South-west of Paris, in the Chalouette valley,
a village house and its walled garden
Dourdan, ESSONNE ile-de-france 91410 FR

Location

About fifty kilometres from Paris, between the golden Beauce and the green Gâtinais Regional Nature Park, the property is located in a village of 1000 inhabitants with maintained or recently re-opened schools and local shops. The A10 motorway and the N20 provide easy access. Moreover, the Étampes train station, 8 km away, offers 30-minute train services to Paris.
After passing the large plateaus of the Hurepoix, the green valley of the Chalouette comes into view, where the village of Chalo-Saint-Mars nestles. Thanks to its proximity to the royal town of Étampes, Chalo boasts a certain number of country manors, called “gentilhommières”, mostly from the 17th and 18th centuries, all of high architectural quality, as well as stately homes from the end of the 16th century, such as the Manoir du Tronchet, once the home of Alfred de Vigny.
Located in a valley where market gardening used to be part of the local tradition, the village is now committed to a responsible environmental approach, by rehabilitating natural areas and promoting the installation of an organic grocery shop and canteen.

Description

Like many houses in the village, the outline of the property was already drawn on the cadastral map of 1824. Enclosed by walls and arranged around an interior garden planted with trees and partly paved, it is accessed from the street through a large blue wooden gate in the tile-topped perimeter wall.
The property comprises an east-west facing house, set along the street, with a section set at right angles, in front of the garden, a workshop and a small barn.

The house

This is built on two levels over a cellar and has two offset flat tile roofs with a bird-shaped weathervane. The oak windows on the street facade feature smoothly rendered frames, as well as blue wooden shutters and brick sills. The exposed stone walls are partially covered with vegetation. The windows on the facade overlooking the garden are similar to those on the street facade, this time the walls are pointed with exposed stones and covered with wisteria and Virginia creeper. The opening in the front of the building, which gives access to the cellar, features an arched lintel.


The ground floor
An old wooden door with exposed rivets and a glass transom leads directly into the large living-sitting room of about 60 m2. This dual-aspect room is lit by three windows on the street side and two windows on the courtyard side, the floor is laid with old terracotta tiles, the joists and beams are exposed and stained white. The two lateral walls are lined with bookcases and a large brick inset fireplace with a straight hood ornaments the sitting room area. A second door directly opens from the kitchen out to the garden. A small corridor connects the kitchen to the sitting room and also serves a shower room and a toilet. Again, the floor is laid with old terracotta tiles.
The first floor
A wooden staircase leads from the living room to a landing with old doors adorned with elaborate geometric patterns. It serves three bedrooms and a large bathroom with toilet. The largest of the bedrooms is full-width and has a bookcase and old hand-crafted cupboards. The entire level has straight strip parquet flooring. A second staircase leads to the attic.

The studio flat

Located at the north end of the house, close to the entrance gate and accessed from a door in the gable, this large room, in which a shower and toilet have been installed, is lit by two windows overlooking the street and the garden. Currently independent, it could easily be connected to the sitting room.

The workshop

The free-standing stone building has a single-pitched roof clad with flat tiles and is lit by a large gable window facing west.

The old barn

Modest in size and with a large opening facing the garden, its walls are of stone and the roof clad with flat tiles. After some consolidation work, this space could be used for storage.

Our opinion

Stones, leaves, tiles and azure: the house with blue shutters. An air of romance sweeps through the small garden. The property offers the best of country living. Here, birds are not only part of the environment, they also watch over the roof in the form of a weather vane, and tap on the doors like knockers. The Virginia creeper is not just decor, it brings tranquillity and freshness on summer evenings. The stones and tiles not only shelter the occupants, they protect them. In a word, a home.

Exclusive sale

430 000 €
Fees at the Vendor’s expense


See the fee rates

Reference 940327

Land registry surface area 611 m2
Main building surface area 223 m2
Number of bedrooms 4
Outbuilding surface area 56 m2
including refurbished area 14 m2

French Energy Performance Diagnosis

Consultant

Marie-Lyne Mary +33 1 42 84 80 85

contact

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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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