In the vicinity of Caunes Minervois, Siran, Felines Minervois
I had heard whisper of this property for a long time......
Occasionally someone would say to me ' have you seen the stone farmhouse hidden in the hills ' and they would roughly explain how to get there ' at the water tower turn left then follow the shingle road for another kilometre then turn right at the giant cyprus tree '....etc etc ...I did try to find it once but when your actually in a forest surrounded by trees and you arrive at a point with 4 forks to choose from it was suddenly way more complicated than I thought ....and the road had huge ruts in it and I was in small car.
Forward in time.......getting there, now that I know the way is actually quite easy and takes around 10-15 minutes from the nearest village in a four wheel drive vehicle. It was a good opportunity for me to see how fast i could drive my four wheel drive down shingle and dirt roads with no one around. Quite liberating actually !! The scenery along the way is stunning and there a few pics here to give you an idea. What I couldn't photograph clearly were the white tipped eagles circling in the updrafts of warm air in the mountains. If I am going to an appointment and see an eagle it is my good luck symbol, my sign !! And it's nice to be reminded that where we live nature is still thriving.
So, the reason I found the property was out of the blue the owners contacted me and said they would like to sell after 30 years of creating their dream hideaway. What I didn't know was that when they bought the property in 1990 it was a ruin. I mean a REAL ruin, remnants of walls and outlines of rooms but no roof. Basically a lot of stones and not much structure. Looking through their photo albums I understood why they were so attached to this property. Their slow progress is documented over the years as they engaged old school stone masons to recreate this farm.
My first visit was on a summer morning before the scorching heat of the day had started and there was still a residue of early morning freshness. There is no noise just absolute quiet except for the birds and the first cigales. As you descend the path to the house the view is breathtaking.
It really is a top of the world type view, the plains stretched out below with the Alaric hills in the distance and then even further still the Pyrénées mountains on the French/Spanish border. Its pretty jaw dropping. The owners told me everyone has the same moment when the only word they can say is 'WOW and just stare at the view with their mouths hanging open!
In fact everything about this property was different degrees of the 'wow' scale. It was wow or Wow or WOOW until the ultimate WOOOWL! Im passionate about architecture and interiors ( obviously!! ) and some days I think I have the best career in the world when i get to see and enjoy properties like this as part of my day.
The farmhouse has been renovated authentically and the beautiful thick stone walls on the outside lead into soft curved white walls on the interior with touches of exposed stone. The ceilings in the principal family room are super high and this room also has exceptional acoustics ideal for music lovers. They soar above you with exposed terracotta on the interior of the ceilings which gives warmth to the room. There are exposed beams throughout the house and you can see the interior has been designed by an architect. There is a beautiful clean lined simplicity to this property from the oiled oak flooring to the hand plastered white walls. And importantly no chemicals have been used on this property, everything has been treated using organic products. You want to run your hands across them and feel the texture. It feels farmhouse and at the same time clean lined and contemporary.
There is a rustic charming kitchen with marble countertops that leads directly onto the garden, the large family room with 2 fireplaces, auxiliary rooms and above up a wonderful curvy feeling staircase there are two good sized bedrooms a full bathroom and small dressing room. Every room has a view! Waking up in the main bedroom without lifting your head off the pillow you can see a 100kms in the distance !
Next to the kitchen is the huge indoor/outdoor room used for covered summer entertaining with it's grand stone arched entrance.
This separates the second wing of the house which contains a self contained guest suite with it's own entrance and two storage rooms at ground level which could be a further bedroom/bathroom . In total the property has three bedrooms with the potential to add a fourth.The house faces onto the view and the perfect sized garden is ideal for enjoying alone or entertaining. The draw is the view and the pretty terraced garden dotted with giant cyrus, olives and oak trees. Stone steps lead down to the swimming pool with its terrace, stunning views and 'garrigue' almost up to the pool edge.
The property is completely off grid. There is no town electricity supply or town water supply or the possibility of connecting either. So for lovers of eco living this property is especially interesting as are the green solutions the owners have incorporated into their design.
The electricity is generated by solar panels above the property and the system installed allows for normal electricity usage around the house including lights, power sockets, washing machine, the swimming pool pump etc. Hot water is heated by this system with a backup system of naturel gaz ( a naturel gaz tank is installed underground behind the house ).
Water is collected from the roof from rainfall and is stored beneath the garden in a 25,000 litre tank and this is the water used around the house for washing, showering etc. The position of the property, at altitude on the mountain side means rain collection in the cooler months and then throughout the year ensures water supply.
There is a central control room for the electricity and water with the latest technology, lots of dials and pipes and a further detailed explanation of these systems will be given to potential buyers.
If YOU are looking for a family getaway or a property to entertain friends and family this home could be for you. There are no neighbours near so feel free to listen to your favourite music and enjoy the wide views by day and sparkling lights by night. Move over LA this night time view is out there!!
Arrive, unpack your bags and enjoy everything this property has to offer! The naturel environment here is stunning so put on your walking shoes and take off literally from your front door. There are mountain paths with wow views to be enjoyed everywhere! Or ... take your favourite book and comfortable chair and install yourself under an ancient olive tree with best intentions to read a chapter ....and fall asleep.
There are many so more options and they can be as quiet or as animated as you want them to be !!
Let me know your thoughts and if the above property description triggers something in your soul let me know , it could be the perfect property for you!!
