A truly charming & sympathetically renovated two bedroom cottage in a quiet hamlet with a large garden

Like many houses in rural France, from the road this house appears very understated and quite traditional. There is a parking area for two vehicles and an attractive garden in front of the house, and grand semi-circular steps (thought to have been salvaged from the nearby Abbaye de la Réau during the revolution) lead up to the front door. Attached to the house, there is a separate woodstore, with secure storage space.

On entering the house, you come into a bright and light hall with a full height cupboard containing the electricity meter. Stairs lead to the first floor and, along a short corridor, there is a handy under-stairs cupboard. At the end of this corridor is a recently added shower-room with basin and WC. The entrance area and the corridor have gorgeous flagstone floors.

From the entrance hallway you come into the kitchen/dining area. This is such a charming room of approximately 29m², with original floor tiles, a high ceiling and freestanding units. There is a glazed door leading to the terrace for ease of outdoor eating, and a further window to the front of the house makes this a very bright and atmospheric room. Beyond the kitchen is the cosy sitting room (approx. 29m²) which has a large wood-burning stove, double aspect with glazed doors to both the front and back of the house and traditional Limousin timber floors laid in strips. There is a desirable Louis Philippe built-in cupboard with wild cherry wood doors.

Upstairs there is a good-sized bathroom (approx. 7m²) which has a bath with shower over, basin and WC. At the far end of the pretty, beamed corridor, there is a master bedroom (approx. 31m²). With high ceilings, and a glorious window overlooking the garden and creating a sense of calm, this room currently houses a double bed and two single beds, which can also be set up as bunk beds. With lots of under-eaves storage space, this is an ideal family room. There’s room to add more beds if you've got hordes of grandchildren! Or there is the possibility of creating two separate bedrooms with a short corridor. The second bedroom (approximately 17m²) isn't small either. Currently, this bedroom accommodates a super king-size bed, storage units, and, once again, lots of under-eaves space. The original beams and the cute little inset window make this a haven for a good night’s sleep. The house is equipped with everything you could need, either for a holiday retreat or a permanent home, and the vendors would be happy to sell all the furniture with the property if that would be of interest to you. Outside One of the main attractions of this property is the large garden with its suntrap of a terrace and its original stone fish-pond or ‘vivier’ (which gives its name to the hamlet). A short path leads alongside the fish-pond and it can be very easy to while away the time, sitting and watching – and listening – to the different and varied wildlife. The garden is almost half an acre in size, and there is a wonderful feeling of calm and tranquillity, which gives the property such charm.

The garden can also be accessed from the little lane which runs down the side of the hamlet into open countryside. This entrance along the bottom of the garden offers the possibility of larger items, such as construction materials, being delivered more easily, for example should you wish to add an in-ground swimming pool.

Also tucked away in the garden, is a useful lean-to, which is perfect for storing wheelbarrows and bicycles, loungers and sports toys. The house is in a small, friendly hamlet with both English and French families so integration with the local community will be easy. It is on the edge of the commune of St Martin L'Ars which has a little shop and café, two restaurants one of which overlooks the local fishing lake and is a lovely place to spend a summer’s day with a picnic. Larger towns with all amenities are L'Isle Jourdain (12 km), Availles Limouzine (14 km) and Civray (23 km) and the lovely historical village of Charroux with lots going on is about 15 km away.
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Information about risks to which this property is exposed is available on the Géorisques website : https://www.georisques.gouv.fr