We purchased this 200 year old stone “maison de maitre”, previously an Armagnac producing property, with the knowledge it was truly a major project.

She was very tired and needing a lot of love, care and upgrading but her full potential was immediately evident to us. However, the scale of the works to be undertake would test our DIY learning curve.

Our rose-coloured glasses were hard to share with friends and family. Their unconscious flinches when shown the property or photos were something we learnt to ignore.

Under her blanket of grey concrete render, early to mid 20th century (moldy) wallpapers and years of being unoccupied, she was a Cinderella waiting to dress up for the ball.

On these pages we will share much of what we learned about searching for and purchasing a house in France, the projects undertaken and where we found the best renovation materials bargains.

Our property is also covered in fruit trees, berry bushes and has a very large potager (vegetable garden). We have had great fun creating recipes for food and drinks from our seasonal produce and will share our recipe success stories with you.

Managing our DIY priorities – the list was long

However, the Notaire who managed the sale process did not possess our level of enthusiasm. This was very evident as he read off the various mandatory reports that French Law requires. His tone was one of “not too late to change your mind”.

We apparently had work orders on the electrics, plumbing and the septic system, pages of warnings about lead paint and asbestos and essential things like boilers etc were all over 25 years old.

She “listed a bit to port” but we were not deterred.  She had thick stone walls, a good roof, various ponds and a large lake. Along with a couple of hectares of gardens, a huge stone barn and south facing outlook, we loved her, wanted her and everything else we would work out as we went along.

“In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can” 

Furthermore, we were total “newbies” to all DIY and renovation skills needed but definitely not short on enthusiasm or motivation.

My old adage of EQ>IQ is a daily mantra here and has kept us going.

Delivering the dream

The main aim (dream) of this renovation was to undertake most of it with our own hands and minds.

We knew that the little French language skills we possessed might create some procurement challenges – and it has. However, we now have oodles of tips to share.

Together Husband and I are now well on our way to living the dream in France and loving it.

Finally, our lovely old house is starting to emerge and much to the surprise of many, exceeding expectations. However, there is still much to do.

DIY tips, ideas and tutorials

We look forward to sharing our know-how and acquired skills. In addition we will include living in France tips, our projects and products, recipes and other fun stuff.

We hope that as a result of the dream we are following, we might inspire someone else to take on similar challenges. Perhaps we could inspire you to a move away from your comfort zone and a whole new life!

Have a great day, breathe and don’t forget to have a dream!

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