Property Description
V flexible, fully renovated : 5 bed, 4 bathroom, country house incl 1 bed guest studio; + 2 bed family/friends annexe (currently let as gite - £12,000pa income); 2 garden rooms; views over valley; 11mx5m pool; double garage; 3 gardens
A flexible and unique combination of features means this property can be whatever you would wish it to be :
* for retirement (remembering the things that really matter in life - as the above Tripadvisor review from an independent visitor shows);
* for semi-retirement (balancing quality of life with some continued employment in France or Uk);
* for a holiday home (with the relief of "getting away from it all" every time you return);
* with family or friends visiting (or even living independently with you);
* or any of these combined with reliable gite income from possibly the most successful gite of its kind in the area (with potential for a 2nd letting unit/studio, or Chambres d'Hotes if desired).
Over the last 19 years it has been all these things (and more) to its current owners !
This is all thanks to the flexibility of :
* a fully renovated, 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom country house (that is large but still feels homely, comfortable and unpretentious);
* including a guest studio (with potential for conversion to 2nd gite);
* with a completely self contained 2 bedroom family/friends annexe (currently let as a gite for couples - with reliable income of £12,000 pa);
* each with their own stunning enclosed terrace/garden room, with views over the valley;
* a full size pool (deep enough for a diving board);
* a large double (+) garage;
* and all surrounded by no fewer than 3 gardens of up to an acre, offering space, tranquility and privacy !
* all in a wonderful location that offers its own wide choice of things to enjoy, just 10 mins from the Gironde Estuary
The property is in a small, welcoming hamlet that remains very French and rural. The gardens & pool are totally private and not overlooked in any direction. The property enjoys lovely views across the valley (to the illuminated church on the hill) and is set in gently rolling countryside surrounded by vineyards and sunflowers (depending on season !) but within 10 minutes of the Gironde estuary with its quiet marinas, 30 minutes of a nice beach and with lots of lovely local places to visit. There are a wide range of restaurants and shops within 10-25 mins drive, and the property is just 15 minutes from the Pole Nature (nature reserve) at Port Vitrezay and 20 mins from the "Terres d'Oiseaux" bird sanctuary at Port des Callonges. Lively and cosmopolitan Bordeaux and La Rochelle are around an 1 hour away.
There is excellent access : the A10 motorway is just 10 mins away, Bordeaux or La Rochelle airports are about 60 mins away, Angouleme, Bordeaux or La Rochelle TGV/LGV stations are about the same, and if you prefer ferries St.Malo is just over 4 hours away - motorway/dual carriageway all the way !
The property was originally a farmhouse (dating from 1880) & barns, all converted in 1989 by a French family into a family holiday home. The current owners bought the property in 1998 and have spent the last 19 years updating and adding to the property, which is now fully renovated. From the front it's a large, traditional country house. From the back it's more of a villa !
If it's for you, you'll fall in love with it the first time you visit - as we did, immediately cancelling all other visits !
In more detail, the property includes :
Country house including :
* living room (23m2) with double glazed French doors opening onto a private garden, English satellite Tv and a fireplace with a Supra insert/log burner (at 13kw large enough to heat the whole house !), with double doors opening into :
* dining room (25m2) with display fireplace, 7kw fan assisted Stiebel Eletron (off-peak electric) storage heater and double glazed windows opening to front of property, with adjustable "plantation" shutters
* large entrance hall and study (15m2) with fireplace with insert/log burner, phone/broadband access and double glazed front door
* light and airy kitchen (17m2) with bespoke, hand made kitchen units (including Belfast sink and spaces for electric/gas cooker range, American style fridge/freezer, dishwasher and washing machine), 5kw fan assisted Stiebel Eletron (off-peak electric) storage heater, feature light well (from master suite on first floor) and dining area with double doors opening into :
* stunning 20m2 enclosed terrace/garden room, with 2 sets of top quality (Technal - as used in restaurants and other commercial premises), triple sliding, double glazed glass doors with views over the pool, garden and valley beyond to the village of Semoussac and its illuminating church on the hill. A log burner provides heating in winter months. A seperate door opens into the 3rd garden.
* at the bottom of the stairs leading to the 1st floor bedrooms is a bathroom (with bath, shower, bidet and hand basin/vanity unit) and a seperate toilet. There is also an Aqualux water softening unit, serving the whole property.
On the first floor :
* a newly created master suite consisting of double bedroom (15m2), dressing room (7m2) with storage units and bathroom with bath, large corner shower, Wc and hand basin/vanity unit
* 3 further bedrooms (2 double, 1 single), all with double glazed windows and one with original display fireplace dated 1880
* these bedrooms are served by a shower room on the first floor (with large corner shower, Wc and hand basin) and the bathroom and Wc at the bottom of the stairs
* storage room
Heating :
Main heating is provided by the insert/log burner in the living room, which easily heats the entire house. It is supplemented by background heating from the 2 electric storage heaters, which air/warm the house during any unoccupied periods. All rooms also have individual electric radiators if needed. Hot water is provided by an off-peak electric immersion heater. The property is almost entirely double glazed.
