6 bedroom Village House For Sale: Lezay

This is a gem of a property which has so much to offer. From its custom designed, hand crafted features throughout both house and cottage to the carefully thought out labour saving devices, from the comfort of the main residence to the income producing potential of the cottage and from the charming garden and pool to the fields for horses or other uses, there is enough here to do justice to a much more expensive property.

The property is surrounded by high hedges and has its own private driveway, as a result of which the buildings cannot be seen from the road, ensuring complete privacy and seclusion.

While retaining the centuries old stone walls and exposed oak beams so prized in French farmhouses, the property has been lovingly restored and is distinguished by the high quality and standards of renovation, while at the same time providing all the modern conveniences for comfortable living.

THE HOUSE

The ground floor of the house has traditional classic French clay tiles and original oak beams and ceiling boards. It comprises a large central entry hall, a sitting room with open fireplace, separate dining room with fireplace/TV nook, kitchen with breakfast niche, full bathroom with shower and large oval tub, and an arrière cuisine (rear kitchen/scullery).

The bedroom/office off the dining room fireplace/TV nook could have direct access to the pool and gazebo by the simple replacement of the window with double doors.

The upper floor is accessed via the original elm winding staircase and consists of a master bedroom suite, laundry area, a sitting room with annexes for an office, library and display cases, and a guest wing with two bedrooms and a full bathroom.

All the bedrooms have substantial built-in cupboards with interior lighting to facilitate ease of access and selection.

The entire upper floating floor is insulated both for heat and sound, eliminating any disturbance to persons below.

The master bedroom and sitting room have oak parquet floors, custom-cut and laid to a unique pattern, each panel selected for colour and grain, requiring many times the effort of laying a standard in-line parquet floor. The guest wing has wall-to-wall carpeting.

The vaulted ceiling has exposed oak beams and is double insulated, while the roof has a waterproof layer beneath classic French tiles.

The rear and both end walls are fully insulated, while the front south facing wall is of pointed stonework. There is also a hidden lighted attic suitable for storage of suitcases and the like.

An abundance of interior lighting, with many electric outlets and hidden soffit lights, provides a subtle low-light ambiance as desired. The lighted stained glass insert in the master bedroom also serves as a night light.

Double and triple switching also ensures that, for example, the master bedroom central light can be switched by either bed occupant, whilst each has a separate sleep reading light. This is just one example of the care and planning that has gone into the extensive renovation.

THE COTTAGE

The open plan Cottage has a sitting room, custom built full kitchen, breakfast area with bay window, a raised level dining area and enclosed hot tub. The bay window has a glass roof, providing an outstanding sunlit area for reading and relaxing.

An interior custom built châtaignier (chestnut) framed and insulated partition separates the office and full shower room from the main area. It contains two stained glass inserts from a Norfolk church, adding to the already attractive special ambiance of the whole interior. The dining area is two steps up from the main area.

The electrically heated hot tub is hidden behind glass sliding doors, curtained to provide privacy. It has two large opening windows as well as a glass roof. In addition, four skylights, four glazed access doors (one double) provide ample daylight and excellent external views, particularly of the spectacular sunsets in both summer and winter.

The kitchen sink and the bathroom lavabo (basin) have separate under-counter water heaters to provide instant hot water on demand.

The master bedroom wing has a large power operated Velux skylight, parquet floor and glass sliding double doors to the pool area and (future) deck. The en-suite bathroom has a large shatter-proof glass overhead panel providing sky-lighting.

The passageway and staircase access also have parquet flooring, plus storage cupboards with mirrored sliding doors. Above is a carpeted mezzanine sitting room/office and library, with two Velux skylights. This leads to the second bedroom which has a wash basin and skylight.

The second kitchen has access from the front of the Cottage and the garage and contains the laundry area, cold storage, sink with draining board and a 5 burner cooker with large gas oven. A door from this area leads to the garage, with its electrically operated door and to the workshops. There is also ample storage and attic space in this area.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Hand crafted, custom designed details have been used to transform the old pig sties, cow byres, hay racks, chicken coops and stables into the fine, unique property this is today. No expense has been spared during the 18 years of construction and renovation to create this exceptional property.

