Midi-Pyrenees Traditional Longeres

Some Longere-style houses can be found in predominantly rural areas of Midi-Pyrenees. Longeres is really a classic French property type. Longeres are lengthwise houses, the name itself meaning “rectangular shape” in French.

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The Midi Pyrenees longere is traditionally oriented with the back of the house facing the dominant wind direction according to the place it was built in.

Many longères offer accommodation on only one story. Often the attic is converted into a first floor accommodation to increase the total living area available.

A Midi Pyrenees Longere.

Originally, the stairs used to access that attic were located outside the main part of the Longere house, to save space in the house itself.

The “maison longère” is in most cases a rural house or dwelling, in the Midi Pyrenees French region it often represents the accommodation of the vine-growers or forest labourers.

Moreover, these Midi Pyrenees longeres or lengthwise houses are often in fact single-storied properties with living-room and bedroom being connected together, also built of timber frame, in which day labourers were housed.

As for the farmers' families, the house was also the workplace and thus needed to provide useful rooms, for each purpose.