Guest studio :
* opening off the kitchen is a hall leading to a guest studio (with rental potential if desired) comprising : double bedroom with shower and hand basin, seperate kitchenette (which doubles as a utility room for the whole house if needed, with space for a 2nd washing machine and its own front door) and a seperate toilet
Self contained 2 bedroomed annexe :
Attached to the main house (but completely self contained) is an annexe ideal for family/friends living with or just staying with you, including :
* stunning 26m2 enclosed terrace/garden room, with top quality (Technal) triple sliding, double glazed glass doors with views over the pool, garden and valley beyond. A log burner provides heating in winter months.
* modern fitted kitchen with halogen hob, electric oven, fridge/freezer, washing machine, dishwasher and dining area
* living room with English satellite Tv/Dvd and Godin log burner (powerful enough to heat entire annexe)
* bathroom with wall mounted shower
* seperate toilet
* entrance hall
* on first floor (via spiral staircase) : 2 double bedrooms (one accessed through the other), main bedroom with air conditioning and large panoramic window with views across countryside
* main heating is provided by the log burners, supplemented by background heating from 2 electric "Chaleur Douce" radiators and individual electric radiators, if necessary
* the annexe has it's own, seperate power supply and hot water heating system
For the last 14 years the current owners have successfully let this out as a gite for couples, with reliable income of £12,000 pa, up to 50% returning guests and 95%-100% occupancy June-September. All the gite's furniture, fittings and equipment are included in the sale price. For further details see below. (Furniture & equipment in the rest of the property may also be available, subject to seperate negotiation).
and outside :
* the property is served by a private drive, the first part of which is shared with the friendly French family who live next door
* at the end of the drive is a spacious parking area, large enough for 5 or 6 cars, and a 40m2 double garage that includes approx 10m2 storage space at the far end
* a full sized, below ground 11m x 5m swimming pool, constructed in concrete with quality Del "Long Protect" liner, approx 1m at shallow end, sloping to approx 2m at deep end with diving board. Both the liner and the paved pool surround were replaced in 2013
* the pool is protected by a wireless infra-red pool perimeter alarm that conforms with French legislation regarding pool safety (Afnor standard Nf P 30-307)
* all pool equipment (pump/filters for the chlorine based filtration system, electrical controls, winter and summer covers, pool alarm & its digibox controls etc) are included in the sale price
* boules pit
* the pool is surrounded by an enclosed (with high quality Naterial fencing - as used in public parks) garden with palms etc and child proof gates
* beyond that garden is an open garden of approx 1 acre, with mature trees & bushes, adjoining vineyards
* there is a 3rd private garden, upon which the house living room opens, including an original well and a log store
* the property is served by a 3 chamber "fosse septique" which has been regularly serviced, and has been inspected and approved by the commune
Gite letting potential :
The self contained annexe has been let out as a gite for couples by the current owners for the last 14 years. We believe it is probably the most succesful gite of its kind in the area, as evidenced by :
* registered with Charente Maritime Prefecture & Offices de Tourisme
* income of £12,000 pa
* up to 50% returning guests
* 5* Tripadvisor reviews ("Perfect in every way !", "A little bit of heaven", "Pure indulgence - France at its best !" ...)
* with peak weeks 50% booked up by the end of the previous summer and fully booked by the end of March (2015 is the best yet - with all but 1 peak weeks booked by the end of September 2014 !)
* evidence of levels of bookings and income available to purchaser pre contract/compromis
If the purchaser wishes to continue to let out the gite, the purchase price would include :
* transfer of all existing bookings to new owner (subject only to guests' consent, of course)
* the gite website and all files necessary to manage it (with Serif Webplus software)
* advice re sources of bookings/advertising
* mailing list of past/potential guests (subject to consent)
Further information about the gite (and also about the area, travel options etc for the property) is available on the gite website.
The Area :
The property is set in a small hamlet of about 12 houses and a farm, in the middle of the countryside (surrounded by vines and sunflowers), but within 10 minutes of the nearest small town (Mirambeau), 10 minutes of the Gironde Estuary, 20 minutes of a larger town (Jonzac) and within 30 minutes of the nearest beach.
The property has got the best of both worlds: it's close enough to the Uk to be easy to get to, but far enough away to be warmer (and not to be in the Uk !). And the area is the second sunniest in France, after the Cote d'Azur - but without their prices or crowds!
It's in the beautiful Charente Maritime ("land & sea: the elements of success"), but in the most interesting part : in the south of it (where the countryside is more interesting/undulating) and within easy striking distance of Bordeaux and the Aquitaine/Gironde, including the Medoc; and lively and cosmopolitan La Rochelle - the centre of the micro-climate !
The property is easy to get to, only a short distance from the A10 motorway, and within easy travelling distance of a number of airports (mainly La Rochelle, Bordeaux and Poitiers) and TGV/LGV rail stations (La Rochelle, Angouleme or Bordeaux).
There are many interesting places to visit and things to do including sleepy villages and livelier towns (of which La Rochelle has a life all of its own), beaches, chateaux/wine tasting, nature reserves, fetes and festivals and lots of outside activities including walking, cycling, fishing, golf, horse riding and bird watching (including the brand new "Terres d'Oiseaux" bird sanctuary with 125 species over 115 hectares !) - or just sitting outside bars watching the world go by !
Within easy striking distance are : Chatelallion Plage, La Rochelle, Ile de Ré, Ile d'Oléron, St. Jean d'Angély, Angoulême, Royan, Rochefort, Cognac, Blaye, Saintes, Niort and Bordeaux - all within 1 hour drive.
For further information visit our website :
www.gite17.co.uk
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