Maison Rul
property details
for a Hub House co-operative coliving project
#214 🏅76% SOLD • €56k • typical • hamlet • 550m² mini-hub • 15👤20👥 • large house in a quiet village and good area
OKAY 🔨 effort
OKAY 🚌 transport
OKAY ✈️ access
OKAY 🛒 shops
OKAY 🏙 towns
GOOD 🧗 activities
GOOD ☀️ climate
GOOD ⛰️ nature
OKAY 🌷 garden
GOOD 🏠 building
OKAY ⛲️ hood
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southern France — near Beziers, Clermont, Lodeve, (Agde)
☃️1–9–17°☀️7☁️12 • 🍂12–23°☀️8☁️10 ↥325m
☃️1–9–17°☀️7☁️12 • 🍂12–23°☀️8☁️10 ↥325m
Compare all properties
Environment ✧ woods, heaths and scrub, rocky rivery valleys; hikes on door; coast 1h
Services ✧ minimart, bar, resto; tiny weekly market; villages with supermarkets and more 30mins bike/bus/10mins drive
Access ✧ local station 20mins drive: 5h30 Paris / 3h30 Barcelona; airport 45mins drive (for UK)
Area ✧ a big drop from 86k last year, seems they're eager to sell before winter! UPDATE: I was booking a visit and they've already accepted an offer (though not closed)
✦ compare with #221 which is better positioned as a mini-hub, with good towns, is less subject to climate extremes and has a garden, though its immediate environment is arguably a bit tamer and this building is more easily adapted with more potential for bigger gatherings
really a satellite location, however has enough capacity to be dynamic, good for longer stays (if probably not notably) and host larger gatherings; would not however have public coworking due its somewhat isolated position though exceptions would be made
✦ the nearest bakery is 10mins drive so no fresh croissants in the morning without a trip out, however both the newsagent next door and corner shop have bread delivered so can probably be ordered
the village has some tennis courts on a large open area (would be nicer with some collaborative gardening)
✦ two via ferrata 20mins drive, and a bungee point off a nearby railway bridge
✦ hikes and biking from doorstep are varied from short strolls to longer reaching the highest point around at 1000m (650m ascent; 2h on foot) and across to gorges returning partly via greenway
✦ the greenway is 13km/45mins bike away by road, whence offers up to a day of easy gravel biking
✦ road cycling offers a sporty 10km/600m of climbing in a circuit and lots of small backroads; otherwise gentle; tons of forest tracks for gravel biking
✦ an easyish 40min stroll can be had to the next hamlet which has a café (the local is only a bar)
✦ the area is a mix of rugged valleys with fair variety and interesting features; fantastic variety in around 30mins drive
✦ not so appealing in winter due to loss of greenery, and also in the peak of summer due to high temps and fire risk, at such times outings of 30–60mins bring more into reach
✦ decent swimming spots 15mins bike; ~25mins drive to gorges/mountains/river (good kayaking and swimming); 40mins lac de salagou which has very good variety
there's nothing notable about the small local town except a weekly organic food market, and a converted factory that's an (occasional) events venue, but mainly has the train to the proper town of Beziers; it is however growing and has been attempting to reinvigorate itself
✦ the only other small town is Lodeve at 35mins; or Beziers, Clermont and Pezenas which are good for weekly outings at a just about acceptable distance
✦ there are villages with occasionally interesting resturants and pleasant settings such as 20mins an impressive riverside chateau restaurant
15 beds:
✧ 9 mezzanine bedrooms (11m2 ground for bathroom/changing/desk, plus mezzanine for bed); 5 having front window, 4 skylights; 1 an extra bed
✧ 6 pods (35m2 room!) plus 3 generous bathrooms
✧ possibility of 18 beds in the village's own renovated group gite which is the adjoning building (€15/day summer)
✧ 2 yurts up the lane built and rented by a German couple
✦ workspaces having 19 dedicated seats, plus 4 bar and 5 relaxed:
✧ focus workspace seating 6–7 (25m2, 1st floor)
✧ lively coworking seating 13 with two huge street windows (55m2, ground floor)
✧ living room/auitorium with 4 standing/bar seats and 4 relaxed banquettes (ground floor)
✦ common spaces:
✧ open-plan kitchen and dining with 3 workstations, seating upto 22 (70m2)
✧ living room (seating upto 17), additional multi-level seating as auditorium/cinema (increasing seating upto 35); probably having a fireplace and with two huge street windows (65m2)
