A 19th century, middle-class home awaiting renovation
in a bustling, pretty village in the Upper Var department
Aups, VAR provence-cote-dazur 83630 FR

Location

The village is in the midst of the Verdon Regional Nature Park, at the foot of the Espiguières mountains, in a region ideal for hiking and sports activities, including those of the famous Sainte-Croix Lake and Verdon Gorges.
Old fountains, a wash-house, fortified castle ruins, vestiges of 12th century ramparts, medieval houses, sundials and doors, with finely wrought lintels, enhance strolls through the village’s little picturesque streets.
The sea is 60 km away, ski-slopes are 80 km away and Sainte-Croix Lake is 20 minutes away. It takes about 30 minutes to reach Draguignan and Les-Arcs TGV train station; Aix-en-Provence TGV train station and Marseille-Provence airport are a 1½-hour’s drive away.

Description

The main entrance to this house is in a little, quiet street at the foot of the ramparts: reached via a flight of steps, a heavy, arched, wooden door, topped with a stone lintel, itself adorned with a broken pediment and a tympanum housing an alcove. A second entrance is possible to the rear via another little street.
This east and west facing building spans approx. 380 m² of living space over three levels, topped with an attic floor. It looks out over the wrought iron bell-tower, adorning the clock tower.
The facade, reflecting warm hues, features twenty or so openings, half of which are enhanced with shutters. A wrought iron and masonry balcony, suspended on the second floor, extends the width of three openings, two of which are French windows providing access to it.
The roof is covered with Roman tiles and enhanced with a quadruple overhanging cornice, typical of the region.

The house

Behind a heavy wooden entrance door is a vast, middle-class home with rich architecture and balanced rooms. A wide stairway, with landings, bordered by wooden railings and paved with black and white cement tiles laid in a chessboard pattern, goes harmoniously up to the rooms and flats on the first and second floors. The top floor is taken up by extensive attic space and the basement, which communicates with the little back street via a maze of cellars, completes this 5-storey building.
The broken pediment, the woodwork, the windows with their espagnolette bolts, the interior metal fittings, the terracotta floor tiles and the wrought iron railings on the balcony are all features that date from the 18th century, in a building that was predominantly constructed in the 19th century and is typical of its era.


The ground floor
The main door of the house, on the ground floor, opens into a first vestibule that provides access to an entrance hall, housing the stairway. This level comprises two flats: an independent, renovated studio flat, enhanced with a kitchen and a shower room, with a toilet, and a flat that is not part of the property. At the end, a wooden door conceals another entrance hall that opens on to the little street at the back, a pantry and a toilet. The tiles paving the floor, the wooden stair railings and the three-metre-high ceiling give this level a great deal of elegance. On either side of the entrance hall, three doors provide access to the cellars. The lower level, spanning approx. 100 m², is on a level with the little street, bordering the rear of the house and is, therefore, not a real basement. Creating an unusual circuit, it houses a maze of intercommunicating vaulted cellars, one of which once accommodated animals.
The first floor
The first floor is taken up by two flats. One of them has been completely renovated and is laid out on either side of a lounge-dining room: on one side, two adjoining bedrooms and, on the other, a kitchen, a shower room, with a toilet, and a large bedroom. This flat is steeped in light and has high ceilings. The second flat, comprising three rooms, is currently undergoing renovation works.
The second floor
Red hexagonal tiles and wooden nosing enhance the stairway going up to the second floor. This level still has its original layout and has not yet been renovated: on one side, two bedrooms as well as an old kitchen, and, on the other side, a flat composed of a kitchen, a living room, a large bedroom and a shower room. The terracotta floor tiles, typical of Provence, the marble fireplaces, the windows with their espagnolette bolts and the railings on the balcony running alongside all reflect bygone times. All the rooms are very bright courtesy of the dual, east-west aspect of the house’s facades.
The attic
A ceiling going up to a height of 3.5 m at its highest point and an exposed roofing framework, a floor surface area of approx. 120 m² and the original room layout as well as a higher level converted into a semi-covered terrace, where vegetables were once dried, give this area exceptional character. Everything still needs to be done in order to transform it into living space, but the variety in the dimensions of its rooms and its actual structural framework give it enormous potential.

Our opinion

A peaceful place ensconced in a village typical of the Haut Var department, between vineyards and Verdon Gorges, between fields of olive trees and evergreen oak forests, where sports, tourism and gastronomy mingle harmoniously.
Nursery, primary and secondary schools are within walking distance; the shops remain open all year round and the market, held in the shade of centuries-old plane trees, is renowned throughout the region. “The land of well-being” is still worthy of its picturesque nickname.
This noble, authentic house would be suitable for a variety of projects. It could equally well be a large family home as premises used for tourism purposes; the combining of the two could also be a success following renovation works to give this dormant Provencal house back all of its vitality and architectural vigour.

325 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense


See the fee rates

Reference 876926

Land registry surface area 200 m2
Main building surface area 378 m2
Number of bedrooms 8
Outbuilding surface area 220 m2

French Energy Performance Diagnosis

Consultant

Anne Triboulet +33 1 42 84 80 85

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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.

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