Barrusclet - A French Farmhouse

Bike Hire in France

2011-10-21T11:58:00.005+01:00

Stourbugs line up outside Barrusclet. Some guests borrowed our bikes as bike hire in France can be very expensive, and others transported their own bikes with them. There is plenty of storage for bikes in the barns. We have a selection of bikes that our guests are welcome to use at no charge.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Cycling holidays in France

2011-10-21T11:57:00.001+01:00

September 2011
Glen stops for a breather and admires the view near Cassaigne in The Gers.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Eauze market

2011-10-21T11:53:00.003+01:00

We arrive at the colourful market in Eauze. Every Thursday morning the streets are packed with stalls.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Tour de France 2011

2011-10-21T11:50:00.003+01:00

Here come Stourbug ..... out for the day and enjoying the wonderful countryside around Barrusclet in The Gers.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Cycling holidays in France

2011-10-21T11:45:00.003+01:00

Stourbug September 2011.

On our way to lunch at Fources.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Stourbugs in France

2011-10-21T11:33:00.002+01:00

September 2011

Stourbugs on Tour

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

French farmhouse to rent in South West France

2011-09-13T19:03:00.001+01:00

Late evening sun at Barrusclet.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

French farmhouse to rent in South West France

2011-08-10T15:52:00.001+01:00

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

A lovely place to lunch, with far reaching views across the countryside.

French farmhouse to rent in South West France

2011-02-14T11:14:00.003Z

July 2008

The tiles are on the wall in the main house shower. the limestone is really beautiful. You can see all sorts of fossils in the stone. Expensive, but gorgeous. I asked the man at the tile shop to show me something that looked like real stone. He either misunderstood my french, or he was very smart. Once he showed me the real thing I lost interest in tiles that only looked like real stone.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Tiling a kitchen floor in France

2011-02-14T11:11:00.002Z

July 2008

The kitchen floor is done. It looks quite wonderful. After so many months of dust and dirt, I feel overwhelmed to see a room nearing completion.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Moving to France

2011-02-14T11:09:00.002Z

There is furniture everywhere. It is going to look fantastic.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Moving to France

2011-02-14T11:06:00.003Z

July 2008

All the furniture has arrived safely in France. It is so frustrating that I am not there to start making our home in France comfortable and even more beautiful.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Pool Filter

2011-02-14T11:03:00.003Z

July 2008

Swimming pool plant is going in. Another step closer to happy sunny splashing around.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

French farmhouse to rent in South West France

2011-02-14T11:01:00.002Z

July 2008

Look at that blue sky. Can't wait for the pool to be finished.

French farmhouse with swimming pool

2011-02-14T10:58:00.002Z

July 2008

Stones are added around the polystyrene and concrete walls. Hopefully they will stop the mole coming through, as well as adding strength before the water goes in.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

floor tiling

2011-02-14T10:56:00.002Z

July 2008

More progress. The floors are being tiled. What a relief to get rid of that bare concrete.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Swimming pool steps

2011-02-14T10:54:00.002Z

July 2008

The steps are nearly done and the walls are ready to be filled with concrete. Hurry up ........ the summer is nearly here!

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

building a swimming pool

2011-02-14T10:52:00.002Z

Jully 2008

All hands on deck. Matt is over there helping dad finish the pool.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Burke Brothers

2011-02-14T10:47:00.006Z

July 2008

A good advert for Burke Brothers. they did a pretty good job.

Mark will be in France to meet them and help them unload. I can't wait to get over there and start unpacking. This is just soooooo exciting :-)
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Moving to France

2011-02-14T10:41:00.006Z

July 2008

Lots of bed frames and mattresses ready to go. I was really lucky and got some beautiful bedroom furniture from a local bedroom shop that was closing down. 5 king size beds, and some massive french oak wardrobes. They will look fantastic!

