Wahoo!
Well, I'm having trouble with the images tonight, so a thousand words will have to suffice.
We've bought a house!
After looking more or less intensively for the 6 weeks or so since we've arrived, we finally went back to one of the first we saw. It's an old farmhouse (about 1800-1850) that has been completely rennovated from a ruin in the last decade. The style of the interior is 'modern French' which is to say the quality of the workmanship is exceptionelle but the style is a little bland. Lots of white tiles on the floor and so on.
However, there is nothing that a few different coats of paint and some old quarry tiling won't fix! It has a big kitchen with dining table space, a living room, bathroom & wc on the ground floor, along with a bedroom that we will probably use as ours for the time being (no stairs needed!). Upstairs there are three more bedrooms, along with a large space behing a wall that could be converted into a mammoth master bedroom. Upstairs again, into the 'attic' which is currently unfinished. It has the holes in the walls that are ready to take windows, and the subflooring is in, but would really need some use for it (you'll see in a minute why we aren't so short on interesting spaces).
Outside is where things get really exciting... We have about 3500 square metres of flat land, with:
a bread/pizza oven
several stables/spaces for keeping animals
several more 'dependances' for keeping bikes, kite buggies, etc etc.
and a hangar.
No, really. It's bigger than the house, three stories high, and has all sorts of (unrealised) potential. On the ground, it is divided into three parts. One is the 'garage' with a pit for access underneath the cars (you could fit about four in a row inside). The second is a large workshop. The third is open on three sides and is currently used as a shaded terrasse.
The second and third stories are all one open large space, with walls on only two sides. Friends are wondering about climbing walls, and I'm already planning on putting in a 'tyrolean' (zip line) from the top down to the end of the garden.
The garden was one of the first things the owners spent time on when they first arrived, and things have grown fast. The rear boundard is boarded by bamboo - not the wimpy stuff about the size of your little finger that survives in the UK, but big thick-as-your-arm stuff. Makes you think about those stories of people hacking there way through forests of the stuff.
There is a large weeping willow in one corner, beyond the bread oven. There are four walnut trees, which last year produced 300kg of the 'noix de Grenoble' - we're in the AOC region for walnuts. Apples, figs, and a kiwi tree (usually you need a male and female plant to obtain fruit, but the owners have grafted them all onto the same root stock. I counted 18 kiwis the last time we were there, to our astonishment.
We signed the 'compromis de vente' this afternoon, and we had brought a bottle of malt to give to the owners as a celebration. The notaire (lawyer) said it was the first time anyone had drunk in her office. The process will take a minimum of two months to go through, mostly accounted for by the bank. We are hoping to be in by Christmas, but the entry date will not be set until the mortgage has been approved - as is the norm in France - so it might be a little bit afterwards.
Oh, and a little note for the internationals listening - it is 20 minutes from 'Grenoble - St Geoirs' airport, which is now served by Ryanair and Easyjet from London Luton, Stansted, and Gatwick for about 40 quid return. The international airport, Lyon St Exupery (anyone remember the Petit Prince?) is about 40 minutes away. Grenoble itself is about 30km south east of the house and the mountains are visible from the garden.... Don't all book your rooms at once!
I promise I'll stick some pictures up tomorrow.
Anyhow, all very exciting. Kirstin even managed to stay awake through the legal dealings in French with a Texan size jet lag to deal with, and we'll go to the house next week to discuss a few additional items.
Sorry about the long post! Hope you're all well - still not sure anyone is actually reading this! Send me an email if so :)
We've bought a house!
After looking more or less intensively for the 6 weeks or so since we've arrived, we finally went back to one of the first we saw. It's an old farmhouse (about 1800-1850) that has been completely rennovated from a ruin in the last decade. The style of the interior is 'modern French' which is to say the quality of the workmanship is exceptionelle but the style is a little bland. Lots of white tiles on the floor and so on.
However, there is nothing that a few different coats of paint and some old quarry tiling won't fix! It has a big kitchen with dining table space, a living room, bathroom & wc on the ground floor, along with a bedroom that we will probably use as ours for the time being (no stairs needed!). Upstairs there are three more bedrooms, along with a large space behing a wall that could be converted into a mammoth master bedroom. Upstairs again, into the 'attic' which is currently unfinished. It has the holes in the walls that are ready to take windows, and the subflooring is in, but would really need some use for it (you'll see in a minute why we aren't so short on interesting spaces).
Outside is where things get really exciting... We have about 3500 square metres of flat land, with:
a bread/pizza oven
several stables/spaces for keeping animals
several more 'dependances' for keeping bikes, kite buggies, etc etc.
and a hangar.
No, really. It's bigger than the house, three stories high, and has all sorts of (unrealised) potential. On the ground, it is divided into three parts. One is the 'garage' with a pit for access underneath the cars (you could fit about four in a row inside). The second is a large workshop. The third is open on three sides and is currently used as a shaded terrasse.
The second and third stories are all one open large space, with walls on only two sides. Friends are wondering about climbing walls, and I'm already planning on putting in a 'tyrolean' (zip line) from the top down to the end of the garden.
The garden was one of the first things the owners spent time on when they first arrived, and things have grown fast. The rear boundard is boarded by bamboo - not the wimpy stuff about the size of your little finger that survives in the UK, but big thick-as-your-arm stuff. Makes you think about those stories of people hacking there way through forests of the stuff.
There is a large weeping willow in one corner, beyond the bread oven. There are four walnut trees, which last year produced 300kg of the 'noix de Grenoble' - we're in the AOC region for walnuts. Apples, figs, and a kiwi tree (usually you need a male and female plant to obtain fruit, but the owners have grafted them all onto the same root stock. I counted 18 kiwis the last time we were there, to our astonishment.
We signed the 'compromis de vente' this afternoon, and we had brought a bottle of malt to give to the owners as a celebration. The notaire (lawyer) said it was the first time anyone had drunk in her office. The process will take a minimum of two months to go through, mostly accounted for by the bank. We are hoping to be in by Christmas, but the entry date will not be set until the mortgage has been approved - as is the norm in France - so it might be a little bit afterwards.
Oh, and a little note for the internationals listening - it is 20 minutes from 'Grenoble - St Geoirs' airport, which is now served by Ryanair and Easyjet from London Luton, Stansted, and Gatwick for about 40 quid return. The international airport, Lyon St Exupery (anyone remember the Petit Prince?) is about 40 minutes away. Grenoble itself is about 30km south east of the house and the mountains are visible from the garden.... Don't all book your rooms at once!
I promise I'll stick some pictures up tomorrow.
Anyhow, all very exciting. Kirstin even managed to stay awake through the legal dealings in French with a Texan size jet lag to deal with, and we'll go to the house next week to discuss a few additional items.
Sorry about the long post! Hope you're all well - still not sure anyone is actually reading this! Send me an email if so :)
posted by Kirstin Jeffrey Johnson at 10:58 pm
3 Comments:
I'm reading it! Loved the pictures of the house... what a beautiful piece of property! I don't go in for the barn much... surprise surprise... but I think the bread oven is way cool.
Adrienne
I'm reading it too - and we can't wait to invade! Congratulations - it will be worth the wait.
Rachel et al.
guys! We're thrilled for you (and for us for possible future visits!)!! Congrats!
Been missing you so much! It's been with a lot of sadness when we've gone out to Anster since we got back :(
We love you guys!
The Pros
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