Laraine and Mike created a wonderful home from the wreck they bought


Building a life in France W


e decided to move to France after seeing some properties


in a magazine that were much cheaper than they would be in the UK. Also, we thought it would be a wonderful place for our son, who has slight learning difficulties, to grow up in. He’d be able to speak two languages, which he’d never have had the chance to do if we’d stayed in the UK. My husband, Mike, myself


and three-year-old Peter left for France in March 1989. When we arrived at our complete wreck of a 200-year-old stone


speak French and had very little money. Our plan was to renovate the house as a B&B, but we soon ran out of money and had to find work.


Laraine moved in 1989


farmhouse, there was no toilet, no electricity and cows visiting us at the back of the house. We didn’t know anyone, didn’t have any work, couldn’t


FINDING THE HOUSE But first, let’s backtrack a little. The house we’d seen advertised was in the Gironde department. Friends drove us down from Paris to the area, which we instantly loved, with its rolling hills, vineyards and orchards. We met with the French


agent, who spoke English, and she showed us the property, which we didn’t fall in love with. We went home and


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Laraine Bashford arrived in France with her husband and young son in 1989 with no work and a wreck to renovate, but she built a successful business and a lovely home


returned to France three months later (in November 1988). The agent told us she had another property which she was sure we’d love. When we reached the top of the drive, Mike and I looked at each other and said yes, this was the house – we hadn’t even been inside! It was the views of the valley, completely surrounded by vineyards, with plum orchards at the top of the drive that sold it to us. What more could we have asked for? After we’d met the owner,


we agreed a price and then returned to the UK, where we sold our fisherman’s cottage to


The barn has a music room on the mezzanine level and a games room below 76 FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: March/April 2025


Outside, a lot of work was done to create the garden that exists today


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