✧ garage/storage (25m2)
✦ outdoor spaces:
✧ 2nd floor orangery/greenhouse (75m2) with dining for 20 and sofas (sun throughout day)
✧ 25m2 roof terrace (narrow)
✧ 10m2 corner terrace
✧ potentially a tiny splash pool, and suna
- a callroom is not provided as rooms would provide this facility however the store room could have a glass door and its front section be used to this end
✧ no premium or simple rooms, though one room might be possible to enlarge
✧ no quiet library, however the conservatory offers this function
for visitors staying elsewhere, the coworking capacity could extend to include the orangerie for 10 dining table seats though not ideal; for larger gatherings the 2 village halls (200m2) could be used, and the mayor has suggested opening a coworking space in the 250m2 ground floor of a seniors residence, two minute's walk, and could be jointly operated; they have also talked about a communal restaurant
costs are estimated higher than prior properties, assuming a decent fitout (including minibus and bikes), with 1 month in a mezzanine room requiring €4700 of shares, or €2900 for a pod
✦ mid-season rental at €900/month would match a cheap single room elsewhere, and is 25% less than most others whom charge €1800 for an ensuite — yet this gives an ensuite with desk, and more varied dedicated spaces, if a lesser standard of environment, towns and climate (e.g. as compared the Canaries/Alps/Spanish coast/etc)
✦ seasonaility would be mid:apr–may, jul–aug, oct–nov; peak:june, sept; off: dec–mar; with winter off-season at €600/month easily beating most ordinary rentals, thus should still be appealing, whilst the usual peak summer is reduced to give coowners better choice but also because it is hot and dry
solid building and roof(!), many windows (inc shutters) and floors acceptable for interim use
✦ 3 floors 150m2 all with high ceilings
✦ excellent open ground floor with huge shop windows along its length, though likely need reducing and replacing with double glazing to reduce heat loss, and reduce exposure of living room to street
✦ various caves and terraces behind 1st floor with steps up to terrace/2nd floor, and giving access from street, and to a neighbour's caves
✦ 2nd floor has 55m2 of terrace once sheds are removed, potentially 20m2 more as a wooden terrace over the 1st floor passage, plus 30m2 more if annexe is built up (catching post midday through evening sun), part of which would probably be conservatory
✦ there's a 20m2 annexe at ground level suitable for building another floor above with a roof terrace; this section is only 2.5m wide and quite deep squeezed between the buildings, but the next building is a bit lower thus the terrace could offer some view up the valley dpending upon height
works should be fairly easy, it will be desireable to resurface some floors, parquet on ground floor, and seagrass on 2nd floor both easy; fitout of mezzanine rooms would follow a standardised format
✦ the primary effort would be stripping and clearing everything, redoing some wall mortar, rebuilding some cielings (kicthen sound isolation), replacing all windows, insulating the attic and building the mezzanines (likely involves removal of entire 2nd floor ceiling), 2 new lintels for doorways into the annexe
✦ and finally, when desired, building the annexe extension with roof terrace, the orangery, and redoing the facades
✦ there's a strip of the facade down one corner where the cement covering has fallen off due to damage from a previously broken gutter; there is also one broken stone window lintel that has been fixed with iron supports sometime ago but really needs a proper replacement
the petrol pumps next door are no longer operational and that building may also be for sale
✦ fibre backbone completed but pending deployment
✦ probably poor future climate survivabilitry, however the village's water sources have not dried up like other locations
the train to the mainline takes 30mins (but 1€) thus with the 20min pickup this connection is at least 1h, for the then 2h15 Barcelona service, or 4h Paris, last 6:30pm; the station would be 30min on a (750w) electric bike (200m climb returning) making a 1h15 trip possible
✦ twice daily bus (687, weekdays out at 8/13h back at 12/17h) to and from the town 30mins (20mins drive)
