a modern (about 6 years old) double oven cooker with a five gas ring hob and electric fan ovens.
Lounge
The comfortable lounge with wooden parquet floors and original exposed beamed ceiling has lovely views across the surrounding hills and countryside. A feature is the original "inglenook" fireplace containing a recently installed and very efficient wood burner, perfect for those winter evenings. Wood is in ample supply around here and a good inexpensive way of heating the main parts of the house.
Dining Room
With double aspect windows looking out across the countryside and the garden, this room also has the original wooden floor and exposed beams.
Bedroom 3
With its own modern ensuite bathroom (shower/washbasin/wc) this room enjoys far reaching views to the front of the property.
Bedroom 4
Again this bedroom has its own ensuite bathroom as above and has two large windows looking out onto the side garden. The room is lovely and light and benefits from the first early morning rays of sunshine.
Bathroom/Utility room
The only room that has not been refurbished yet. One of the projects on the list, the room contains a wc, double handbasin, bidet and bath, in need of updating. We currently house the dishwasher here as it is close to the dining room. The room could be updated to provide an extra bathroom or converted to a study. One other alternative is to remove the walls and fittings completely and incorporate the additional area within the lounge.
Second Floor
When the house was originally renovated the owners built a tower in the centre of the house to reflect the local pigeonnier feature found in this part of France. Access is by wooden stairs to:
Bedroom 2
With glorious views across the hills this bedroom is light and airy with a double height ceiling. The ensuite bathroom (shower/washbasin/wc) is also light with windows overlooking the rear of the property.
Bedroom 1
Built in the original attic this large room is effectively a blank canvas. The current layout suits us as it provides a large bedroom with office space for the business. However, all the internal walls could be rearranged very easily for example to provide a larger bathroom, a separate dressing area or even two rooms - the choice is yours! The room has exposed beams and a lovely parquet floor. The ensuite again has shower/washbasin/wc. The floor and ceiling have been insulated to modern standards.
Attic
There is a good size storage area in the attic leading from bedroom 2.
Bedroom 2
With glorious views across the hills this bedroom is light and airy with a double height ceiling. The ensuite bathroom (shower/washbasin/wc) is also light with windows overlooking the rear of the property.
Bedroom 1
Built in the original attic this large room is effectively a blank canvas. The current layout suits us as it provides a large bedroom with office space for the business. However, all the internal walls could be rearranged very easily for example to provide a larger bathroom, a separate dressing area or even two rooms - the choice is yours! The room has exposed beams and a lovely parquet floor. The ensuite again has shower/washbasin/wc. The floor and ceiling have been insulated to modern standards.
Attic
There is a good size storage area in the attic leading from bedroom 2.
Heating/Energy Performance
The entire central heating system including the radiators was installed about 7 years ago and operates from a modern efficient oil-fired boiler. Each room and the various hallways have at least one radiator, all individually thermostatically controlled so you can accurately control the heat in each room. A modern wood burner also provides masses of heat to the dining room and the lounge and even the main hallway if you leave the door open.
The Energy Performance report required for all houses on sale is shown opposite and is excellent.
The Energy Performance report required for all houses on sale is shown opposite and is excellent.
The Grounds
The land area is just under 6,300 sq.m or about 0.6 of a hectare or 1.5 acres.
The garden has been a labour of love, particularly for Alex. When we arrived, nothing had been done to it after its formal planting 30 years ago when the house was originally renovated. After a lot of careful pruning, planting and general hacking we now have a very attractive garden with all year round interest.
We haven't bothered about a swimming pool (using the local lake instead!) but there is ample room for a large swimming pool to be installed.
There is a formal area that contains many mature trees including a wonderful wild cherry tree that is covered in blossom in April, a magnificent magnolia tree and an unusual Catalpa (Indian Bean Tree) that has enormous leaves and a lovely display of white flowers in May. There are many mature shrubs including azaleas, roses and hibiscus. The area is easy managed and there is plenty of scope to add or change to suit your taste. The garden is a haven for the wild birds and we regularly have several species nesting.
Adjacent to the formal area is the meadow. Some years we allow the grass to grow and watch the fabulous display of butterflies, other years we cut it regularly and it becomes a very large extension to the formal garden. We also have our vegetable plot in the field and we have planted a few fruit trees - cherry, apple and walnut. A fairly new sit-on tractor mower (boy's toy!) is available for purchase with the house.
At the rear of the house is what we call the Summer House. It is a separate stone built building which also houses a working wood-fired bread oven (brilliant for pizzas as well we are told). This building has electricity and could be used for a variety of purposes such as an artists studio or even spare sleeping accommodation. The building is in good order although a new owner may wish to replace the large wooden side doors with glazed units to let more light in. There is a small attached shed for garden equipment.
At the front of the house there is a working well with a small attached shed which currently contains a curious old metal sink that was once used to wash potatoes! Nearby is a separate woodshed with enough room to store sufficient wood for even the coldest of winters. This shed also has a useful storage area in the roof.
The garden has been a labour of love, particularly for Alex. When we arrived, nothing had been done to it after its formal planting 30 years ago when the house was originally renovated. After a lot of careful pruning, planting and general hacking we now have a very attractive garden with all year round interest.
We haven't bothered about a swimming pool (using the local lake instead!) but there is ample room for a large swimming pool to be installed.
There is a formal area that contains many mature trees including a wonderful wild cherry tree that is covered in blossom in April, a magnificent magnolia tree and an unusual Catalpa (Indian Bean Tree) that has enormous leaves and a lovely display of white flowers in May. There are many mature shrubs including azaleas, roses and hibiscus. The area is easy managed and there is plenty of scope to add or change to suit your taste. The garden is a haven for the wild birds and we regularly have several species nesting.
Adjacent to the formal area is the meadow. Some years we allow the grass to grow and watch the fabulous display of butterflies, other years we cut it regularly and it becomes a very large extension to the formal garden. We also have our vegetable plot in the field and we have planted a few fruit trees - cherry, apple and walnut. A fairly new sit-on tractor mower (boy's toy!) is available for purchase with the house.
At the rear of the house is what we call the Summer House. It is a separate stone built building which also houses a working wood-fired bread oven (brilliant for pizzas as well we are told). This building has electricity and could be used for a variety of purposes such as an artists studio or even spare sleeping accommodation. The building is in good order although a new owner may wish to replace the large wooden side doors with glazed units to let more light in. There is a small attached shed for garden equipment.
At the front of the house there is a working well with a small attached shed which currently contains a curious old metal sink that was once used to wash potatoes! Nearby is a separate woodshed with enough room to store sufficient wood for even the coldest of winters. This shed also has a useful storage area in the roof.