New-build - A home in Brittany
After several years of fruitless searching for a suitable project (newbuild or renovation), travelling several hundred miles up and down the English countryside, we finally decided in September 2004 to sell our family home of eight years in Northamptonshire and go wherever necessary to realise our dream.
Some friends recommended that we look in France, in Brittany in the north-west of the country.We spent two weeks travelling throughout the region and were impressed by its charm, landscape and space – in such close proximity to Britain, thanks to its two ferry ports and two airports. Having located a rental property near the beautiful village of Belle-Isle-en- Terre, we moved to France lock, stock and barrel 10 days later, at the end of January 2005.
Within a week, our children were offered places at the local primary school and started immediately.We were particularly impressed by the amenities in the village, which boasted primary and secondary schools, two GPs, a dentist, pharmacy, bank, post office, solicitor, supermarket, emergency services and even a little job centre. The local authority organises weekly French conversation classes, free of charge, which are attended by approximately 25 British people.
Life in Brittany is more laid back than we were used to, the crime rate is low and driving is stress free. There’s loads to do and see, with the stunning coastline and beaches close by and lots of unspoilt scenery to walk, run and cycle through. Breton life seems to be centred around family, socialising, music and good food.
Designs on a home
When we enquired about land for sale to build on, we received a welcome pack detailing a number of plots on a small development, which the village was selling at incredibly low prices – just £10,000 for a quarter-acre plot. This seemed too good to be true. The local mayor welcomes new families to the area and was extremely accommodating.
Designing our house was very exciting; we particularly enjoyed being able to plan each room to suit the needs of our growing family.With the help of a local draughtsman, we put together our planning application which was submitted at the start of May 2005. Planning consent was received in August and works got underway in the middle of September 2005.
We employed a French construction firm for the foundations and external blockwork. The plumbing, under-floor heating and electrical works were carried out by a French tradesman in order to comply with local regulations, but we took on the construction of the roof, slating as well as most internal work ourselves.
For about £100,000, we have constructed a modern, fivebedroom family home – something we could only have dreamed of back in the UK.
Business as usual
We are convinced this is the best thing we have ever done, both building our house from scratch and experiencing a different culture and lifestyle with our two children, who are aged 13 and 11.We would highly recommend it to those in Britain who are ready to do something similar.
Having moved into the house in August 2006, we have since embarked on the construction of a bungalow (which we intend to let) as well as assisting others with their new-build projects. This has led us to start our own business, offering a service to meet the growing demand from British people who wish to build in this area.We help prospective buyers find a building plot, guide them through the buying process, choice of design and planning application, and can help to supervise the various tradesmen during the build as well as organising temporary accomodation.
Darren & Petra Franklin darren.franklin@club-internet.fr