✦ timing for train connections is not good (requires a 15min stroll to the station), 30min wait with the 13:30 outbound arriving Beziers 15h20 (2h), or during school periods there's an earlier 7:00 outbound arriving 9:15; for inbound there are no connections thus require pickups, last train departing Beziers 18:20
✦ however there's also a coach from Montpellier giving some more options:
✦ compare with #221 which is better positioned as a mini-hub, with good towns, is less subject to climate extremes and has a garden, though its immediate environment is arguably a bit tamer and this building is more easily adapted with more potential for bigger gatherings
really a satellite location, however has enough capacity to be dynamic, good for longer stays (if probably not notably) and host larger gatherings; would not however have public coworking due its somewhat isolated position though exceptions would be made
✦ the nearest bakery is 10mins drive so no fresh croissants in the morning without a trip out, however both the newsagent next door and corner shop have bread delivered so can probably be ordered
the village has some tennis courts on a large open area (would be nicer with some collaborative gardening)
✦ two via ferrata 20mins drive, and a bungee point off a nearby railway bridge
✦ hikes and biking from doorstep are varied from short strolls to longer reaching the highest point around at 1000m (650m ascent; 2h on foot) and across to gorges returning partly via greenway
✦ the greenway is 13km/45mins bike away by road, whence offers up to a day of easy gravel biking
✦ road cycling offers a sporty 10km/600m of climbing in a circuit and lots of small backroads; otherwise gentle; tons of forest tracks for gravel biking
✦ an easyish 40min stroll can be had to the next hamlet which has a café (the local is only a bar)
✦ the area is a mix of rugged valleys with fair variety and interesting features; fantastic variety in around 30mins drive
✦ not so appealing in winter due to loss of greenery, and also in the peak of summer due to high temps and fire risk, at such times outings of 30–60mins bring more into reach
✦ decent swimming spots 15mins bike; ~25mins drive to gorges/mountains/river (good kayaking and swimming); 40mins lac de salagou which has very good variety
there's nothing notable about the small local town except a weekly organic food market, and a converted factory that's an (occasional) events venue, but mainly has the train to the proper town of Beziers; it is however growing and has been attempting to reinvigorate itself
✦ the only other small town is Lodeve at 35mins; or Beziers, Clermont and Pezenas which are good for weekly outings at a just about acceptable distance
✦ there are villages with occasionally interesting resturants and pleasant settings such as 20mins an impressive riverside chateau restaurant
15 beds:
✧ 9 mezzanine bedrooms (11m2 ground for bathroom/changing/desk, plus mezzanine for bed); 5 having front window, 4 skylights; 1 an extra bed
✧ 6 pods (35m2 room!) plus 3 generous bathrooms
✧ possibility of 18 beds in the village's own renovated group gite which is the adjoning building (€15/day summer)
✧ 2 yurts up the lane built and rented by a German couple
✦ workspaces having 19 dedicated seats, plus 4 bar and 5 relaxed:
✧ focus workspace seating 6–7 (25m2, 1st floor)
✧ lively coworking seating 13 with two huge street windows (55m2, ground floor)
✧ living room/auitorium with 4 standing/bar seats and 4 relaxed banquettes (ground floor)
✦ common spaces:
✧ open-plan kitchen and dining with 3 workstations, seating upto 22 (70m2)
✧ living room (seating upto 17), additional multi-level seating as auditorium/cinema (increasing seating upto 35); probably having a fireplace and with two huge street windows (65m2)
✧ garage/storage (25m2)
✦ outdoor spaces:
✧ 2nd floor orangery/greenhouse (75m2) with dining for 20 and sofas (sun throughout day)
✧ 25m2 roof terrace (narrow)
✧ 10m2 corner terrace
✧ potentially a tiny splash pool, and suna
- a callroom is not provided as rooms would provide this facility however the store room could have a glass door and its front section be used to this end
✧ no premium or simple rooms, though one room might be possible to enlarge
✧ no quiet library, however the conservatory offers this function
for visitors staying elsewhere, the coworking capacity could extend to include the orangerie for 10 dining table seats though not ideal; for larger gatherings the 2 village halls (200m2) could be used, and the mayor has suggested opening a coworking space in the 250m2 ground floor of a seniors residence, two minute's walk, and could be jointly operated; they have also talked about a communal restaurant
