Real Life: Our third home in France

Renovation veterans, Susan and Roddy Hays knew what they were doing when they snapped up their third doer-upper – they tell Nicola Venning their tips for the perfect project…

By the time, Susan and Roddy Hays bought their third doer-upper in France, they knew exactly what to do and what to avoid doing. However, even these experienced house renovators were caught out by the size of their next project. Apart from brief stints to New Zealand and the USA, the couple have lived in southwest France for over 20 years. ” had a gîte in our old house, which we’d run for seven years We’d done it up, and had really really loved doing it. When we told our clients we were moving, they said they were coming with us!” says Susan. With only two of their five grown-up offspring still living at home, the Hays decided to downsize to a smaller family Wehome in nearby Port d’Envaux in Charente-Maritime. “We . knew the La Rochelle area and , we wanted easy connections to the UK, as our eldest child was starting university there.”

One thing the couple had learnt from moving within France, was that they wished to be close to a town that was ‘open’ all year round; Susan was adamant she didn’t want to live anywhere that was deadly quiet in the winter. Years ago, she and Roddy had committed the classic ‘rookie error’ and bought a home in a rural area of the Pyrénées- Atlantiques between Pau and Biarritz in the summer when “it was glorious and buzzing with people and activity. What we didn’t realise was that for six months of the year, the area around us was dead. We had to drive everywhere with five children. It was very hard,” explains Susan. The couple didn’t make the same mistake again. Their latest home is close to bustling Saintes and La Rochelle, 40 minutes from the Atlantic coast and in “one of the sunniest parts of France-it ticks every box”. Not only that, but the tired three- bedroom village house was a bargain at €250,000. “We are literally 100 steps from the river,” says Susan. “We can wander down there with our kayaks and there’s also a designated swimming area. The village is busy; the restaurants and boulangerie are open all year round. And there’s a riverside café. People come from all around. It has ‘life’, which is so important. It’s a fabulous village.” However, while the location was perfect, the property was far from ideal. “The main house was very dated with a tiny kitchen. The gîte was non-existent. The pool was horrible and full of slime, the garden had not been touched in years and the courtyard was a scrubby parking lot.” Despite the challenge, the couple gave themselves a tight deadline to get all the work done. “We had bought in March 2021; we were doing most of the work ourselves and we wanted it all finished before winter.”

The to-do list was long and involved putting in a new kitchen and terrace, two new bathrooms, turning the old kitchen into a snug/library, creating two new bedrooms on the top floor and redecorating the whole house. Meanwhile, knowing there was a gap in the market for small guest accommodation, they wanted to convert part of the old barn into a one-bedroom gite. “We had a small gîte in our old house and it worked really well. It always let via guests we’ve got to know through Instagram. It’s really lovely just having a couple or solo visitor.” Many of their clients are returnees and are treated like members of the family, often eating with the couple and their children and enjoying fruit and vegetables from the potager. Also, in targeting the couples market, Susan and Roddy find they get bookings throughout the year even in winter.

“I would say the month that takes longest to fill up is the family holiday month of August.” The reservations they do take in August are generally with small families: French people with a child (the gîte is licenced to take up to three people). To make the gite as high-end as possible, they laid a solid wooden floor, chose a funky retro fridge and cosied up the rooms with an easy-to-use woodburner. “We bought the best we could afford. whether that was appliances or good secondhand furniture. Otherwise, you have to replace cheaper stuff in two years.” They also created a slightly smaller bedroom in order to make the bathroom as big as they could. “There is a big Italian walk-in shower to give it that luxe feeling.”

But prior to doing this, they had to sort out the plumbing. “At that end of the property, it was just water from a well. There was no drain from the barn and we had to put one in. It was a very long run from the barn/gite to the main drain and it meant digging up the courtyard and drive. It was, by far, the biggest challenge.”

When it came to decor, Susan focused on the small details, combining them to create a big impact. “I’m pretty savvy on where to go and get secondhand things,” she says. Original artwork, rather than prints, were hung on the walls; special handmade vintage light fittings were, after much hunting, eventually found in a brocante; and pure French linen sheets were used for the king-sized bed. “It was a huge investment, but also a real luxury. The number of guests who’ve said, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m going to buy linen sheets!”. Everybody loves them.” And when they couldn’t find the right type of oval coffee table, they adapted one. “My husband took six inches off it and sanded it down to a really lovely light oak. The wood is about two inches thick and looks gorgeous. And it really didn’t cost anything. Some of the secondhand furniture you can buy is fabulous quality – 50 much better than flatpack.” It was equally important to create a garden and seating area outside both the gite and the main house, which until then, had been used as a glorified dumping ground and carpark. “The two are separated by the barn, which gives guests complete privacy from our busy family life,” says Susan. Gravel was laid around a stone island, which has an antique bird bath and plants as a central feature. Olive trees and lavender along with a trailing vine have transformed the space into a delightful green and lush enclave. “The gite now has a beautiful south- facing terrace and natural shade from the vine.” Finally, the couple cleaned up the swimming pool and added a polycarbonate UV protection cover, which means fewer chemicals and heats the pool at minimal cost. As the roof is telescopic, it can be opened when the pool is in use. It cost €12,000 and was worth every cent, they say. “It wasn’t cheap, but it extends our swimming season and makes the pool a real pleasure to use for six months of the year.”

The Hays did most of the work themselves, with a bit of help from their offspring. Past experience meant they could project manage everything and knew when to book the artisans. “We also called in professionals to do the plumbing and electrics. These are things you don’t mess with.” The entire renovation – house, gite, garden and pool-took six months and cost approximately £150,000. “There were no unexpected surprises and we probably only went about €10,000 over our budget. People think that because property prices are low, it means renovation is cheap but building costs are really high here. You have to go in with your eyes wide open.” There was a huge amount to do. “At some points, we were working 20-hour days. Because we did it all at once, it was very stressful,” Susan admits. “My advice is to be realistic as to what you can do in a small amount of time.”

Now the couple have put their experience to good use and run their own property search company, finding homes for other Francophiles, many from the USA and Australia. “Someone stayed in our gîte for a while and he asked us to find him a house. Then we did the same for someone else, and it’s really taken off. It’s also something we absolutely love doing. And, given our previous experience, we can offer our clients a lot of practical advice too,” says Susan. “Everyone wants something different and it can be rather like finding a needle in a haystack for prospective buyers especially if they are doing this from a foreign country,” she adds. “We do all the ground work and viewings and make the experience fun and a really exciting adventure – just as it should be.”

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