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Moving to France

2011-02-14T10:41:00.005Z

July 2008

Ebay Bargains

2011-02-14T10:35:00.003Z

July 2008

I have been buying bargains from ebay and other places for the last few months. At last the time has come to ship it all to France. We can hardly move in the garage and the house. I have gathered enough to furnish the whole house. So glad I did this now, as although the removal is expensive, it would have taken me way too long to collect all this in France.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

swimming pool construction

2011-02-14T10:32:00.003Z

June 2008

We have friends coming to visit for the summer. The pool is coming together, but will it be ready?

French Renovation Project

2011-02-14T10:25:00.003Z

Originally we all thought a low doorway would be characterful. Once we had all cracked our heads on it, we changed our minds. Some 'new' stones have been added, and the height is raised.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Skiing in the Pyrenees 2009

2011-02-14T08:32:00.002Z

Only two hours drive and we were skiing at Tourneboup. Not sure how you spell that, but it was a good day out. You could ski over to La Mongie. We stayed in a lovely chambre d'hote near Cauterets. We were not too keen on the skiing there, it was all too open and uninteresting.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Tulip Spring Bouquet

2011-02-07T09:43:00.002Z

A spring bouquet of tulips at Barrusclet to cheer the day.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Sunflowers

2011-02-04T09:14:00.001Z

Breakfast in the sunshine makes me smile ;-)

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

sand blasting

2011-02-02T22:24:00.002Z

June 2008
The stones are being cleaned off and the mess and dust is terrific. It will be worth it though.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Renovating a french farmhouse

2011-02-02T22:22:00.001Z

It is a slow and painstaking job knocking all the old render off and cleaning up the stones.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

French farmhouse to rent in South West France

2011-02-02T22:20:00.002Z

June 2008

The house has been stripped back to the original stone. It is so lovely :-)
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Horse and Cart

2011-02-02T22:16:00.002Z

This lovely knackered old cart was rotting in a pile of brambles outside. The farmer thought it was hilarious that I might want it. Not sure what to do with it now. It would take about 1000 busy lizzies to fill it and that would probably look a bit naff anyway. Any suggestions?
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

In the trenches

2011-01-21T16:07:00.003Z

May 2008

More trenches, and more mud. Just when I thought we were clearing up, they dig up more things. What is it with men and their giant tonka toys?

That green/grey thing which is buried is part of the septic tank system. It is the grease trap.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

building a swimming pool

2011-01-21T16:02:00.003Z

May 2008

The concrete has arrived to put a base down for the swimming pool. We should really count all the builders on and off site today. What is that funny bump on the bottom of the pool?

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

french country kitchen

2011-01-21T15:57:00.003Z

May 2008

The Columbage kitchen wall is nearly finished. The rest of the room has a bit to go before it is reborn as our french country kitchen.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Renovation - plastering walls

2011-01-21T15:53:00.003Z

May 2008

The plasterers have made a start. They have a machine that blasts the first coat on. They then tidy it up, and move on to the top coat. This is making a real difference to the feel of the house, especially where any red brick walls are getting covered up.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Farmhouse with Swimming Pool

2011-01-21T15:41:00.005Z

May 2008

We had bettter get all the big holes dug out while we have the big machines on site. That is one hell of a big mole hill in the background. I obvioulsy am too tired to think of another descriptive word instead of big .... how about huge, gigantic, awesome, major,

massive?

It all worked out in the end. This is our awesome swimming pool.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Septic tank installation

2011-01-21T15:37:00.003Z

May 2008

Ah ha. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think the mess they are now making is digging trenches down to the fosse septic. This is an exact science in France, and they have told us exactly what we must do, and they are making regular checks to make sure we are doing it. This has to be done by the book!