costs are estimated higher than prior properties, assuming a decent fitout (including minibus and bikes), with 1 month in a mezzanine room requiring €4700 of shares, or €2900 for a pod
✦ mid-season rental at €900/month would match a cheap single room elsewhere, and is 25% less than most others whom charge €1800 for an ensuite — yet this gives an ensuite with desk, and more varied dedicated spaces, if a lesser standard of environment, towns and climate (e.g. as compared the Canaries/Alps/Spanish coast/etc)
✦ seasonaility would be mid:apr–may, jul–aug, oct–nov; peak:june, sept; off: dec–mar; with winter off-season at €600/month easily beating most ordinary rentals, thus should still be appealing, whilst the usual peak summer is reduced to give coowners better choice but also because it is hot and dry
solid building and roof(!), many windows (inc shutters) and floors acceptable for interim use
✦ 3 floors 150m2 all with high ceilings
✦ excellent open ground floor with huge shop windows along its length, though likely need reducing and replacing with double glazing to reduce heat loss, and reduce exposure of living room to street
✦ various caves and terraces behind 1st floor with steps up to terrace/2nd floor, and giving access from street, and to a neighbour's caves
✦ 2nd floor has 55m2 of terrace once sheds are removed, potentially 20m2 more as a wooden terrace over the 1st floor passage, plus 30m2 more if annexe is built up (catching post midday through evening sun), part of which would probably be conservatory
✦ there's a 20m2 annexe at ground level suitable for building another floor above with a roof terrace; this section is only 2.5m wide and quite deep squeezed between the buildings, but the next building is a bit lower thus the terrace could offer some view up the valley dpending upon height
works should be fairly easy, it will be desireable to resurface some floors, parquet on ground floor, and seagrass on 2nd floor both easy; fitout of mezzanine rooms would follow a standardised format
✦ the primary effort would be stripping and clearing everything, redoing some wall mortar, rebuilding some cielings (kicthen sound isolation), replacing all windows, insulating the attic and building the mezzanines (likely involves removal of entire 2nd floor ceiling), 2 new lintels for doorways into the annexe
✦ and finally, when desired, building the annexe extension with roof terrace, the orangery, and redoing the facades
✦ there's a strip of the facade down one corner where the cement covering has fallen off due to damage from a previously broken gutter; there is also one broken stone window lintel that has been fixed with iron supports sometime ago but really needs a proper replacement
the petrol pumps next door are no longer operational and that building may also be for sale
✦ fibre backbone completed but pending deployment
✦ probably poor future climate survivabilitry, however the village's water sources have not dried up like other locations
the train to the mainline takes 30mins (but 1€) thus with the 20min pickup this connection is at least 1h, for the then 2h15 Barcelona service, or 4h Paris, last 6:30pm; the station would be 30min on a (750w) electric bike (200m climb returning) making a 1h15 trip possible
✦ twice daily bus (687, weekdays out at 8/13h back at 12/17h) to and from the town 30mins (20mins drive)
✦ timing for train connections is not good (requires a 15min stroll to the station), 30min wait with the 13:30 outbound arriving Beziers 15h20 (2h), or during school periods there's an earlier 7:00 outbound arriving 9:15; for inbound there are no connections thus require pickups, last train departing Beziers 18:20
✦ however there's also a coach from Montpellier giving some more options:
| [St.Roch] tram 3 | coach 663/685 | bus 687 | (total) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:47 ➜ 10:08 | 10:15 ➜ 11:35 | 12:10 ➜ 12:40 | (3h) |
| 15:12 ➜ 15:34 | 15:45 ➜ 17:00 | 17:15 ➜ 17:45 | (2h15) |
| bus 687 | coach 663/685 | tram 3 [St.Roch] | (total) |
| 7:00 ➜ 7:35 | 7:45 ➜ 9:20 | 9:26 ➜ 9:47 | (2h45) |
…towards ownership and use in any property. Email jacob@hub.house, Whatsapp, or join the Facebook group. Refer your circle for discounted shares.