Some features are aesthetic, others integral. The location of the buildings around the circular driveway, with its octagonal fish pond, provides a special inviting and tranquil feeling about the property from the very beginning. Originally a sea of mud, it took 40 cubic metres of stone and gravel as a base to achieve this effect.

THE VILLAGE OF COURGE

The property is situated in the village of Courgé, Commune of Vançais, in the Department of Deux Sèvres in the Poitou-Charentes region of South-West France.

The Department, like most of the French Departements, derives its name from its rivers. In this area are two major rivers, both called Sèvre: one is the Sèvre Niortaise, which flows through the city of Niort, the other being the Sèvres Nantaise, which flows through the city of Nantes, hence the Department – Deux Sèvres (two Sèvres).

Courgé is located between the Loire Valley, with its magnificent chateaux at the picturesque town of Blois and its Leonardo da Vinci museum, and the Dordogne valley with its vineyards, wine tasting at St. Emilion and Crusader history, making it an excellent base to explore these areas, which are full of Roman architecture.

THE SURROUNDING AREA

To the west is Niort (formerly a Roman port), the capital of the Department of Deux-Sèvres, and the charming Marais (marsh) Poitevin, with its scenic Venise Vert (green Venice) drainage canals, constructed by retreating monks in the 5th to 7th centuries.

A little further afield and closer to Nantes is the Puy de Fou, with its recreated French Medieval village and incredible Sound and Light night show during the month of August.

Melle, with its Roman churches and culture, the silver mines of the kings of France and the ancient lavoir, plus the arboretum, is within 20 minutes drive.

Only minutes away from Courgé is the town of Lezay, with its weekly outdoor market, supermarket, bakeries, pharmacies and banks. Further south is the world famous Cognac area, with its distilleries that offer a tour of the facilities to the public.

The Poitou-Charentes region is broadly agricultural, with a gently undulating topography that is an excellent base for walking and cycling. The gorgeous sunflower fields are all around in their season, showing this rural part of France at its best, the way it has been for centuries.

Several other recreational facilities and attractions such as the Lambon reservoir with its boating facilities, the Valley of the Monkeys and the Mouton (sheep) Village are all within an hour’s drive.

Courgé is situated 40 kms south of the fine City of Poitiers, which has numerous attractions, including its 12th century cathedral, an 11th century church, a 4th century church – the oldest in France – and yet another church, which has the oldest Romanesque architecture of any church in Europe. There is also an underground chapel and the Palace of Poitiers, the seat of the Dukes of Aquitaine.

Those who remember their school history lessons will recall that the Battle of Poitiers in 1356 was a key victory for the English army during the Hundred Years War. More relevant than the battlefield today, however, are the international airport and TGV station, providing access to Paris in 90 minutes.

Courgé is also 110 kms east of the historic and immensely attractive port and town of La Rochelle.

PROPERTY PRICE

The price of the property is inclusive of agent’s commission.

IMPORTANT NOTICES

1. These details are provided and intended as a general guide only and do not form a contract or any part of a contract. Intending buyers must make their own investigations and are advised to take appropriate independent legal advice. The final sale price may vary due to currency exchange fluctuations.
2. Please be aware that, if you print off these details from the Investabroad Properties website, they will include the full Disclaimer which covers numerous points, some of which may not be relevant to this property and which can be viewed by clicking on ‘Disclaimer’ at the foot of this page. To avoid this, print the pages of the actual property details individually, but it will then be assumed that you have read and are aware of the complete Disclaimer.

Key Features:

A charming village house with a separate cottage
Both full of custom designed hand crafted details
Cottage for in-laws, two families or holiday rentals
Minutes to Lezay’s shops, banks, weekly market
Large heated swimming pool, elec operated cover
Poolhouse/games room with full bathroom/shower
Charming private garden with fish pond & waterfall
Plus two large fields which are suitable for horses
A total area of 1.49 hectares or just under 4 acres
Only 40 kms south of Poitiers with its airport & TGV Ref: 36696-PS-HH-LCC