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

French farmhouse renovation

2011-01-21T15:34:00.002Z

May 2008

Yet more big plant on site. what are they going to trash next?
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Renovating a french farmhouse

2011-01-21T15:28:00.004Z

May 2008

Our team are stripping off the old creppie/render and getting ready to re-point the stonework. What a mess this has created......again! We must love dust and rubble. Renovating a french farmhouse is a dirty business.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Farmhouse Renovation - Original sink under the window

2011-01-21T15:21:00.005Z

This is not a great picture, but it does show a nice original feature of the house. There is a sink under the window made from a sloping piece of stone, with a little shelf either side. The water would flow directly out under the window when finished with.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

French farmhouse to rent in South West France

2011-01-21T15:09:00.004Z

Before photo taken in February 2007. After photo taken in the summer of 2010

It is hard to believe that we first saw Barrusclet four years ago on a cold, wet, winter day. WOW ! What a difference. How we love this place. We now rent our beautiful french home out for part of the year to holiday makers, house hunters, and groups of friends looking to enjoy the glorious french countryside.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Cycling holidays in France

2011-01-21T14:58:00.007Z

January 2011

Ahead of our new rental season we have taken some more bikes over to Barrusclet. They are not new, but they are good quality and free for our guests to use whilst renting Barrusclet. We now have over ten adult bikes, and some children's bikes. Cycling through the countryside of South West France is a dream.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Fancy Shower

2010-09-21T18:02:00.003+01:00

Now my eldest son Matt is particularly unimpressed that we have bought a ruin in France to renovate. So I am trying to win him round by promising him a room with an ensuite, and I buy this fancy gimickey shower head to make it look trendy. Stupid me! Not only do such cheap tactics not work, the fancy bleep bleep shower doesn't work very well either. By trying to please people who don't want to be pleased I have just wasted our money. Would have been much better to put in an ordinary shower. Will I ever learn? Maybe, eventually!
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Deliberate Mistake!

2010-09-20T18:03:00.004+01:00

April 2008
The new windows are going in. can any one spot the deliberate mistake?
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

French house with Ensuite

2010-09-20T11:56:00.006+01:00

Feb 2008 and July 2009

The two doors that are lead from the master bedroom are to a dressing room on the left and an ensuite bathroom on the right. Well that was the plan. I got the ensuite, but the dressing room was snatched away from me because Mark designated it a good space to put a hot water tank. Mmmmmm!

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Bedroom 4

2010-09-18T16:13:00.002+01:00

The guys are doing a great job of creating colombage walls out of reclaimed timbers. This wall will divide bedroom 4 from the master bedroom.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

A great find.

2010-09-17T10:09:00.003+01:00

Feb 2008

In the kitchen. The timber framed wall you can see was actually discovered in another part of the house when we took down a plasterboard wall to make a room bigger. We had no idea it was hiding there. The guys have carefully moved it to form the new wall between the kitchen and the hall. What a great find!

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Grey Day

2010-09-17T10:05:00.002+01:00

Feb 2008

A bit dismal today, but the guys are soldiering on. It still looks like a bombsite after nearly 9 months of work.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Crisp and cold January 2008

2010-09-17T10:02:00.002+01:00

Brrrrrrr, it is so cold today, but the air is crisp and clean with a beautiful blue sky. Invigorating! Base camp caravan keeps warm and cosy.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Ahhhhh, Spagetti Junction

2010-09-17T09:55:00.005+01:00

Jan 2008
It took me a few minutes to work out where this was. I think I am standing almost in the downstairs wc., under where the stairs will be, looking into the utility room. There will be a wall built this side of all those cables coming up through the floor.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Concrete Floors

2010-09-17T09:50:00.002+01:00

The concrete floors are being laid over the top of the water/gas/electric pipes and cables so they are all hidden away. This floor level will eventually need to come up more. There is insulation to go on top and then a screed. Mark wishes the water pipes were on top I think, within the insulation, but it is too late now.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Electrical Wiring

2010-09-17T09:41:00.004+01:00

This really is progress. The electrician is here putting cables and wires everywhere. We are still a long way off having light at the flick of a switch but it is another big step forward. This shot is taken in the kitchen. The hard thing is deciding in advance where all the sockets and light switches are going. You think you are going to use a room in one way, but when you actually live in it things might happen differently. Then we have to consider TVs and phones and internet. I don't like having to commit so far in advance because I know I will want to change my mind but it will be too late.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Cute little daybed

2010-09-16T09:36:00.003+01:00

Fast forward to 2010, and there it is ...... Cute little daybed in the corner of the master bedroom.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

It's Me.

