35–37 Benac

property details · for a Hub House co-operative coliving project

area ✧ the little town is quite characterful on a tiny hill beside the river, with cobbled streets, a weekly market, an associative cafe, a couple of good restos (plus mediocre), a sit-down patisserie/tearoom, a winebar, a spice/local products shop, one decent bakery, a minimart almost next door, and 10mins bike to supermarkets (though easier to take train 10mins where there's two inc organic)
✦ lots and lots of towns and villages but few activities beyond easy hiking, kayaking, horse riding and of course cultural/landmarks
✦ could easily function as a minihub though better to have nice common spaces and just have open events (the next town has a tiny dropin coworking, also a basic fablab)

---

kayaks and SUPs can be rented self-service on the canal (10mins bike)
✦ there's a formal public garden, and a large grassy hillside park; tennis 15mins walk, passable riverfront, small festival ground
✦ 15mins drive to village of Monsegur with its market hall and summer night markets
✦ 30mins drive to only just about passable wilderness being endless flat pine forests but Casteljaloux also has a swimming lake
✦ 10mins train to a long greenway through the forests, which runs for up to 5h biking to Mont de Marsan where a return train is possible (2h30 v 1h drive)

---

Marmande is 10mins train then a 1h bus to Bergerac also serving Eymet (45mins)
✦ Libourne is a 45min drive
✦ the next stations along also offer a variety of routes, including some walkable and circuits beach at Arcachon is 1h15 drive/2h train, very doable by car for a long day out (last train back 8:30pm) or stopping overnight, and pleasant even in Jan

---

Villeneuve-sur-Lot at 1h10 is a decent day out with sights on the way and possible kayaking/swimming

---

in addition to exceptional train access from Paris allowing easy northern connections, Toulouse is 2h30 (changing) +4h from Barcelona which is not unreasonable
✦ Bordeaux airport is fairly easy (45mins train, 25mins bus), Bergerac airport has a bus to Marmande (1h +10mins but long waits, and pickup wouldn't be offered), Toulouse airport is more hassle with changing train and tram, last train 6pm but better and cheaper flights

property detail ↗︎

property ✧ at this price for less work and a better location if smaller would be like #378 in Prades near the Spanish border
✦ a very good size for an unusual property which some good plus points that would renovate into a super nice space
✦ yet whilst Bordeaux sounds good at 45mins train (last 9:30pm!), actually at 1h with walk to station it isn't quite close enough to be a notable draw though still great for an occasional day out (prob as a group every 2 weeks)
✦ access to nature and local life is actually better than the city
✦ as the property isn't in the best condition the higher final cost might only just be worth it though price could reduce a bit and it could be renovated gradually

---

the setting is actually decent, at the front it's a tiny little street that used to have a fair few shops (none really anymore) so there's shopfronts at ground level, whilst the back is much lower at a wide point in a little canyon, recently refurbished street, descening under the railway (itself emerging from tunnel on both sides) to the riverfront

---

2 buildings, have at least one minor interior interconnect but could also at rear on terraces if extended
✦ the facade on the north is nice with a big stone arch, on the south ugly
✦ at ground level on the street they have shop fronts fully open to rear thus nice fully open ground floor spaces which is somewhat unusual, and at the back a 80m2 roof terrace above garages with east/south exposure
✦ due to narrowness each floow is probably mostly fully open

---

#37/north building 3* 80m2 + attic (also 80m2 but ~40m2 usable) with a side window plus very low front and back windows
✦ #35/south building 3* 80m2, if there's an atic it'll not be notable but might offer a mezzanine
✦ 70m2+ garages probably divided with south lower, both are tall prob with mezzanines that could be removed; at the very least one would be a good cinema room
✦ long (16–17m) and narrow which would be quite problematic for creating rooms; both are 4.2m at rear, 5.6m at front
✦ north is higher with a usable attic, possibly a light well (would make room allocation much easier); due to the low height of the ends, these could be capsules with standing space at the end of beds having windows, for the rear 3 single capsules, and for teh front 2 doubles (one window each), then some bunks in the centre
✦ if part of the roof were removed the view woudl be very good but this is too much work given all the terraces, one of which has a decent view
✦ bedrooms would mostly be at the front on the lane as these have no views, a few premium rooms would be at the back
✦ windowed rooms at back would be a basic double and single with shared bath, whilst front would allow 2 ensuites, attic would gain several mezzanines with skylights, and then a mishmash of lightwell rooms plus a few others with windows where common spaces aren't needing them; there'd be space for a couple of studios or premium rooms
✦ 35+37 parcels 577+575 total footprint 331m2

---

effort seems moderate for basic usability but not insignificant to optimise and acheive a good layout, not least the light wells, however there's two staircases and one could easily become a lightwell if suitably interconnected, but they are tiny
✦ rear needs a fair bit of consolidation work but could be phased, neighbour has replaced 2 storey facade with glass which works nicely and could expand the floorspace
✦ part of the lower terrace could be an orangerie however it has good south exposure if becoming shaded in the afternoon so the outdoor space would probably be desireable, and there are multiple additional balcony-terraces above one of which could become a solarium, prob the 1st floor of both, the 2nd floor could remain a balcony
✦ the attic of 37 has windows on the rear and a side window