Vast farmhouse480 m²
and converted barn
Toutes les mesures sont approximatives
- Lectoure
Overview
This old stone farmhouse and its adjoining barn were purchased by the current owners in 2010 and set on a two-hectare plot of land. No sooner had the couple bought the property, than they began to dismantle it from top to bottom. The intensive programmed of works left little standing other than the original walls. The roof was entirely redone in 2010 and the entire property was gutted, with new foundations lain on the ground floor. Once gutted and stripped back to the bare bones, works to rebuild the property began. The main farmhouse was conserved, but it was opened on both the ground floor and the first floor to the newly converted barn, which was developed as a separate guest house, and as such provides an excellent opportunity either for the development of a tourist activity, or one single nine-bedroom home.
Let us look at the two properties in detail:
The farmhouse
The farmhouse has conserved its ubiquitous central hallway, used in days of old to host meals for the farm workers after the harvest and who ate on the long tables which ran the length of the hallway, and were often made up from the wooden shutters which were unhooked from the windows for the occasion, then balanced upon trestle table legs.
The farmhouse hallway
The hallway runs the length of the property from the main entrance, and the central doorway, to an inner doorway at the back, where the barn and the house connect.
At the end of the hallway there is a downstairs water closest (WC).
The farmhouse kitchen
To the right of the entrance hall there is a good-sized kitchen with a slate tiled floor.
The kitchen has a window to the front and a wood and glass paneled door to the garden. With a rear kitchen, a room used as a storage room, and a bathroom kept specifically for the purpose of washing dogs and boots, this section of the property is functional and self- contained. The kitchen is spacious in size with a central island unit and a range of contemporary cupboards.
The reception room
With both a window to the side and a glass door to the garden, this is a light room, with a wood burning stove. The reception room sits just across the hallway from the kitchen.
The first floor
Upstairs, a long hallway echoes the run of the ground floor hallway. The flooring has not yet been determined and for the moment is clad with brown linoleum.
At the end of the hallway, closest to the interconnecting door between, house and barn, there is a master bedroom suite with a small private hall area, where there is a separate WC and a separate bathroom (with both a bathtub and a shower) and a double bedroom.
The second and third bedroom are spacious rooms, with feature beams, which do not have ensuite bathrooms and were used by the family as children’s bedroom.
This section of the property comprises thus, three bedrooms in total (sharing one upstairs bathroom and toilet)
The bedrooms to the barn are on the other side of the door, and easily accessible should one wish to make full use of the entire building for a larger family.
The barn
For clarity let us begin at the beginning and enter the barn on the ground floor from the gardens…
The entrance hall to the barn
The barn benefits from a contemporary but grand entrance hall with a cathedral high ceiling and a modern light wooden staircase, which was designed especially for the space in which it sits. One could easily be mistaken for thinking that this is the entrance to a gallery or theatre house, as the staircase and the tall ceilings lend a rather public feel to the area and make an ideal space to rent out to the public.
The barn hallway
The central hallway to the barn is a homage to the one found in the main house, and the space has been redesigned to keep the traditional Gascon flow to the rooms in what were once stables, and not a dwelling.
On the ground floor, there is a master bedroom with disabled access (a wide door and an ensuite shower room). The room is painted pink and papered with a contemporary design wallpaper behind the bed. The floor is tiled with stone-coloured floor tiles.
A laundry room (sink and washing machine) sits a little further along the hallway, next to the boiler room. The boiler room has wall shelves for household tools, the hot water tank for both houses (300 litres) and the gas boiler. From here there is access to the garden and to a space currently used for the family dogs.
At the end of the barn hallway, we find the same interconnecting door to the farmhouse.
The first floor (barn)
At the top of the contemporary wooden staircase there is a landing in the style of a mezzanine gallery which overlooks the entrance hall with tall glass panels to the front of the building. This area is filled with light and has a contemporary and architectural feel.
The first-floor bedrooms (barn)
On each side of the upstairs hallway, there are three double bedrooms each with an ensuite shower room. Two of these rooms are still works in progress. The bathroom showers are fitted but still require a panel to be fitted by the future owner. One of the bedroom floors is not yet tiled or laid with parquet. The choice of fittings will be left to the buyer.
Outbuildings
There are two useful outbuildings, one currently used as an aviary and the other for storage.
The two-hectare plot sits in a raised position with far reaching views over the surrounding countryside.
Our thought here at Bliss
This property will appeal to large families or anyone looking to create a tourist activity from home such as a gîte or chambre d’hôte. The property is entirely practical, with seven bathrooms and bedrooms, spread out over two distinct buildings which can be opened or closed off as required.
The property is rustic in style, lovers of old farmhouses in Gascony, wooden beams and stone walls will enjoy the ambience the current owners have created. The house is in excellent structural order, all the main works have been done, and the house stripped back so far that the new owners can enjoy all the comforts of a modern home in the framework of an old stone farmhouse and barn. The property has high ceilings and is light and bright throughout. The property is ideal for pet lovers, or our feline or four-legged friends. The current owners have a lovely cast of four-legged friends worthy of a petting zoo, and this is the ideal home for such a family.
More images…
Click images to enlarge
On a technical note
2 separate septic tanks (3000 and 6000 litres)
New roof in 2010
Insulated with fibre glass (28cm to 30cm)
New double-glazed windows with wooden frames and anti-infraction glass and anti UV
Gas central heating
300 litre hot water tank
Wood-burner in the reception room
Key points to retain
Think big: 9 bathrooms and bedrooms
Think: lettings, friends & family… a separate annex for the mother-in-law.
Think: rustic … this is not an 18th century bourgeoise home, this was once a farmhouse, and the ambience is still rustic in its appeal.
Think: structurally engineered … this house has solid foundations, walls, and a new roof!
Think: views over the rural backdrop of Gascony with easy access to Toulouse, Agen and Bordeaux.