2010-09-16T09:21:00.003+01:00

I am upstairs standing in the corner of the master bedroom ..... my bedroom! This is where a cute little daybed will go.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Backside of the building

2010-09-13T16:28:00.003+01:00

Jan 2008

This shows the progress on the backside of the building. There is loads going on at the moment, with building materials everywhere, and stuff being delivered daily. So much has happened since our last visit and so this is really exciting.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Canal Roofing Tiles

2010-09-13T16:23:00.003+01:00

Jan 2008

The roof is really taking shape. They are over half way with the canal tiles. They look fantastic. It must be very cold working up there on the roof. Glad we are cosy in our caravan!

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

The Hall

2010-09-09T22:36:00.003+01:00

The Hall upstairs is going to be amazing. It is really high at the centre, and that is quite unexpected from the outside of the building. Very dark at the moment because there is no natural light. We want to avoid using velux windows because we think they will compromise the insulating qualities of the roof panels.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

The Master Bedroom at Barrusclet

2010-09-09T22:31:00.003+01:00

The new beams are in and the roof is going on. Shame about those beams!!!!!! Get over it, they are doing a good job. Yes, but surely we could have had beautiful oak beams if we had looked for longer, and spent more money and if we hadn't been in such a rush. Too late now. The other weird thing is that the upstairs is now going to be really dark because we only have the little square windows letting in light.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

The new roof.

2010-09-09T22:28:00.002+01:00

Hey look ....... The new roof is going on. This is great news. It means that there is a chance we will be water tight before the weather deteriorates too much.

Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Chinoise

2010-09-09T22:23:00.003+01:00

November 07

Things are still moving on. The Chinoise is being repaired and rebuilt; that is the pattern you can see on the top of the wall. It is made of canal tiles and makes an overhang. The guys are making false stones around the windows that don't have corner stones. They need a bit of 'weathering'.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Morning sunlight in south west France

2010-09-08T09:57:00.003+01:00

This house may have no roof and has been turned in to a building site. But early in the morning before work starts it is like heaven on earth to me.
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Roof Beams

2010-09-07T13:15:00.003+01:00

When we bought Barrusclet an upstairs did not really exist. We hoped that we might find some lovely old beams up there, but it was all pretty industrial. We have now taken delivery of new beams to support the roof. I am a bit disappointed with the designs for the trusses because it is all very angular and I don't think that attractive. I feel we have not explored the options well enough because we are now having to make quick decisions to get things on to site and keep the workforce busy and the project moving forward. This is all roaring ahead quicker than we imagined it might, and decisions (even important ones) are having to be made daily and at speed. I know they will look fine, but I also know they will never be as lovely as they might have been. We certainly won't be doing them again. I guess I should just get over it!
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

French Renovation Project

2010-09-07T13:04:00.003+01:00

This is the biggest room in the house. Two storeys high on one side. We have taken the horizontal beams out, and put in recycled longer beams at a slope up to full roof height. This means our new room will have a magnificent open feeling. All the rubbish has been cleared out, so it just needs a roof putting on it now. Good job that Norbert D has delivered those roof panels!
Barrusclet - French farmhouse to rent in the Midi-Pyrenees

Barrusclet Kitchen

2010-09-06T08:59:00.003+01:00

We have knocked three rooms in to one to make a great big kitchen/dining/living room. There will be a log burner against the wall at the far end. One plaster board wall had been built around a columbage wall. That was a great surprise, and the whole timber framework is going to be moved to create one of the hall walls. The acroprops are supporting the new block and beam floor in the master bedroom. The concrete has been poured over the blocks and needs supporting until it is stable.

Master Bedroom at Barrrusclet

2010-09-05T18:21:00.002+01:00

Just spotted another good photo of what will be the master bedroom.

Efillate Panels

2010-09-05T18:15:00.003+01:00

Norbert is delivering efillate panels for our new roof. They are massive insulated panels that will form the basis of the roof. New beams will support them, and then they will have canal tiles on top.

