Brittany Thatched Chaumieres and Primitive Houses

We continue our trip with these typical and really unique Brittany properties. Below is a description of the chaumieres and primitive homes, that are really sought-after nowadays. Buying such a characterful house is possible and incredibly affordable, just have a look at these outstanding offers for example!

• The typical Breton chaumière is a rural traditional house. It is also present in Normandy and elsewhere in Europe (British Isles, Germany,...). The name comes from its thatched roof. This thatch is made up of wheat, rye or reeds.
Top Tip!
The word chaumière is also used in French to refer to a family house or a household.
• Brittany’s chaumières were built using local materials. It allowed poor farmers to build a house simply and above all, cheaply. Water melt with clay, stones, wood and cereals picked up around were ideal to build a house, close, local and cheap.
• The Breton chaumière often boasts a groundwork made up of flint that enables a good insulation. Walls and roofs are made up of wood systems called colombage (half-timbering). Between the beams, torchis (cob) is used. It is a local material made up of water, clay and hay.
• The house itself is made up of rooms in a row, each room having its own window and there is a door between each room.
• To protect the front of the house, a local material is used. Composed of sand, whitewash and linen, it gives a white colour to the walls.

Local Brittany chaumieres are full of charm

• We use the name of Primitive House here as the name “Maison Longue” describing this type of house, that can easily be misinterpreted for a Longère. These Breton houses are often 8 to 10 metres long and 5 metres wide with a roof at an angle of 45°.
• These properties normally do not have any extra floors but often boast a small attic used for grain storage and lit up thanks to small windows.
Top Tip!
The main characteristic of this type of Brittany typical house is the duality of the use it has: it is divided into two areas thanks to wooden panels or a more sturdy brick wall in order to separate the living areas from the barn used for farm animals.


• These properties have two chimneys, one at each end of the house, for heating purposes and to prepare the animals' food. Nowadays, the barn is often converted into extra living space.

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