Midi-Pyrénées, Gers, Vic-Fezensac, France

To introduce this property, we can do no better than to quote its current owner:

To me the most attractive points about this house is the peacefulness that greets me each day as I gaze upon rolling hills and fields all the way to the tops of the Pyrenees which smile at me from my bed during winter. There are no neighbours within shouting distance, just the occasional deer, hare or pheasant strolling past. In the summer I have the pool to keep me cool. In winter, a brand new (still under guarantee) PAC [heat pump] and two high quality wood burners (Charnwood and Jotul). The cranes pass chatting happily during the spring and autumn, while the wood pigeons put on a month long display of awesome proportions. There is never a day that goes by where anything is the same. There are good walks along little paths and roads near to the house and constant views to appreciate. I have never grown tired of this beautiful part of the world.

The property is ideally situated in a peaceful countryside location near the communes of Lannepax, Vic-Fezensac and Justian. Vic-Fezensac is a lively market town offering a wide range of amenities and services including medical facilities. There are good shops, bars and restaurants in the town as well as a primary school and college and plenty of activities for children. The local villages are also lively with numerous social and community events as well as local businesses. It enjoys good views from everywhere and there are no near neighbours, no nuisances or anything else that is bothersome.

The 1.72 hectares of land (2.4 acres) is nicely arranged around the house and outbuildings and includes plenty of fenced areas including garden, some of which is laid to lawn with flowering plants, and fields. The fields are carefully planted with trees for shade (and rubbing!). There is also a vegetable plot, orchard and a pond. For a number of years, the property has welcomed a horse and pony. The paddocks are well organised, can be rotated and there is year-round access to an open barn which could easily be transformed to incorporate loose boxes. The property is at the end of a quiet lane with good local hacking on the doorstep. For non-horsey people, the land is very suitable for other animals or simply to protect the immediate environment (it would look lovely as semi-wild meadow flower areas).

The house itself is in authentic Gascon stone. Of a habitable surface area of 230m, on the ground floor there is a spacious entrance hall, a charming open-plan kitchen-dining room with exposed stone, original features and wood-burner, living room of 50m with wood-burner and other original features such as the ancient stone sink and a downstairs lavatory with shower. Upstairs there are 4 bedrooms and a family bathroom.

Adjoining the house to one side is the former winestore where some of the original equipment such as the press can still be seen. This space houses the laundry room, is used for storage and there is room for a car. On the other side is a two-storey barn. Currently used for storage, it could potentially be converted (subject to obtaining the requisite planning permission).

There is a hangar used for the horses, hay and wood storage, as well as a large enclosure for chickens with henhouse. There are two kennels in the fenced doggy area behind the house.

The swimming pool measures 9x4 and is salt. There is a barbecue area for entertaining and a covered terrace which could easily be turned into an outdoor kitchen.

This property already offers a great deal and has great potential to provide more. The heating and electricity systems have been recently updated to make this an economical property to run, and a comfortable one to live in, with a heat pump and 3kW of solar panels with a 5kW battery to store electricity. The appliances and hot water supply are fitted with timers to maximise savings.

The drainage system has been modernised with the installation of a new system (technical details and inspection results awaited). The property is connected to mains water, electricity and telephone-internet (fibre optic).

The House comprises:

On the Ground Floor
Entrance Hall (22m)
Kitchen-Dining Room (36m)
Living Room (50.2m)
Ground Floor Total: 112m

On the First Floor
Landing (21m)
Bedroom 1 (24.5m)
Bedroom 2 (14.1m) currently used as a study
Bathroom (12m)
Bedroom 3 (21.6m)
Bedroom 4 (21.1m)
First Floor Total: 118m
HABITABLE TOTAL: 230m

The Outbuildings comprise:
Former wine store (61m)
Barn (55m on the Ground Floor, same surface area above)
Hangar (226m)

Location:
10 minutes to Vic-Fezensac
40 minutes to Auch
90 minutes to Toulouse with its International Airport

Property taxes: 1602 €