REAL LIFE
review the properties they had visited. “That was the magical moment for us. At lunch, we discussed the places we’d seen, what we liked and what we didn’t. Richard talked about the pluses and minuses of owning an apartment versus a house and some of the coproprietor issues and so on. Then he said, “I had an idea last night and wanted to get your thoughts”.
RUIN TO DREAM HOME Richard drove Gordon and Deb to Mirande, a picturesque town renowned for its quality of life, and he showed them the house that was destined to become their home. “It was basically an abandoned building. There was pigeon poop everywhere – bags of it in what eventually became my office at the top of the house. Richard described it as a bombsite and he was right. But it had the most beautiful staircase! Richard told us he was about to renovate it into apartments as he had done with the building next door but if we wanted it, he could turn it into our dream house.” The pressure was on for
Gordon and Deb: “We took about three days, talked again and decided to do it. Then the fun started!” From start to finish, the transformation from abandoned ruin to Gordon and Deb’s beautiful townhouse took just seven months, from mid-October to mid-May. The renovation was documented step by step in a series of videos that can be seen on YouTube. One of the most astonishing
factors in this success story was that the entire renovation took place while Gordon and Deb were 4,000 miles away, back home in the States. It was a question of
confidence and trust. “Richard and the team drew up some computer-generated layouts and graphics and we approved those. Then we had a lot of back and forth, almost every day, on WhatsApp with his questions and our answers. We had a lot of video calls too, with Richard and also with Julie, French Connections HCB’s interior decorator, who sourced the furnishings for us.” Gordon and Deb soon
realised they had the same vision as Richard and Julie.
Clockwise from above leſt: Floor- length windows let in lots of light; the original tiled floor; the house has the most beautiful staircase; the kitchen
“Communication was focused, and responses were prompt as work was proceeding at pace”
“Julie would send ideas and we quickly figured out that we had similar tastes. Such was my confidence that I decided that if I didn’t know every little detail, it didn’t matter. I sent her a PowerPoint of things we’d collected on Instagram, but I’d say it was probably 70% trust and 30% input on our part.” In practical terms, how did
they communicate? “We used Dropbox a lot. Richard and Julie would post things and we would comment, which was an extremely efficient way of working together. The only physical thing we sent was paint swatches from our local paint store, so we were all looking at the same shades.” In a funny sort of way, being
distant but so connected was more efficient than if they had been in France during the renovations. Communication was focused, and responses were necessarily prompt as work was proceeding at pace. “If we had rented a place across
the street, we’d have been here every day commenting on this or that. Distance forced a certain amount of trust. We got to see the videos that Richard made and put up on YouTube and in between we had hundreds and hundreds of still photos that he would take showing progress.”
NO-GO AREA Looking back now, it’s funny to think that when he first started searching for properties online, Gordon used to avoid any that mentioned ‘renovation’. “I wouldn’t even look at it because I knew I didn’t have the building or language skills. The thought of having to manage it from a distance was crazy!” Now happily settled in their
beautiful house, we asked Gordon what he would say to other people reading this article. “When we told our friends what we were doing, they couldn’t believe it. They thought only movie stars
would have a house in France. But that’s not true. Where we come from in the US – Upper Midwest – everyone aspires to have a cabin on the lake. We’d have spent two to three times as much as we did on a house in France! The whole thing is possible – financially and practically. What we tell people who say they wish they could do it too is ‘You can’!” We’ll leave the final word
to Deb. “The wonderful thing is that we’ve been able to influence the outcome. What we love about our house is we got to have real input into what to keep, and what to change. The end result is exactly what I wanted, a mix of the old and beautiful but with modern conveniences and clean walls.” Their dream house is now
finished, but Gordon and Deb will continue their relationship with French Connections HCB, including taking advantage of their ‘subscription package’, which provides support with everyday French admin for a small monthly sum. “We’ve only been in our
house for a week and a half, but we are already talking about the possibility of being able to stay for longer than 90 days out of 180, which is the current rule. We’re interested in finding out more about visas and even potentially setting up businesses too.” ■
Book a free initial 15 minutes consultation with French Connections HCB Tel: 0033 (0)1 85 65 74 98
frenchconnectionshcb.com
FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: July/August 2023 75
© RICHARD HAMMOND
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