Fougerolles Du Plessis 53190

We bought this house and shop in 2006, for the purpose of using it as living accommodation for our family and also to enable us to make a living. The house was 'liveable in' but in need of considerable renovation, modernisation and all-round re-decorating, but happily no structural work was needed, though we were advised that half of the roof should be renewed.
We spent a lot of the next five years working on improving and modernising the place, concentrating at first on the bedrooms and living rooms, then preparing the shop for business. The shop had last been used as a hairdressing salon, with one very large room (40 sq metres) though it had clearly been 2 separate rooms in the past. We partitioned into 2 again to use half as a computer shop and the other half as a bookshop. (We have since removed the partition to use the big space again, but it is very easy to re-partition, took us half a week and two or three hundred euros.)
After we had been up and running for a year or so and all the living accommodation was reasonably comfortable, we turned our attention to the roof and had the northern half of it re-built, taking the opportunity to also install velux windows with a view to eventually converting the loft (already properly floored and with 2 staircases) to extra living accommodation.
We returned to UK in 2011 for family reasons, and have now decided not to go back to France and so we need to sell the house. We re-visit regularly and always spend the time keeping the place maintained and continually improving it; last year we finished insulating the roof and bought and installed new double-glazed windows at the rear of the property.
The loft has loads of potential for development into more living accommodation and could easily be converted into a self-contained flat (or even 2 small flats), having the same floor area as the whole of the first floor and a staircase at each end, and headroom up to 5 metres at the apex. Similarly the cellar, while not as spacious, could also be creatively converted for accommodation or recreational use. The rear courtyard is large and gravelled and contains 3 outbuildings, including a toilet, large sheltered area and garage, with plumbing and electricity. It is perfect for outdoor dining and entertaining and offers sufficient parking space for at least 4-5 cars.
Overall the building offers enormous potential for large or multiple family accommodation and/or business use, particularly in retail or catering, or of course for B&B and holiday accommodation. There is also a separate garden just round the corner of around 300 sq metres, usable as a veggie plot and/or for recreation.
Fougerolles du Plessis is a bourg, or village, of around 1600 inhabitants in the northwest corner of the departement of Mayenne, which itself is in the northwest of the region of Pays de la Loire.The borders of Normandy (to the north) and Brittany (to the west) are both within a few minutes' drive. 90 minutes from Caen & St Malo ferries, 1¼ hrs from Dinard Airport; 1 hour to Rennes & Mont St Michel, 31/2 hrs to Paris.
The village has a church, a boucherie (butcher's), a boulangerie (baker's), a pharmacy, a bar-cafe, a restaurant, 2 banks, 3 insurance agents and various other businesses. Several shops are owned and run by British residents, and there are 2 garages and an Intermarche supermarket. There is a Post Office, a doctor's surgery and 2 schools. Just behind the house is a small park with a municipal campsite, children's playground and plan d'eau (small lake).