EXPERT Wedneday Aſter 15 years of living in


Villeréal, Neil has been invited to join the town council


“This being France, the election process is super- complicated and bureaucratic”


lists of 15 candidates; if there’s only one list they are automatically appointed but if there’s two or more, a complex system of proportional representation kicks in to allocate seats. I’m on the list of the outgoing administration, five of whom are resigning to make way for fresh blood. A local eco-warrior is trying to put together a second, but seems to be having trouble finding enough candidates. I do admire her, however, for going down the democratic route of opposition rather than the traditional one of setting fire to bus shelters and getting beaten up by gendarmes on motor bikes. Friday is the last day to register lists at the préfecture, so we shall soon see whether she’s managed it or not.


THURSDAY You guessed it. Still positive. Time for a Zoom with a


sparky pair of posh interior designers who have travelled from London for the fitting out of my clients’ château near Sarlat. The previous company my clients had contacted, very very posh indeed, had said they’d have to wait a year before they could even look at it, and then 12 months later decided it wasn’t their cup of Earl Grey. These people seem much less snooty. The château itself is a hidden


jewel set in rolling parkland, quite breathtaking but inside it’s in disarray, having not been touched for the best part of half a century. We discuss style, and happily they are of a similar view to


mine: to bring the château into the 21st century while reinforcing period features and the grace of the original volumes. This is something I have a lot of experience of from my earlier projects, and I’m able to guide them on workable solutions for hiding the innumerable pipes, ducts and cables that are so essential to a modern home. I also warn them that the floors are out of level and bouncy, in


Tursday


addition to having very poor sound insulation, so renewing parquets and installing tiling is going to take reinforcement under the surface. Our call takes a couple of


hours and I’m bushed by the time we make our farewells, but we’ve made substantial progress and seem to have built the foundations of a good working relationship. I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with and whether our local rural artisans will be able to step up to the ideas they produce. And of course, if the clients sign off on them too, or if we’ll be repeating the process with a third set of designers.


FRIDAY Please let it be negative. Negative please, negative, negative…. it’s negative! Hooray! Phew! Now, that’s the power of negative thinking! ■


A hidden jewel: the château project


Neil Vesma’s architect practice is at Villeréal near Bergerac Tel: 0033 (0)6 75 84 71 76 neilvesma.com


FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: July/August 2023 71


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148