Unconverted barn in the Dordogne, Aquitaine

Cottage and unconverted stone barn near Jumilhac Le Grand in the North Dordogne

Large stone built barn with permission for conversion and a one bedroom renovated cottage, set in 1.33 acres of land three miles from the village of Jumilhac Le Grand in the Dordogne department of the Aquitaine region of France

This magnificent barn and Perigordine cottage are situated in a tranquil hamlet of four houses on a no-through country lane, three miles from Jumilhac-Le-Grand, and eight miles from the town of St. Yrieix-La-Perche.

The no-through road is classified as a “Chemin rural” and there is a pleasant walk through the fields and back without encountering any vehicles.

The Barn

The barn has a Certificat d'Urbanisme permitting conversion to residential use and would make a stunningly beautiful family home, or could be converted into several gites.

This unconverted barn is in wonderful condition, with the original chestnut-wood haylofts and cattle stalls with cobbled floors, and a soaring roof with a pegged oak frame. It has ten openings in the thick stone walls: two big west-facing haywagon doors which would make amazing full-height windows, three personnel doors, two cattle doors, and three unglazed barred windows overlooking the field.

The ground floor area measures some 240 m2 (approx. 27m x 9m internally) and there is plenty of height for two storeys; the big oak cross beams are 4.7m from the ground.

Cottage

The traditional stone cottage has all the necessary certificates, and has mains water, electricity, telephone and ADSL broadband all connected.

You would have no problem living in the cottage all year round while the barn project was ongoing, and you could either sell it when the barn conversion is complete, or let it as a gite or long term rental to bring in some income.

The cottage has an 18' square living room / kitchen, a double bedroom and a bathroom connected to a modern fosse septique.

The large (6m x 6.5m) fully boarded attic storage space has light and power, and could easily be converted to a second bedroom with en-suite.

Land

The field behind the barn is 0.33 hectares or 0.81 acres (5395 sqm - about 60m by 50m); there is more than enough room for any extras you might want. The land is all properly fenced in, with four new wooden five-bar access gates; we have also planted hawthorn hedges and small trees along the boundaries to make the space even more private.

The Local Area

Jumilhac-Le-Grand is a vibrant village with a wonderful fairy-tale Chateau and central square, and there are basic shops, a restaurant, a bank and a post office, as well as a brand new doctor’s surgery and modern pharmacy. In the summer, there are many events on in Jumilhac and the other local villages, with frequent vide-greniers and producers markets. The property is just within the Perigord-Limousin regional natural park, and there are miles of footpaths and quiet country lanes for leisurely walks and bike rides. The area is undulating and very well wooded with mature deciduous trees, with most of the local farmland down to grass for Limousin cattle.

St. Yrieix-La-Perche has all necessary facilities including a hospital with A&E, builders' merchants and equipment hire, and a train service to Paris via Limoges.

Limoges Bellegarde airport is less than an hour away, Bergerac airport an hour and three-quarters.

It’s six hours drive from Caen, or just under eight hours from Calais.

Further information

We have an excellent local English contact for advice, project management and interpretation services; she has put us in touch with some great people who look after the property in our absence, and we would thoroughly recommend their services.