A 19th-century house with a small apartment, garden and swimming pool
in the northern reaches of the Drôme area within Provence, along the Via Agrippa Roman Road
in the northern reaches of the Drôme area within Provence, along the Via Agrippa Roman Road
Saulce-sur-Rhône,
DROME
rhones-alps
26270
FR
Location
This property is located in the south of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and in the northern reaches of the Drôme area that are within Provenceµ. It is a natural and tourist sector in between the former Dauphiné province and Provence. This home is situated in a peaceful environment with views of the Ardèche Mountains, as well as being near to the Rhône Canal and the Via Agrippa Roman Road, created under the reign of Julius Caesar, that linked Lyon to the Seine estuary.
The house is located halfway between two villages in the Drôme, not far from everyday services and shops. Within 10 minutes by car, there are two motorway junctions, from which Valence, Lyon and Paris to the north as well as Provence, Marseille and Spain to the south can be reached. Lastly, it is almost 30 minutes away by road from the high-speed TGV train station in Valence.
Description
The property is made up of a large family home built in the late 19th century as well as tree-filled grounds of approximately 1 hectare, plus a garage, workshop and small dwelling adjacent to the main house. Around 8,000 m² are currently farmed (under an agricultural lease which ends in 2029) and the land includes a swimming pool, which is a valuable asset in these latitudes during a considerable part of the year. The driveway runs up to the main façade, in the shade of tall trees, surrounded by greenery.
The two-storey house seems to have been built over several periods during the last century. As is traditional, it is south facing.
The walls of the older part are thick, as was customary in construction in bygone days. They are made of rubble stone and covered in cream coloured rendering. The window and door frames, most of which are rectangular, while the rest are low-arched, are made of ashlar and also rendered. Some of the windows are more recent and double glazed. Most of the windows have brick coloured wooden shutters, while three have metal folding shutters.
A triple genoise corbel runs around the bottom of the hipped roof which is topped by zinc ridge caps as well as a chimney stack. The roof frame has been regularly maintained and restored, while the interlocking tiles are in good condition and have been recently cleaned.
Lastly, to the right of the building’s main façade, there is a single-storey extension with a symmetrical façade including three low-arched openings, the middle one of which is a glazed wooden door topped by an awning. This habitable annexe, which houses a small apartment, is underneath a roof terrace surrounded by a stone baluster guard-rail with lozenge patterns. The terrace can be reached via its eastern side from the garden by a flight of stone steps with two straight stone balustrades on either side.
The two-storey house seems to have been built over several periods during the last century. As is traditional, it is south facing.
The walls of the older part are thick, as was customary in construction in bygone days. They are made of rubble stone and covered in cream coloured rendering. The window and door frames, most of which are rectangular, while the rest are low-arched, are made of ashlar and also rendered. Some of the windows are more recent and double glazed. Most of the windows have brick coloured wooden shutters, while three have metal folding shutters.
A triple genoise corbel runs around the bottom of the hipped roof which is topped by zinc ridge caps as well as a chimney stack. The roof frame has been regularly maintained and restored, while the interlocking tiles are in good condition and have been recently cleaned.
Lastly, to the right of the building’s main façade, there is a single-storey extension with a symmetrical façade including three low-arched openings, the middle one of which is a glazed wooden door topped by an awning. This habitable annexe, which houses a small apartment, is underneath a roof terrace surrounded by a stone baluster guard-rail with lozenge patterns. The terrace can be reached via its eastern side from the garden by a flight of stone steps with two straight stone balustrades on either side.
The house
It was built in the late 19th century using quality materials. The ground floor, which boasts a southwest facing bedroom flooded with light and a living room that opens out onto the garden, can be transformed into a separate dwelling from the first floor, on which there are rather spacious bedrooms, one of which seems to have been created through combining two smaller bedrooms. The volumes in this home are generous, especially the living room on the first floor which occupies more than 53 m² and communicates with a large corridor running through the house from west to east to a large terrace in the shade of a tall carob tree, which seems to have been added in the second half of the last century.
The ground floor
The entrance door opens into a narrow hall paved with cream-coloured tiles and black taco tiling, which runs right through the house, leading to a stone staircase to the upper floor. It also leads to a room with wood stripped flooring and a vast living room, with the same tiling as the hall, after which there are a small bathroom and a small kitchen.
The upstairs
At the top of the staircase, a corridor with initially wood stripped flooring and then paved with tiles leads to the various rooms on this level: three bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, a lavatory and a very large lounge. The bathroom, lavatory and kitchen are tiled, while the other rooms have thin wood stripped flooring. At the end of the corridor, a glazed wooden door opens onto the roof terrace above the small apartment. This terrace can also be reached through a set of double French windows from the living room. A stone staircase leads down from the roof terrace into the grounds. In addition, a narrow but fairly long balcony made of wooden battens occupies the southwest corner of the first floor and can be reached from one of the bedrooms via French windows.
The garage and workshop
The ground floor is also made up of:
- A large garage with capacity for two cars.
- A workshop that can be used as a cellar.
- A small, open utility area housing a mixed wood and fuel-oil boiler.
The small apartment
This construction, though adjacent to the eastern gable of the house, is separate from it, is topped by the residence’s roof terrace and can only be reached from the grounds that its windows overlook. The architecture of this extension is somewhat different to the original part of the building and seems to have been built in the second half of the 20th century.
The apartment, which would benefit from being restored, is made up of a large living room with a kitchen area, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a lavatory. All the floors are tiled.
The grounds and the swimming pool
The ornamental grounds stretch out in front of the house and are made up of tall conifers and deciduous trees, as well as evergreen shrubs, particularly laurestine and oleander.
The parents of the current occupants were farmers and planted fruit trees in front of the house towards the edge of the property. Furthermore, the agricultural lease currently underway terminates in 2029, meaning, if necessary, that the 8,000 m² concerned by the lease could be combined with the rest of the garden.
Lastly, a 5 x 12 metre swimming pool whose water comes from a well is tucked away in an isolated part of the grounds, to the southwest of the house, from which the pool is barely visible. The swimming pool’s technical installations are housed in a stone construction alongside the stone decking around the pool and are surrounded by trees and shrubs that provide welcome shade.
Our opinion
This large, traditional Drôme construction has stood the test of time throughout the 20th century and would suit new occupants who wish to give it a future worthy of its standing, via a suitable restoration or renovation project. For almost 60 years, it has belonged to the same family, who have invested in its upkeep and development to welcome their many children and grandchildren. Its future is now in the hands of those who want to make the most of its noble materials, sober decoration, classic forms and various volumes, while improving its comfort and leaving their own stamp on it, in a very open setting.
It is just a stone’s throw from a village that boasts all the necessary everyday amenities. With clear views to the horizon, it enjoys a peaceful, green and agricultural environment, which contributes greatly to its appeal.
450 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense
Reference 782982
| Land registry surface area | 10000 m2 |
| Main building surface area | 334 m2 |
| Number of bedrooms | 7 |
| Outbuilding surface area | 63 m2 |
| Number of lots | 1 |
Aucune procédure en cours menée sur le fondement des articles 29-1 A et 29-1 de la loi n°65-557 du 10 juillet 1965 et de l’article L.615-6 du CCH
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NB: The above information is not only the result of our visit to the property; it is also based on information provided by the current owner. It is by no means comprehensive or strictly accurate especially where surface areas and construction dates are concerned. We cannot, therefore, be held liable for any misrepresentation.
