…but not quite. Still, hmmm. My eyes had nearly popped out of my head when I saw the ad for a house near the Arena (those of you that have been paying attention might remember that is the choicest neighborhood in Arles) with a garage, a cellar and a whopping 126 square meters of surface for only 138,000€. Pardon? I was on it. We came close to hounding Monsieur Meyson, the realtor, to be the first to see such an opportunity–one that was so below the price list of Arles that already Remi and I knew we would have to pounce or it might be too good to be true.
When Mr. Meyson gave me the address before our visit, I headed out the door immediately to check it out. Holy cow, the house is indeed huge!
And it seemed as though there were two garages on the ground floor, say what? Private parking is something of an extreme luxury here in the center of Arles, a town where unfortunately many a fine car left in public parking has been scraped with a key by jealous passer-by. When we did meet, it was with trepidation and a little thrill that we waited as the large door on the right was opened…
Interesting. Not a second garage but an arched space–could it become an artist’s atelier? An area to paint? If we replaced the garage style door with polished glass and steel?–with an open drop leading to the cave or cellar below, which had a nice voute but was not really large enough to convert into say, a home theatre as some folks do here in other homes.
To the right was the garage with the possibility to break the simple partition separating the two rooms.
Talk about patina! But yet these beams were quite solid.
Ah, the first glimpse of the winding stone staircase. The small stones on the opposite wall are called pierre froide and have traditionally been used in walls that are less important than receiving areas.
The first floor is one large room, meant to be kitchen, dining and living. As pitiful as the kitchen area might appear, I can assure you that it is far grander than the space where we cook up our little miracles in our current apartment.
Yes, there is a crazy sort of 1950s gold and light blue cement tiling on the floor but that could be easily covered with parquet…
…which would complement nicely the absolutely gorgeous wooden beams…to be painted a bone white perhaps?
A closed off arch is a reminder of a time when this house was part of a far grander residence.
Can one buy a house simply for a staircase? We were smitten. By the staircase. What is called an escalier à vis, something akin to a corkscrew staircase. Although the rest of the house seems to date to the 18th century, such stairs were in place long before…
Charming details of the past leading into a positively huge bedroom…
…with are you ready for it? Because I honestly don’t think that you would believe me if there weren’t photos to prove it–a bathroom entirely covered in a thick wine-colored velvet. Which I loved.
Are you sure we can’t buy a house for a staircase?
Up to the grenier or attic–a wide open space just begging to be carved into a terrace and living area…
Yep, that is a toilet and a sink for no reason in the middle of the grenier but that means that there is already water coming up and water going back down! So easy to make renovations with that already in place.
Ooh but the roof. Well, if the plans are to take away half of it anyway…
…and this is the electricity. Oops.
And yet it remained a great deal. Remi and I knew that we could do all of the cosmetic work ourselves just not the electricity and the roofing. Underneath the horrible yellow wallpaper gorgeous blocks of cream stone were waiting to be revealed as we had seen in the grenier. The house was sain or healthy but something was missing. It didn’t call to us. And to invest so much of our time, energy and money into it just didn’t make sense in that case. But it will find it’s new owner in a New York minute of that I can assure you. Let’s just hope that they appreciated its potential as much as we did!
Yep – but it does almost make us all here, as Glamour Drops says – want to hop on the plane to invest!! What is the price of tradesmen like there – have you ever read the book by Suzanna Clarke – 'A House in Fez' Viking – Penguin Group ISBN978 0 670 07035 0 (pbk.). Not sure what the pbk means but this is a story of renovation worth reading!!
The stairs are wonderful – the attic – I dream – not sure sure about the red velvet!!
Cheers and here's to you finding your dream spot though!!
Unbelievably cheap! The prices in Australia are so insanely out of kilter with the rest of the world. That is the price of a small garage only, here. Janelle from the library blog was bemoaning the very same thing recently. But then, the cost to renovate is something else entirely.
I love that you are responsive to your little inner voice. And with dozens of properties out there, the one that you both fall in love with is still waiting for you.
Goodness, I agree with your decision. I see wonderment in every old structure I come across….IF we just do this, or we do that, and then this…oh what a spectacular place it would be. The doing is the problem. It never ends when you have something like this which looks to me like it would take major work. xx's
Fantastic………….FUN!The bathroom in VELVET!!!!!!!!!!!!!LOVE THAT!May have to copy!
xoxo
That staircase is so very similar to staircases found in old houses here. I suppose they had to build them that way to save on space. The house seems very grand with lots of potential but you need to find the one that's right for you.
Heather,
This is an interesting post! Oh dear, I love this house. It has so many potential. The staircase is indeed fabulous!
Maybe you should start your own Arles real estate blog!!!!
Please more of these beautiful houses!
xx
Greet
I can see why you'd throw caution to the wind for that staircase, but always good to go with your gut. We backed out of a sale many years ago because my "gut" started to balk. We ended up here, instead, a much, much better place. Also, I'm not sure our little dog would be willing to tackle such a staircase, would Ben?
You must be counting the hours until your sister arrives — just a few days now, right?
You'll find your home the one that says you've arrived. The husband and I looked for eight years and went through five real estate brokers and four states before we found our forever home, our first and last home. We've busted our tails and then some on this place but it has been so worth it. Thanks for your comment Heather you made me laugh!
XX
Debra~
Yep. Nice "escalier tire-bouchon," I concur. And potential, certainement. But, girl, this one could have easily turned into "Le Money Pit," non? 🙂 Glad you walked away… I am sure they are plenty of other houses out there, with bidets showcased in front of a thick wine-colored corduroy wall; or a delightful 70's marron tile backsplash in the kitchen. Keep looking, Heather. There is a good home out there for you and Monsieur Remi. Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)
It might seem like a great deal, and i know you could have turned it into a jewel, but sometimes, you need to stop and listen to your intincts, just as you did. Have fun hunting ….