Stone Village House in the Suisse Normande

Property Description

Attractive, late 18th century stone-built house in the centre of the pretty, quiet village of La Forêt Auvray on the edge of the area known as the Suisse Normande. The house is well maintained, fully equipped and ready for immediate occupation.

We have owned our house and used it as a very comfortable holiday home for about 14 years.

The village is surrounded by attractive farmland and woodland in a high position overlooking the valley of the River Orne. The area attracts walkers and tourists and we frequently walk directly from the house.

There is a restaurant about 100 metres away from the house and another nice restaurant, general store and garage in the next village, about 3 miles away. The village is about 10 miles SW of Falaise and about 12 miles NE of Flers. The city of Caen can be reached by car in about 40 minutes and the Channel Port of Ouistreham and the coast is about 1 hour drive. There are flights from Southend to Caen, Carpiquet Airport, which is less than an hour distant.

The house is gas centrally heated, with an underground gas tank in the courtyard area, behind the house. It has mains drainage, and has been renovated and well maintained. The window frames are of UPVC and are double-glazed. The roof was renewed in March 2003, and refitted with its original hand-made clay tiles. The chimney was repointed at that time.

Entry is straight into the kitchen/dining room by the front door from the street or by the back door from a surfaced public yard. There are windows at both ends of the room, which measures about 6.5m x 4m. The room has an old black and white quarry tiled floor and a granite fireplace with a small, attractive wood burning stove. It is fitted with plenty of modern wood finish kitchen cabinets, a Franke stainless steel sink, a full-size electric cooker with a ceramic hob and a built in dishwasher. The gas boiler, newly fitted in May 2011, providing central heating and hot water, is in a recessed cupboard.

Adjoining the kitchen, at the back of the house is a small utility room, with plumbing for a washing machine. From here, there is a door into a toilet with a small hand-basin and wall cabinet and another door into the other ground floor room, which is about 4.2m x 2.6m. This room has a large window at the front and an original stone paved floor. We use this as a studio.

From the back of the kitchen there is a modern, wooden staircase leading to the first floor, which is divided into 2 rooms and a bathroom.

The largest room (about 6.5m x 4m) is above the kitchen and extends from the front to the back of the house, with windows at both ends, enjoying morning and evening sunshine. The front windows look out over the church, and two beautiful 18th Century market halls. The room has a large granite fireplace with a green enamelled wood burning stove, a large exposed beam and original ceiling and a modern, carpeted floor. We use this room as a lounge, but it could be used as a bedroom.

Next to this room is a double bedroom (about 4.2m x 2.6m) with a window to the front.

The bathroom (about 2.6m x 2m maximum) at the back of the house has a shower, washbasin, toilet, shelves and wall cabinet.

From the lounge there are open plan wooden steps up to the large attic bedroom (about 6m x 4m, of which 3.5m to 4m x 4m is standing room). This room has been renovated over the last few years and has Velux windows to the front and rear and a wood-lined and insulated ceiling. There is a door into a small loft space that has been insulated, but not used.

There are two telephone sockets, one in the kitchen and another in the lounge. However, the telephone line is not connected at present.

Behind the house and set at a right angle to it, is an 8m x 7m stone barn with a slate roof, divided into 2 large garage/storerooms with concrete floors and a loft above. These have electric lights and power.

The property has virtually no outside land, except for a small area behind the house for pot plants, sitting in the afternoon sun and enjoying a barbecue.

Ideally we would like to sell most of the contents of the house separately at a cost to be negotiated.