REAL LIFE


“A craſt sman friend rebuilt the helix shape of the staircase, it’s lovely now”


walk away. He thought he could get the stairs done for less than fi ve grand and everything else was manageable.” The townhouse, which had


been split into four separate apartments, dates from the 1750s though most of the property was built in the 19th century. Local estate agent Chris Summers of Beaux Villages Estate Agency, which sells homes across southwest France, contacted the owner who was happy to sell along with a run-down property next door. They soon agreed a price of €66,000, which included both properties and the notaire’s and estate agent fees of €6,000 each (€12,000 in total). Steve and Becky put their own place on the market. “We thought it would take a year or two to sell. But Chris is very pro-active and sold it in about two days! I thought, oh no, we’re not going to have time to do anything,” she says. Helpfully, once they had


signed the legally binding compromis de vente (initial sale contract), but before they


fully owned the house, the owner allowed them access to make it safe. “A friend who is a craftsman knew how to repair and rebuild the helix shape of the staircase. It's lovely now. We also replaced the windows and cleared stuff . There was so much rubbish. The old roof had been left inside when the new one had been put on and we had so much rubble to clear. We had teams and teams of people and lots of teenage boys, carrying sacks and sacks of rubble out,” says Becky. Once the sale was fi nalised,


the family were able to move in at the end of June. The kitchen was basic with a makeshift camping table, a washing-up


Top: the Johnsons have created a welcoming and spacious lounge where family and friends can gather. Above: the room as it was before they got to work on it


bowl and no running water. They had one shower room and one bedroom which the boys shared, and another “which was ready-ish” for Becky and Steve. They needed to have the house liveable by the start of September when the boys returned to school. It was all hands on deck! “When you renovate, you’re supposed to start at the top and work down, but Steve went against the rule book. The spaces we needed the


The family bathroom, complete with cast-iron bath; (inset) before


most were kitchen, bathroom and then bedrooms for the boys. We wanted them to each have


their own room before the next school term started.” They undertook a basic


renovation, to create a kitchen and bathroom, knocking down walls, painting and rewiring. At the same time, they wanted to make the house as energy effi cient as possible. The ceilings in each room are


about 3m high, which meant the house would cost a fortune to heat, so it was important the building was well insulated. Glass wool wall insulation was fi tted, radiators installed as well as two pellet-burning wooden stoves in the living area. “In the winter, it’s now a very warm house,” says Becky. They were also keen to keep


as many of the period features  FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: September/October 202367


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