Midi-Pyrénées, Tarn, Mazamet, France

A charming white-painted farmhouse looking south over the hills of the Montagne Noire. The renovations have been carried out with taste and to a high standard, and the energy rating is surprisingly good for a building of this age, making it a very comfortable family home.

Two rooms on the ground floor arranged to provide a spacious living/dining room with wood burner and a pleasant and practical modern kitchen. The remaining four ground-floor rooms are currently unused and with a little imagination could provide an enormous amount of extra space. One of these unused rooms features a traditional brick bread oven and double-height ceiling!

Stairs from the kitchen lead up to the first floor, where a generous hallway gives access via an ancient-looking and solid wooden door to the upper part of the exterior space at the back of the building. Further, to a WC, shower room, two double bedrooms and an office/storage space. At the other end of this hall there is access through to another hall/corridor, again with a door to the rear of the house. From this hall, enter an enormous and well-appointed bathroom, a double bedroom and, at the end of the building, a bedroom so vast that it could become a studio flat in itself. These two sections of the upper floor are separated by a door.

The building is arranged such that many possibilities present themselves. For example, it could easily be subdivided into two self-contained dwellings. It could also become gîte/chambres d'hôte accommodation, a walkers' hostel, a camp-site (permission required for all of the above) or simply a large family home with or without self-contained accommodation for guests/family members.

With all of this potential in mind, don't lose sight of the fact that it is already a very comfortable four-bedroom family home.

To the exterior, this former farm offers over 4 ha of land including a large, rich vegetable plot, a paved terrace with gazebo, a grassy meadow sloping down to an orchard and two large ponds. For small-scale agricultural projects, permaculture, market gardening or self-sufficiency, this rested farm is ideal!

A gigantic stone, concrete and brick barn (roof needs some repairs) offers space for vehicle/caravan storage, business activities, artistic endeavours and more, over two floors.

There is also a large and solid garage with potential as a studio or other creative space, plus a former livestock building currently disused but available as stabling or for other purposes. Behind this is a large aviary, built for the peacocks who used to live here. It is solidly constructed and could be used as a great fruit cage, animal pen or for some other purpose as yet undiscovered!

All of these buildings are easily accessible from the road and the property is situated on a major international footpath, only 3 km from the now famous Passerelle at Mazamet (a suspension footbridge high above the river, a destination for many visitors). The surrounding countryside is the beautiful Montagne Noire, with the Lac des Montagnès only 4 km away. There are walks and rides to be had from the doorstep and the lake offers several leisure activities, snack bars, restaurant and events through the year.

The local village boasts an active and welcoming community. The nearby market town is lively and offers all amenities.

Be seduced by the peace, the birdsong, the space...