house for sale in france (with land)

Self sufficiency and a better life 

For sale – a stunning, 3 double-bedroom, stone-built restored farmhouse with around 20 acres of land in southern Brittany.

 

It is now 20 years since i bought my beautiful French farmhouse and smallholding and i am 20 years older. It is now time to pass it on to the next owners who i am sure will love it as much as i have.

Location

The property is in Southern Brittany close to a town called Chateaubriant which is about halfway between the cities of Rennes and Nantes. Zooming in, the property is about halfway between the market town of Chateaubriant and the village of St.Aubin des Chateaux (about 2.5 kilometers to either). It comes under the village in terms of address which makes the rates about half of what they would be if it came under the town. Budget airlines fly several routes to either Rennes or Nantes and it’s about a 40 minute drive to either airport. There is an overnight ferry from Portsmouth to St.Malo (about one and a half hours from the property) or Dieppe is about a four and a half hour drive. Location is everything with respect to property in France and there are many pitfalls that do not show up in photographs. For example, many houses are built at the roadside and therefore have no front gardens and a lot of passing traffic. An old favourite is the proximity of grazing cattle and/or cowsheds that can fill a house with flies through the summer. My house has none of these problems as it is at the end of a dead-end lane and is protected by its own land. Similarly, some places are simply just too isolated and have security and personal safety implications. I have a very nice neighbour (with a lovely family) who is the village postman so there’s no shortage of village gossip or useful contacts!

The House

This is a typical Maison Longe (long house) built from local stone, around 150 years ago (at a guess!) The walls are around two feet thick and insulate well against summer heat and winter cold. The walls have all been pointed with Procolit G which is a special pointing material that sets like granite and lasts for decades. The total habitable footprint area (ie excluding the garage and workshop) is about 120 square meters (if i’ve got my maths right!). The front of the house has a large, low-maintenance crunch-gravel driveway. The bulge shown on the rear elevation photo is the old bread oven/kiln. The chimney for this is decorative but the kiln could be brought into service for pottery etc once a fireproof chimney liner is fitted. There is a modern septic tank sewage system that has just been inspected by Veola and emptied last year (cost about 200 euros and next due in 6 years time). The roof is slate in keeping with the local area. Heating is via a kitchen wood-burning range with a back boiler feeding several radiators (itemised in room descriptions) The lounge has another woodburner for toe-toasting and two of the bedrooms have electric wall-mounted panel heaters for convenience. The central heating system could easily be converted to propane fired if preferred but i’m cheap so have liked using the free wood fuel from the land. A high throughput, brand new commercial propane boiler provides hot water to the kitchen and en-suite bathroom. This is piped directly and all cold water taps run off the mains so there is no stored water (hot or cold).

First floor

Master en suite bedroom no.1

About 9 meters by 5.5 meters with segregated bathroom. Large corner bath and fixed glass shower screen, wc and hand basin. Two large radiators and towel rail off the central heating system. Dormer window over the wc.

Bedroom 2

About 3.5 meters by 5.5 meters. Two roof windows and two electric panel heaters. High grade laminate flooring.

Bedroom 3

About 4.0 meters by 5.5 meters. Two roof windows and two electric panel heaters. High grade laminate flooring.

Landing

About 3.0 meters by 2.0 meters. High grade laminate flooring. Lit by front Juliette balcony.

Bathroom

About 3.0 meters by 3.0 meters. Large corner bath with 10.5kW electric shower, wc and basin. Flooring high grade Knight tile slate-effect vinyl tiles. Electric towel rail.

Ground floor

Kitchen

About 6.0 meters by 6 meters. Woodburning cuisiniere range with back boiler for central heating system. Large radiator. Ceramic tiled floor. Some hand-built units which could be added to or plenty of scope for a modern modular kitchen. Beamed ceiling.

Hallway

About 3.0 meters by 6.0 meters including understairs wc and hand basin. Large radiator and built in towel cupboard. High-grade laminate flooring.

Lounge/Dining room

About 11.5 meters by 6.0 meters. High grade Camarra wood-effect vinyl floor tiles. Split level to provide a dining area and a lounge area. 3 large radiators and Jotul F3 woodburner in pretty and practical hearth area with etched-glass windows. Beautiful beamed ceiling and wide patio doors to rear garden. Shelved store cupboard housing electric mcb consumer unit. 6 wall lights have individual integral switches to enable full lighting or combinations. 2 useful small fluorescents light the hearth area.

Garage/workshop

Seen to the right of the house when viewed from the front. Good size with large built-in workbench and vice in workshop area. Large south-facing tiled roof area which is crying out for some solar panels.

General

All rooms have plenty of sockets and lighting fixtures and are finished and decorated to the highest standards. The house is well-insulated and is cool in the summer and warm in the winter. There is a satellite dish for UK Sky TV, cabled to the kitchen and the lounge and a further dish for broadband satellite internet via WI-FI. All rooms have wonderful panoramic views over the surrounding countryside with not another house in sight from any window.

Outside and land

4 bulkhead lights in soffits at the front and 5 bulkhead lights at the rear. The rear concrete patio covers about 100 square meters. Rear lawn has a beautiful mature willow which drinks septic tank liquor and provides a cool micro climate with dappled shade on hot summer days. There are three large ponds which are fed by underground pipes which take rainwater run-off from the house. Two outside taps (one either end of the house) at rear.

Large front lawn with veg patch to the side next to artesian well. The well has a submersible electric pump to replenish a large watering butt or water the patch directly by hose (i am a well-organised, lazy boy when it comes to growing veg!).

There is a ruined barn (3 sides standing) which has a footprint of about 60 square meters. Planning permission to convert this to a dwelling could be sought at the next district urbanisation meeting in about 3 years time, or it could easily be roofed if further covered space is required.

Mature apple orchard with about 20 fruit trees.

The land covers just under 20 acres in total and is south-facing and clay based which means nutrient-rich and i have grown every type of veg very successfully. The hedges have been left wide to promote wildlife and there are many many tons of standing oak, ash, elder etc. I pollard the odd tree for firewood but extra effort could be made for commercial gain if required. A sceptic tank system has been installed in one of the lower fields next to another artesian well. This provides an opportunity for a ‘camping a la ferme’ enterprise (maximum of 8 tents) for extra income.

More general comments

I already have a UK property so would not be interested in swap deals etc. The above price covers the house and land and all of the usual fixtures and fittings. French rates are paid in two parts and for my property are 543 euros per year  for the taxe fonciere and 333 euros per year for the tax d'habitation (which includes the tv license).The house has been my home for 20 years so is currently fully furnished and i have lots of tools and equipment that may be of interest to the purchaser (ride-on lawnmower, tractor and implements, field landrover, rotovator etc). I can ship everything back to the UK and sell it here or can do very advantageous deals on some or all of the items if the purchaser prefers. I really hope that i can find someone who is serious about living the smallholder life in a beautiful, family home as this is the perfect opportunity. I’m sure that i have forgotten lots of things but will be pleased to provide any further details and answer any questions that you may have about the property or buying and living in France. Either call my mobile or email me to arrange a viewing and i will be pleased to collect and drop off viewers at either nantes or rennnes airport for a small contribution towards the diesel. 

Thanks for looking.

John