Norbert visits Barrusclet

2010-09-05T18:09:00.003+01:00

How exciting ...... Norbert D comes to Barrusclet .....Goodness knows how he is ever going to turn around ... perhaps we will have to keep him. What is he bringing?

Block and Beam flooring

2010-09-05T17:59:00.003+01:00

We are making an upstairs in the house by using block and beam flooring.....this should ensure good sound insulation. The house up until now does not have an upstairs, it doesn't even have any stairs. This area of the building may have been used for hay storage in the past. The columbage panel you can see (the bits of wood on the beam), still has cowpoo and mud infills. This space will become bedrooms 2 and 3 of our house.

The Master Bedroom at Barrusclet

2010-09-04T18:26:00.003+01:00

Well, I am jumping forward for a brief look at the future. This blog is retrospective, and the work which began in Summer 2007 was finished, and the house ready to live in from the Summer of 2009. Just in case you are following this I thought a quick after shot might stop you from getting too depressed. This is the finished room from the previous post where Mark's shadow can be seen taking a picture of the concrete belt.

Concrete Belt

2010-09-03T17:14:00.003+01:00

October 2007
The entire roof is off the farmhouse, and you can see the concrete belt which stabalises the whole building. That's Mark taking the picture. The space in the picture will become the master bedroom at Barrusclet.

Misty morning at Barrusclet

2010-09-03T17:09:00.002+01:00

October 2007, early in the morning.

Renovation Progress

2010-09-02T10:05:00.004+01:00

These three pictures are of the same aspect of the building. They show that things are finally being reconstructed after weeks of clearing the site. This part of the house was in the worst condition of all. There was actually a large tree growing right next to it that had pushed the wall over. The roof had caved in and it was fairly unsafe. I've got loads more pictures so I might put those up at a later date.

The stone wall was really not worth saving here and so redbrick has been used and will be rendered/creppied later.

I am a bit disappointed that we are going to loose the little pitched roof detail. Already financial restraints are kicking in, and we have to go for the cheaper construction. No-one else thinks it will matter, but I do! This is really the back of the house and so less important. However not putting the pitch in will make this a more boring facade. But better to save money here I suppose, and have enough left to finish the building.

A view from my office

2010-09-02T09:44:00.003+01:00

Take a look at the view from my office. Can anyone beat this?

July 2007

French Renovation Project

2010-09-02T09:36:00.003+01:00

Yeh!!!!!!!!! At last, the clean up And rebuild has begun in earnest. The guys are working on putting a concrete belt around the exterior walls of the building to secure it. It looks better already, although that might be because it has finally stopped raining and the sun has come out.

Base camp Barrusclet

2010-09-01T15:51:00.003+01:00

This is our office where all important decisions are made. It is also home for when we visit. A second hand caravan that we towed down from England will save on hotel bills, plus we can survey our domain from dawn until dusk. Plastic green conference/breakfast table, wild flowers in the vase, and Hallelujah, the sun has come out.

How to renovate a French farmhouse

2010-09-01T15:37:00.004+01:00

Well, I guess you can see what we are up against. From here on we are going to start to reconstruct and put this place back together! We will have our dream home, our place in the sunshine of South West France. Why is it always raining here then? The mud here must be the stickiest in the world. Surely things can only improve from this point?

French Renovation Project

2010-09-01T09:29:00.004+01:00

That title should probably read more like French demolition project!

Welcome to our holiday home

2010-09-01T09:06:00.004+01:00

The wreckers/builders have spread their magic in to the hallway. This poor building must feel trampled. What if the builder's walk off site now????? That is just being melodramatic of course. Hardly likely, because they won't get paid if they do. Ha! The hall actually looks really long now all the stuff has been moved out.

Go to www. fabulousfrance.co.uk if you want to know the happy ending.

Sunshine in the Gers

2010-08-31T23:00:00.002+01:00

Don't panic! Even with no roof and hardly any walls, this house is still beautiful when the sun shines it's dappled light through the trees.

