Normandy's Traditional Longeres

Longeres are a property typical of Normandy and are not found in such abundance in any other region of France except Brittany. Below is a description of the Normandy Longere, without doubt a most charming and incredibly sought-after type of house found in France. Buying such a house is possible and still affordable, just have a look at these outstanding offers and these ones, some longeres currently available on the French-Property.com website.

Typical Normandy longère property

The longère is one of the most typical French and Normandy property types. It is predominantly a rural property type found in all departments of Normandy. It is traditionally built in a rectangular shape. The name itself means rectangular shape in French. Traditionally each longere was given a local Normandy name when it was built.

• The longere is traditionally oriented with the back of the house facing the dominant wind direction. Similarily to other traditional properties in France, regional materials were often used to build a Longere. Granite is typically used in the construction of Longeres throughout Normandy and other regions of France.
• Many longères only offer single-storey accommodation. Often the attic is converted into a first floor accommodation to increase the total living area available. Originally, the stairs used to access that attic were located outside the main part of the Longere house to save a considerable amount of space inside the house itself.
• Longere houses are not only common in Normandy but also found in Brittany, Aquitaine, and other areas of western France, particularily in the Pays de la Loire to the south.
• The “maison longère”, or longère, is definitely typical of Normandy’s rural architecture. In most cases, a longere is a rural house or dwelling and is a common sight across the Normandy countryside.
• Normandy Longeres often have thatched or slated roofs. Thus they melt the length of the longeres with the particular style given by the use of thatch to build roofs.

A typical Longere property

• As you can see from the photos, the particularity of Longères is that all the outbuildings are laid out in a row. Thus there is no real farmyard or courtyard area in front of the house. This a common feature that distinguishes the Longere from most other rural farm dwellings found in France.