HouseCondom (32)

Provence in Gascony: far-reaching & uninterrupted views of fields & vines
A brief overview :
This beautifully restored stone property sits in a peaceful and tranquil location in the heart of the Gascon countryside on 1.8 hectares of landscaped and enclosed gardens with many varieties of fruit and indigenous trees.
The Pyrenées can be seen on fine days.
With works to the property still under guaratee, the property has a new roof, full electrical re-wiring, plumbing, new kitchen and 3 new bathrooms and new zinc guttering. With an EPC rating of 'A' this property is both cost effective and aesthetic, restored tastefully throughout. With 7 main rooms, including 3 bedrooms (4 bedrooms possible), 3 shower-rooms, a vast kitchen/breakfast room, dining-room, library, sitting-room, laundry-room, stone terraces and 1.8 hectares of landscaped gardens with a wooden stable/tractor storage area. FULL DETAILS AND MORE PHOTOGRAPHS ON OUR BLISS IMMOBILIER WEBSITE.
The question we sometimes ask ourselves, is how anyone can find the courage to throw themselves into a complete restoration project; knowing it takes time endless resources, and nerves of steel.
The answer is sometimes as simple as “the views” and the “feel of these old stone walls when we first visited and fell in love with this place,” which is what the owners of this beautifully restored property told us on our first visit.
The guidelines for energy efficient property in stone (Is this possible? )
Take a simple stone farm-house, of sizeable volume, forgotten by time, uninhabited for many years, and take it back to its barest bones and reconstruct it from top to bottom; the new roof, windows, electrics and plumbing. Allow in the light, and views, to create a space which flows from the entrance hall to the top floor, and as a reward receive an almost impossible to achieve “A” rating on your diagnostics report. The surveyor sat down to double check his figures, called for a drink and did much head-scratching.
The sums were correct.
This old stone property is now as easy to heat and to run as a modern ecological home.
The story behind this property
This is the story of this old stone farmhouse, transformed beyond recognition into a sumptuous and home of the absolute highest possible standards.
This property is unexpected, unlike any seen by BLISS in Gascony so far.
It is a polished gemstone in a sea of green fields and vines. The inside is bursting with joy and life and colour.
There is something inside this property which is reminiscent of a shiny box of gems; there are pinks and greens and splashes of colour all against the beautiful muted tones of creamy stone walls and floor.
The wallpapers are decadent and add colour, depth and character. You need a vision to create a home like this, and to be bold and daring in your colour choice. We have come to expect exposed walls in the period properties of the area, and yet to move away from the traditional and yet encompass it so beautifully; marrying both ancient stone and modern materials, you need not just vision but guts, and the result is both surprising and sumptuous.
In this house you can peel back the windows (the huge glass window in the kitchen slides seamlessly into the kitchen wall) so when the sun beats down relentlessly, the owner tell us how she can sit by the open window and observe the garden, tangibly close, knit or read, and enjoy a summer’s day from the cool and comfort of the kitchen.
There is not a single corner of darkness in this property, it turns outwards to the views and has been designed so that each room flows into the next.