French farmhouse renovation

2010-08-31T15:44:00.004+01:00

The house is fast disappearing before our eyes. I thought builders were so called because they built things. Am I missing something here? Yes! I am missing a roof, and the walls seem to be getting smaller too. What have we done?

3D Mosaics near Barrusclet

2010-08-31T15:34:00.003+01:00

Love these 3 dimensional shapes. Some of the designs here at Seviac are stunning. It is also really peaceful, and just a lovely place to wander. You can feel the history. Has anyone seen my toga? The site is quite a recent discovery and there is still more to uncover.

Roman villa at Seviac

2010-08-31T15:26:00.006+01:00

Time to take some time out and visit some of the local villages and places of interest.

The Roman Villa at Seviac has some gorgeous well preserved mosaics. It is only 5 minutes in the car. The Romans knew how to choose a lovely spot to build. I can see why they didn't stay too long on the Welsh borders. Lovely and warm here for taking an outdoor plunge in the baths.

french farmhouse open to the elements!

2010-07-19T16:19:00.001+01:00

Oh noooooo! Please don't rain as we have no roof anymore. Leave the work force alone for a few weeks and look what happens. Our house is vanishing quickly. All the roofs have come off and the house feels so light and spacious instead of gloomy and dark. Not very practical though. It is all very well taking all the bad bits down, but there doesn't seem to be very much left.

2010-07-17T05:36:00.000+01:00

Quick time on to July 2007. The house purchase is made and the carnage has begun. First step is to clear the site. The old roof is being ripped off, and all the vegetation and rubbish thrown out. The task is daunting. This is not a job for the faint-hearted.

Will there be any house left by the time we have finished?

A French farmhouse near Larresingle

2010-07-09T08:47:00.001+01:00

We take Matt and Al over to France to show them what naughty children we have been. They are suitably unimpressed by the ruin we have bought. We try to distract them with a visit to Larresingle. This is a fortified medieval village on a tiny scale. Known (ambitiously) as The Carcassone of The Gers. It is cute, but only takes about 10 minutes to walk round.

It all seems fairly closed up on a cold day in March, but in the summer there is a creperie and some little shops. The village also lies on the well trodden pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostella. Which I have just discovered also runs past our farmhouse. I hope we get some interesting pilgrims trailing by!

Larresingle also has a small (everything here is small), outdoor exhibition of medieval warfare. It looks like something that small children and engineers might like. It's not open today, so back to our newly acquired french farmhouse to torment our boys.

Lovely barns to be rescued at Barrusclet

2010-07-07T16:32:00.000+01:00

We have some lovely old barns at Barrusclet. They are unfortunately falling down! Take a look at the main ridge of the tall barn......this needs sorting out soon otherwise the whole lot is going to cave in. Once the roof has gone down, breaking all the tiles as it hits the ground, the walls will start to deteriorate. They seem to be mostly held together by mud. Having said that, the mud here does seem to be of an exceptional quality. It's a long time ago, but Aristotle or Plato imagined a world of forms, where the perfect image of everything on earth was held. Anyway, this mud must come close to the perfect form of mud. Walk around in this and you soon end up on mud platforms. Naomi Campbell would be 10ft tall in no time if she lived round here.
Saving these barns from further damage is a bit of a priority. Sadly some of our budget will be instantly munched up by something that doesn't move the main house on at all. Mmmm, we didn't think of that did we?

Anyway, check out those lovely corner stones. Straight as you like. Who needs a structural engineer?

French country picnic at Barrusclet in the Gers

2010-07-07T14:07:00.000+01:00

All that hard work renovating a house has to be balanced with some R and R. We had a wonderful picnic in the back field as the sun was going down. Lot's of our lovely friends were with us on holiday enjoying the gorgeous weather in the south-west of France. Ahhhhhhhhh, the simple pleasures of life bring out the bunting maker in me. Great way to end a day of loafing round the pool, I mean working really hard on the house. Life is fabulous in France!

