Property summary
The property:
The riverside property consists of 2 large houses : a Maison de Maître and a stone barn conversion, both located on over 20.000 m² of mostly flat land. Only towards the river the land slopes down to the riverside. The riverbank is part of the property. Numerous trees provide a cooling shade in Summer.
Main house:
Located at the end of a 180 m long private lane with (fruit) trees on both sides is a “Maison de Maître”. This renovated house dates from the 19th century. It has app. 180 m² living space, not counting the attic nor the basement with its separate entrance. On the first floor there are 4 spacious double bedrooms of about 17 m² each. There is a bathroom (bath, sink on wooden cabinet with marble counter-top, and wall hung toilet) and a large landing which gives the possibility to add a second shower room if desired. All the windows in the house, on the first floor as well as on the ground floor, have been replaced with new isolating and securing white painted wooden window frames with double glazed window panes.
In style with the grandeur of a Maison de Maître, there are double doors throughout the house.
On the ground floor is a large L shaped living room (about 40 m²) openly connected with the dining area (ap. 20 m²). From the dining area you can enter the kitchen (ap. 17 m²) through an old wood/glass double-door.
The kitchen furniture has been installed and there is a built in gaz cooker.
In the entrance hall there is a guest loo with wall hung toilet.
The electricity has been renewed throughout the house, as is the plumbing.
The basement (app. 90 m²) can be reached from the outside and offers another bathroom space with bath and fittings for washing machine, plus storage and utility space.
The second house (app. 150 m² including the indoor garage) used to be a stone barn built in the 19th century. Converted into a house in the seventies it lost its outer stone look, but the stones are still present under the seventies rendering with its now freshly painted cream colour.
On the ground floor there is the already mentioned garage and a large open plan kitchen / living area with double glass doors to the garden. The kitchen has a wooden counter-top with an induction cooker. There is a separate toilet and a large utility space/pantry. On the first floor there are 4 double bedrooms, each bedroom has its own en-suite bathroom (shower, sink and toilet). The entire first floor has been redone in 2019/2020 : new electricity, new plumbing, new paint. New floors.
On the ground floor is a wood burner which warms the house. On the first floor electric radiators can help warm this floor if necessary. The attic adds a lot of storage space. It has a light and a power socket and you can easily walk upright. It can be reached by pull down stairs. It holds the new 300L hot water boiler.
All the windows in this house are new (white Pvc) and have double glazing.
Option to turn the garage into a 5th double bedroom with en-suite shower room. This house will be perfect as a guest house, or to let.
The septic tank of the property, with micro station, has been installed in 2015 and is conform the current legislation.
The property has an internet connection, and a fibre optic network is under construction and scheduled to be available soon.
There are several stone sheds and workshops on the property. There are 2 water wells and a fenced vegetable garden as well as a hen house with a fenced hen coop.
And of course there is the river. You can swim in it, you can fish in it, you can go boating on it. It is a beautiful secluded part of the river, no public access.
As it is so tranquil and secluded, a population of over a thousand cattle egrets live just a little further down the river side. They spend their days elsewhere, gathering food, but come home every evening at sunset. A wonderful sight.
The former owners bought the house in the beginning of Ww2 and were posthumously named Righteous Among the Nations in 2013 for hiding a Jewish family in the house during the war. There is a picture of the Maison de Maître from that time on the site of Yad Vashem.
The tax (taxe foncière) of the property is 1790€ (as paid in Sep 2020).
Location:
The property is situated in the country side, in department 81 (Tarn). The postal code is 81300, Graulhet, but it is tranquilly situated, a couple of kilometres away from this community of over 12.000 people. It’S located in the triangle of three old towns: Gaillac, with its wine region older than Bordeaux, founded by the Romans, Albi, the capital of the Tarn with its cathedral and Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, and Castres, with its river side houses and Goya museum, and right next to the Sidobre and the Parc Naturel Le Languedoc. All these towns are less than 25 km from the property. Nearer, at a 10 minutes distance, is the medieval hill top village of Lautrec. Elected as one of the most beautiful villages of France, Lautrec is also known for its pink garlic. At the bottom of the Lautrec hill is the Aquaval Waterpark.
A little further away is the medieval citadel of Carcassonne. The property is 80 km from one of France’s largest cities: Toulouse. For the main part the road to Toulouse is a highway, situating Toulouse at less than an hour’s drive.
In Summer it is possible to spend the day at the Mediterranean coast, and in Winter it is possible to go for a skiing daytrip to one of the many stations in the French Pyrenees or Andorra, where you can end the day with some tax free shopping.
And so close to the Spanish border makes day or weekend trips to the Costa Brava or Barcelona a regular event.
Transport:
There is a bus stop on the main road at ap. 100M from the property. There are train stations in Castres, Gaillac and Albi. There is a highway going from Albi via Gaillac to Toulouse. Castres has a regional airport and both Carcassonne and Toulouse have international airports.
Schools and day-care:
The french school system and day-care is excellent. Several forms of day-care and schools, up to a secondary school for vocational training, can be found locally in Graulhet. All school systems are represented in the area, with some excellent universities in Ali and Toulouse.
Leisure:
Golf fans will find their joy on one (or all?) of the several golf courses in the vicinity: Albi, Castres, Mazamet and Fiac. For the more refreshing activities in Summer one can splash around in the outdoor waterparks in Lautrec, Castres and Graulhet, or more adventurously, go kayaking or canyoning near Castres and Albi. With the Sidobre and the Parc Naturel Le Languedoc the nature in the area is perfect for hiking and mountain biking and the Aerodrome Graulhet has gliders and ultra lights.
Health:
Health care is excellent in France which, unfortunately for me, I have experienced first hand. There are several doctors and other specialists in Graulhet. About four km down our road in the opposite direction there is a village with an English speaking Gp. In Albi, Castres and Toulouse are several hospitals and clinics.
Shops:
Besides the possibilities for fantastic shopping sprees in Castres, Albi, Gaillac and of course Toulouse, all the basic shopping can be done in Graulhet. There are several super markets; a new, large Leclerc Hypermarché, but also smaller supermarkets such as Netto or internationally known: Lidl and Aldi. There is also an Action. A B&M has recently been opened in Castres. Though as a local one buys his bread and croissants in one of the many local boulangeries and you can do your shopping at the numerous weekly markets in the area. You can also purchase your food directly from local farmers. For the Diy people, there are several shops and suppliers in Graulhet to fulfil your needs.
Culture:
Though mainly a rural department, the Tarn is also a very lively department with recurring events such as the Pause Guitar Festival in Albi, or the Rue d'Eté Festival in Graulhet. The latter also has an organic fair every year. Of course Gaillac has its Wine Festival and in recent years they have developed the Chinese Lantern Festival. Of course Lautec celebrates its pink garlic. For people who like to stay connected through Tv: the property receives a.o. English, Dutch and German Tv.
Photos See all the photos
Price 486,000 €
Not including notarial fees, registration and land registration fees.
Price / sq metre: €/m² 1,388.57
other currency
Reference:
87323
Private property listing