The wood and the crappy crepie

2010-07-01T19:29:00.000+01:00

We are lucky enough to be able to buy 12 hectares of land with our farmhouse. Like, we really need 3 fields and a wood. Well actually, we really love the wood, but the farmer won't sell just the wood, we have to buy the fields too. Our estate agent advises us that it is no bad thing to have plenty of land round us. We are like lambs to the slaughter. But hey, it is the trees and the lush greeness of this property that has attracted us. So, yes, let us have more land, and spend even more money!
I have uploaded this picture below, and I can't get rid of it.....so it stays. The house looks very pretty in the distance. the walls are covered in crepie, or crappy as we have been calling it. It is a type of render. We hope to return to the original stone underneath. This means blasting and chipping all the old crepie off and repointing around the stones underneath. It will be a big job!

2010-06-29T14:11:00.000+01:00

Thought a few outside shots might be nice. As you can see it is wintery and we have lots of old farm machinery just lying around. There is also an old renault on it's side, (the lizards like this one), and part of what looks like a combine harvester. The farmer is supposed to move all this, but I am not holding my breath. Roll on several months and The three wise monkeys sit with a beer under this tree. http://www.fabulousfrance.co.uk/The_Grounds/The_Grounds.html

The Hidden Room

2010-06-29T08:46:00.000+01:00

This was named The Hidden Room because the only way we could get in was to climb through a rotting exterior window. The trees are growing inside the building and some of them are taller than the house. The roof has gone and the floor is covered in moss. You would think we might have been put off at this stage, but it just seems mysterious and magical to me. I must be 'As mad as a box of frogs'!

2010-06-23T18:25:00.000+01:00

We couldn't even get upstairs when we bought it....as.........there were no stairs. As you can see, this may present a bit of a challenge. Sadly there are few lovely old oak beams up here. The roof is industrial and held up by scaffolding poles. I think this could be The Master Bedroom and Ensuite. What do you reckon? Don't believe me? Well follow the link. http://www.fabulousfrance.co.uk/BedroomsandBathrooms/Bedroom%20&%20Bathrooms.html

2010-06-22T09:52:00.000+01:00

This room is huge....Errrrr....and a bit of a dumping ground. But those windows look promising. Our first thoughts are for a massive lounge with big squashy sofas and a roaring fire. Nice to spot those plastic garden chairs in the corner, they are probably all we can afford to sit on now!

2010-06-21T09:59:00.000+01:00

Mmmmmm! Welcome to the pantry. I wonder where that fan went? We could really do with one of those as it gets so hot here in the Summer. As for those sausages......does one contain the painting of The Fallen Madonna? I think we will be having a bit of a clear out in here, and even knock a few walls down. If you want to see what we did follow the link :-)http://www.fabulousfrance.co.uk/KitchenandLiving/Kitchen%20&%20Living.html

2010-06-20T15:16:00.000+01:00

Here we are inside the entrance hall of our new French house. Yes...there are some people living here inside the house alongside the trees that grow there. As you can see, there is some scope to alter things here. I guess a lick of paint might cheer things up.

2010-06-19T15:22:00.000+01:00

Well.....we have put an offer in. We are in France and so we can't take it back either. OMG! I am sure we will wake up soon and find that we haven't really agreed to buy a ruined farmhouse in the middle of nowhere complete with 45 acres of land. After all, we have a perfectly nice house in England, why do we need another one? This is soooooo reckless and soooooo exciting. Can't wait to get planning!

2010-06-18T17:52:00.000+01:00

What are we doing? This house has trees growing on the inside, and they are taller than the house. There is something magical about nature reclaiming her territory. We feel compelled to make an offer and buy this place, what a project to have! We have obviously totally lost our marbles. We are going to buy Barrusclet!

My first post!

2010-06-18T17:35:00.000+01:00

Barrusclet 2007

A rainy day in France, February 2007. We are on our way back to the airport having spent days trudging around the Gers department of France in the cold and wet. Our Dutch estate agent says that we have just time to look at one more property. We have twenty wet and muddy minutes at Barrusclet. As they say, "The rest is history". We have found our French farmhouse.